How to Effectively Use Business Cards in Marketing
In an increasingly technological business environment, some wonder if business cards are still an effective marketing tool. If used correctly, they can help you develop new leads, make meaningful contacts, and help your name stand out among the rest. Brandly offers a wide variety of materials and can print your artwork on professional-quality business cards. Whether you’re in the market for standard, eco-friendly, or QR code business cards, Brandly can help.
Read below for more information on how you can use business cards for marketing that can give you the edge in finding new clients and connections:
Create a High-Quality Design for Your Business Card
Business cards today include standard information such as a business name, phone number, name, and address. There are also options to include photos or full-color brand logos to make your business cards more memorable. While Brandly doesn’t design business cards, we do offer several paper options that will help your logos and photos shine. A warm smile on a business card can make you appear more approachable and welcoming. This may encourage people to follow up and think of you when they need a product or service.
To make the photos or artwork on your cards vibrant, use only CMYK colors. This type of coloring is best for printed materials because it allows for deeper saturation. If you’re using photos on your cards, upload high-quality images for the best results. You can read more about our artwork guidelines on our website.
Consider the bleed area on your cards as you make your design. This is the area that extends past the card when it is cut from the material it’s printed on. You’ll want your logo or other images to spill into the bleed area to avoid having unusual white lines around your card. This is about 1/8 of an inch beyond the trim/cut line.
Once you have a business card design, you can submit a PDF version to us through the online portal. Our team will convert the PDF file into an online template that you can edit multiple times and share with your employees. This one-time process provides a template that can be used by future employees and saves you the trouble of collecting information and sending in new business card orders yourself.
Learn how to manage and print business cards for multiple employees >
Create a Cohesive Design With Your Business Card
Your business card design can serve as an extension of your branding. Because of this, creating a unique design that you can use throughout your company may be worthwhile. Consider using an email signature on your card that can also be used for emails and other business correspondences. At Brandly, we provide free email templates that can be customized with your information. You can include your social media handles, along with a telephone number, name, and address. Using the same design across different marketing materials and correspondences maintains consistency and can help your brand stand out.
If you want your employees to have their own company business cards, Brandly can help them order their own individually. You can upload artwork for a standard business card design and choose which fields your employees can edit. For instance, you can allow them to add their name, contact information, and more to a standardized design. This would prevent them from changing the logo or other elements to keep the business card cohesive throughout the company.
Consider QR Code Business Cards
Another new development in business cards is the addition of QR code technology. If you choose to create a QR code business card, you can expand your options for connecting with others. A QR code can be added to any card, providing access to your company website, social media pages, and more.
To win over a potential customer or business partner, you may need to provide a significant amount of information about your product or service. Often, that information can’t be included on a small business card. The QR code solves this problem by providing a link to your website or another page that can provide that information. You can link to an image gallery hosted on your website which shows your product in action, a testimonial page where potential customers can read reviews about your company, or the front page of your website to get customers familiar with your work. Your QR code business card can also link to a social media page. Customers can message you through social media platforms or follow your page to keep up to date on your company.
Since the code is linked to a specific page, it’s easy to update information as it changes. You can update information like pricing, product descriptions, or inventory numbers on the linked page in just a few minutes. At Brandly, our team can also help you understand how to incorporate QR codes into your business cards if you have questions.
Add a Promo or Discount to Your Card
While business cards are useful for spreading contact information, they can also be used to offer discounts to customers and encourage contact. For example, your business card may include a 20-30% discount on the first purchase of a product or service. This can effectively encourage customers to take the extra step of connecting with your company. It can also help you determine how effective a marketing campaign is as you can monitor how many business cards find their way back to you after sending them out.
Choose the Right Printing Company for Your Business Card
After developing a unique business card design and gathering your information, the next step is to consider how you’ll get them printed. Working with a printing company with the tools and experience to turn out a quality product can expedite the process and make for a better end result.
If you’re ready to get started, you can visit our site to set up your account. Brandly will also provide a free demo if you want to see our work before you commit. Check it out to find out how you can create business cards that effectively market your company.