When designing business cards, often people get carried away with how they impact themselves, rather than thinking about how they will impact prospects.

You, the designer, get all carried away with the aesthetics, and spend hours looking for inspiration and deciding on the material, etc.

It’s all wrong.

Business cards are not about making people say, ‘cool’.

Nor are they about simply showing your skills as a designer.

Business cards are supposed to get you more business. They are meant to turn prospects into clients. Their cost should be well covered by the business they bring you.

Most business cards don’t do this.

Even the coolest of cards become merely a talking point between friends. Tragically, the card has more impact than the business it’s supposed to be promoting.

Very foolish.

So, just how are you to design your business cards?

1. Make your contact details prominent and legible

Should be obvious, but as I’ve looked as some showcases I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of business cards designed in such a way that the design gets in the way of the contact details.

Use a legible font. Something which you know will work well when printed small. And make sure there is sufficient contrast between the font colour and the background.

2. Include your USP

Why should they contact you? You’re a designer, so what. They’ve already used a designer in the past, and they’ve built up a relationship with them.

Why contact you?

This is why it’s critical to include your Unique Selling Point. That which sets you apart from your competition.

Are you:

• The fastest?
• The world’s first?
• The only company to specialise in this area?

This should be on your business card.

3. Add testimonials

Have you clients who love your work? Would they be willing to write a few sentences to relate their experience working with you?

Contact them. You should make it a habit to ask for a testimonial from every client as soon as the transaction is complete. It’s important to ask for it while the experience is fresh in their minds, and while they’re full of enthusiasm for your work.

What other people say about you is infinitely more important than what you say about yourself.

It’s a good way to utilise the space on the reverse side of your business card. Add 1-3 glowing testimonials, and include the full names. It’s basic marketing, and it’ll never lose its impact.

4. Use it to make them ask you a question

By looking at your business card, one should be clear about the line of business you’re in and the services/products you provide.

However, creating a certain amount of intrigue can be extremely effective.

Maria Veloso shares an experience in her book, ‘Web Copy That Sells’ which highlights this point. She relates a conversation she overheard between a Personal Development Coach and a prospect at a networking event.

It goes something like this;

Prospect: What kind of work do you do, Ralph?

Ralph: I’m a personal development coach.

Prospect: Hmmm…what exactly is that?

Ralph: Let me ask you a question: Are there three things you’d like to accomplish in your life right now that for some reason or other you haven’t been able to accomplish yet?

Prospect: Sure. I think I can think of more than three things.

Ralph: Why do you think you haven’t been able to accomplish them?

Prospect: [This answer varies from person to person. I'm sure you can think of the typical response.]

Ralph: What if you were able to eliminate [prospects problem]; how would your life change?

Prospect: [Again, this varies. I.e. I'd be able to spend more time with my family/buy the bigger house we need, etc.]

Ralph: What if I told you I have a unique approach to help you take care of [prospects problem] which will help get you form where you are now to where you want to be – not in a few years, but within the next 60 to 90 days? Would you be interested in a 15 minute free consultation to find out how I can do that for you?

Prospect: Sure, why not?

Ralph then takes his business card out of his pocket and asks what day and time would suit the prospect, and proceeds to write the appointment on the card and hand it to the prospect. He then tells him to call at the appointed date and time.

Do you see what Ralph did? His job title created intrigue, bringing out a question from the prospect. Instead of answering directly, Ralph asked a specially crafted question which brought out a specific problem in the life of the prospect. A problem which Ralph has the answer for.

With a little thought, you can do this.

If you’re a web designer, perhaps call yourself a ‘Web Architect’. Graphic designer? Why not call yourself a ‘Creative Engineer’.

Be creative, but be effective. Try it out on people. Rehearse different approaches when giving the card. Approaches which are designed to get the prospect keenly interested in you and your business.

5. Get them engaged

People go through each day with filters. They filter advertisements, conversations, the material they read, the vehicles they see, even the people they meet.

They only remember two things:

1. That which they are already interested in.
2. The anomaly.

Most prospects won’t already be interested in your business. So, it’s wise to do something to help them remember you/your business.

• You could add a riddle (or a short quiz), with the answer at a certain web address (on your website).
• Depending on the image of you business, a memorable joke might be appropriate.
• If you’re a florist, how about getting your business cards made of scratch and sniff paper?

Again, use your head. Get creative, but keep it effective. It’s their business you’re after, not just a laugh.

Keep the objective in mind when designing your business card.

Adding all of these probably won’t be possible. But every card should have at least three of them.

For inspiration, these articles should keep you going for a while:

• 36 Cool Business Cards You Should’ve Seen
• 100+ Creative Examples, Useful Tutorials, and Templates
• 28 New Slick Business Cards