by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
Tiny card, big story
Business people looking for more clients and a higher profile might want to start by reviewing their paper handshakes. The simple, but essential business card is often overlooked as a marketing tool, according to the people who deal with them most.
“That little tiny card tells a whole story,” said Patrick McKinney, creative director for the Dalton Agency. “It’s not just a piece of paper anymore. Some people think, ’If I’ve got my name and phone number on there, it’s good,’ and it’s not. It’s the first impression of them – and when you’re meeting somebody, the first impressions count.”
The most important purpose of any business card is to provide information to potential customers, McKinney said — name, company and contact details. In addition to that basic information, he said businesses can use their cards to communicate their company’s identity and personality to potential customers.
Yet most people don’t bother to spend much time on the design of their cards, according to Philip Green. He runs a speed networking group and sells television advertising. Green said he’s seen thousands of business cards, so many that he has difficulty organizing and using many business cards because they all look alike.
“Unless there’s something unique about it, it’s just another business card,” said Green.
A plain card – especially one with typographical errors or printed on thin, ill-cut paper – may tell customers that a business is cheap or lacking quality, McKinney said. Don Fibich, creative director for St. John and Partners, said business cards need to stand out to attract clients.
“It’s like advertising in general,” said Fibich. “There’s just a huge sea of images that you’re being bombarded with every day. If your business card is distinct in any way, it’s going to force itself to the surface.”
Finding a balance
Fibich said he believes simple designs are best. When people get too focused on developing attention-grabbing images, Fibich said they lose sight of the original purpose of the business card: to communicate the company’s unique identity and basic information.
“The more clever and complex things get, the less useful they become,” said Fibich. “Logos are only useful if they mean something to people. A lot of logos are too abstract.”
To find a balance between boring and overwhelming card design, McKinney said businesses should start by identifying their needs. Business card style should be adapted to fit each profession, he said.
“It’s all about ‘What are the needs?’ ” said McKinney. “For a lawyer, just readily available information, professional look and feel. It’s not as much about personality as function. For us (people in advertising and marketing), it takes on a very important role. The more creative the self-promotion, the better.”
Companies also need to consider what type of customers they’re trying to attract, according to Green. He said a simple card might repel some clients and leave others indifferent, but it could also attract a specific customer niche.
“Some people might say, ‘Obviously, this guy isn’t spending money on expensive business cards,’” said Green. “But some people are drawn to that.”
In “The Business Card Book,” a roughly 500-page manual on how to craft a profitable card, author Lynella Grant advises readers to “use your card to define yourself.”
As people attempt to create an effective card, they can examine their company’s strengths, weaknesses and goals, according to Grant. That process leads to a better-defined business identity and marketing strategy, Grant writes – and a better business card, as well.
Pick a cut, a color or a compact disc
There are a variety of options for creating a business card with a more personalized look.
Green’s favorite business card is his wife’s. It incorporates three unique elements: a bright color, a special cut and a second side. The company name is Green Bean Corporate Organizing Solutions, so the card is cut with a slight curve on the right side. The curve has a green stripe on it, and the back of the card is solid green.
“When people see that, they always go, ‘This is a really nice card,’ ” said Green. “They always comment on it.”
McKinney said his favorite card is printed on a clear plastic material. He said a variety of materials can be used for cards. Some are rip- and water-proof, while other have a natural look or interesting texture. There are a slew of other choices available, including fades, glosses, embossing, engraving and duplexing (placing two pieces of paper together).
Business card compact discs are one high-tech choice. Frederick Addo, president of local media design company Productivity Central and Prcent, said the discs can hold about 50 megabytes of digital information.
He said customers typically ask him to create videos for the discs, which may provide links to a Web site or other documents, like Excel spreadsheets. About five minutes of video will fit on a disc, which is the size of a business card, Addo said.
But the demand for the discs hasn’t been high, according to Addo. He added that it can be difficult to tell which potential clients will actually take the time to open the discs on a computer.
The business card discs usually cost around $1,700 for 1,000 cards, Addo said. For other printing and design options, Fibich said the prices range from “marginal up to extravagant.”