As a business owner, you are constantly promoting your business, drawing in clients from website interactions, and meeting people in person. When you meet a potential client or another business owner, you want to make sure you have a memorable business card to help them remember exactly who you are and what you do.
The last thing you want is for them to completely forget what you do and toss your business card in the trash. There are quite a few common business card design mistakes that could stop potential customers from ever reaching out to you.
Continue reading to learn more about creating memorable business cards and who you can contact for your business card needs.
1. Leaving Out Contact Information
We all know that business cards are relatively small. However, they are still a valuable and extremely powerful marketing tool that allows you to connect to customers, clients, and other business owners. Before you start visualizing the colors and fonts that you want to use, make sure to focus on the essential information surrounding your business.
What to include on the business card:
- Your company name and logo
- Your name
- Your title or specialty
- Phone number
- Email address
- Website
- Business address (if you have a physical location)
- Your social media accounts
Make sure that you only put your social media information on the card if you are actively posting and responding to messages there. Customers love being able to reach businesses via social media, so you don’t want to miss a potential customer by giving them an inactive contact method.
2. Typos and Misprints
There’s no room for error on a business card. Since your business is frequently your first impression, you want to ensure your card positively represents your business and work ethic.
Grammatical errors and typos will give the impression that you do sloppy work even if it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Be sure to proofread your business cards before handing them out to anyone.
3. Poor Quality Photos and Card Stock
It is crucial to select the appropriate card stock, especially if you plan on putting an image on the card. Using low-quality photos with less than 300 dpi can show up blurry or pixelated on your final design. You will want to ensure that your card doesn’t feel flimsy or feather-light.
With that said, you’ll want to make sure that you work with a card printing service that understands how important it is to use a quality card stock.
4. Unreadable Text
Make sure you play around with card colors and fonts before sending your final design. Using too small a font will make it hard for customers of all ages to read your business information. No matter how beautiful your design is, it will be useless if your customer cannot read the print. Although it may initially sound like a good idea to use fancy typography, try avoiding it. Trying to be too creative can be a problem when your customers cannot read your cards.
5. Abnormal Business Card Shapes
Most people advocate using a unique business card shape to stand out, but that isn’t always ideal. Sure, you want people to remember you, but it is best to have a business card that can easily fit inside a wallet. If your business card is oddly shaped or too big, people may avoid using it altogether.
6. Flashy Colors and Designs
While you want your business card to stand out, you also want it to look professional. Vibrant colors might get attention, but they aren’t always appropriate for every business type. If you have a more serious business, you might want to consider using a simpler color palette.
It is also important to note that some colors can be difficult to read when printed on paper. As a general rule of thumb, avoid using more than a few different colors on your business card design.
7. Visual Clutter
When designing your business card, you should think about using a design that’s easy to read. You don’t want the card to look cluttered or your essential information to get lost in the design.
If you’re using more than two photos or graphics on your business card, it’s probably too much. Having a good amount of white space can help your customers focus more on the information on the card instead of the design.
8. Not Using the Back of the Card
Often, many small business owners overlook the back of their business card. Keeping the back blank is a missed opportunity to include more information.
Most people flip cards over to see if anything is on the backside, so make sure to include any additional or relevant information to keep them interested. Whether it’s product statistics, a QR code, or a business slogan, there are several different creative ways to use the back of the card to create a long-lasting impression.
9. Outdated Information
Would you consider their company reputable if someone handed you a business card with a disconnected phone number or an outdated email address? What if they crossed out information and wrote down the new information in pen? Business cards are incredibly affordable, so don’t be afraid to recycle your old cards and order new ones if they need to be updated with fresh information.
10. Lack of Branding
Building your brand is critical if you want to make a great impression. If you’re going to stand out, you should use distinctive branding that uses the same color scheme as your website and other marketing materials. This will help build brand recognition and encourage customers to associate you with the services or products they need.
11. Not Specifying What You Do
When you hand someone your business card, you want to make sure they know what your company does. Don’t just list your company name and contact information without explaining what you do. Unless your company name directly specifies what you do (i.e., Naomi’s Nail Salon), you will want to include a logo or something else that hints at your company’s products and services.
Avoid Making Business Card Design Mistakes
If you want people to remember you and recommend your products or services to other people, you will want to avoid business card design mistakes and leave it to the pros. Sure, there are websites where you can sit and design your own cards, but you’re not going to get the same great results that you can expect from a professional business card design and printing company.
Contact us now for a free price quote! Our business card experts will walk you through the entire business card design process and answer any questions or concerns you may have!