Your business card is an important part of your brand and often your first interaction with potential customers, clients and sales leads. It should be considered one of your primary marketing tools and on hand, always, at any time. With the rise of social media and the move towards a smartphone based information society, it might seem like business cards are an outdated marketing tool. However, a well-designed business card can leave a lasting first impression. Choosing the right partner to make your business cards is also important. Pure Metal Cards has created this guide to assist you to design and create your ideal (metal) business cards.
Identify your Audience
Let’s start by considering who your ideal audience will be for your card. In professions like law and consulting a formal card style will be required compared to a card targeted for consumers. As with any marketing campaign, before you embark on designing and ordering your business cards, consider the following questions:
- Are your customers primarily businesses or consumers?
- Do you offer products or services?
- Who is the person you need to attract?
- What do you want that person to feel or think when they hold your card in their hand?
- What is the call to action you want your business card to encourage?
- Do you want the recipient to go to your website and order products, call you to make an appointment, visit your store or location to buy, or something else?
Your answers to those questions will directly impact the decisions you will make about your business card design.
Simplify the Content
Historically a visiting card, also known as a calling card or name card, was a small paper card with just the card owners name printed on it. Before the arrival of the digital age a business card typically was rather formal and typically always included your name, company name, job title, physical address and phone and fax numbers.
Nowadays much of this information is less relevant and has been replaced by your online links to a website, email address and social networks. In fact, many designs are reverting back to those original visiting cards. The challenge today is to put less on your business cards. Remember to focus on the core goal of your cards. Less really is more!
Here are some guidelines on considerations and what information to include on your business card:
- Use color(s) to show off your logo or branding.
- Use fonts that are contemporary and match your brand position or offering.
- Use font size(s) that are easy to read.
- Ensure the core points of contact are included and easy to read: office and cell/phone numbers (if you want customers to call you), your website and email address.
- Make it clear what your product or services is all about and/or an offer or promotion.
- Only include your address if you need people to come to your physical location. Put these details on the rear of your card. Business cards have two sides. Don’t penny pinch and ‘save’ money by printing only on one side. The rear side can be valuable real estate for information that can influence how and if potential customers will respond to the card. At Pure Metal Cards we do not charge extra to print on both sides of your metal business cards.
If you plan to create metal business cards we have more details about how to customize your cards here.
When to use a Headshot
Adding a photo of yourself is a great way to make you unforgettable. It is more suitable for situations where a personal relationship is important to your sales and business relationships. For instance, a photo can be an advantage for real estate agents or for individual entrepreneurs whose personality is synonymous with their brand.
Calls to action on your business cards
Make the most of the real estate of your cards. Make the back of your card into a more effective marketing tool.
- Include a discount coupon or offer.
- Use a qr code (to be scanned by a cell/mobile phone) with a link to your website, landing page or a promotional offer.
- Provide a snapshot summary about what you offer.
- Use quotes from prominent clients or satisfied customers.
- Include your hours of operation or other pertinent business information (if relevant).
Business Card Size and Shape
Typically cards are specific sizes based on your market.
USA & Canada 3.5” x 2.0” (88.9mm x 50.8mm)
Europe 3.346”x 2.165” (85.0mm x 55.0mm)
For a summary of international card sizes the most appropriate one for your country, please visit here.
The benefit of keeping to these specific sizes is that your business card will fit into a recipient’s wallet, purse or cardholder. Making sizes outside the norm can lead to your card not fitting these conventions and potentially getting lost or discarded.
However, an unusual shape or size can be a conversation starter. One of the benefits of a metal business card is that it will make you the center of attention at what every event or gathering you participate at. It’s also always easy to find amongst your organized (or disorganized) business cards.
Card Material
There are an incredibly wide variety of materials to choose today for your business cards. Traditional paper cards will stand out if you use a thicker weight or a textured paper. Let Patrick Bateman from American Psycho explain more.
- In addition to paper, you might consider a plastic (PVC) or wood business card as an alternative material.
- We are naturally biased so recommend metal business cards.
Card Weight
If you want a card that makes an impression when you hand it to someone, you should consider a thicker than normal card. Luxurious business cards leave a more lasting impact and can make business introductions more effective and memorable than a thin and flimsy paper business cards. Our standard metal business card thickness is 0.3mm/0.012”. Thicker cards are more memorable but remember that carrying around a handful of these may be quite heavy.
Change Is Good
If you are actively promoting your business or brand you will probably get thru a set of business cards relatively quickly. We recommend changing your design or trying different styles to see which get the best reaction and impact from recipients. Keep changing until you get the right reaction to your business cards. Take time to create a design that encompasses your brand essence.
Making your first impressions count
Business cards provide a physical and tangible reminder of your meeting. Whether it bears an eye-catching font or card design or is made of a unique material, your card can convey your business’s personality through its design and functionality.
- Be simple and coherent.
- Create an interesting design.
- Use a minimal number of colors.
- Make it relevant to your business and your target audience.
A great business card will make you memorable. Don’t waste an opportunity to impress by saving a few bucks on cheap business cards or a poor design. Showcase yourself or your brand in the best possible light.
Why Choose Pure Metal Cards?
Speed – Pure Metal Cards offers the faster turnaround time in the market today for custom-made metal business cards. Cards typically take 7-9 business days to produce and 1-2 days to ship to you.
Pricing – We lead the industry by offering simple, all-inclusive pricing. The price quoted on our website is the price you pay.
Range of Card Finishes – We offer the widest range of metals and card finishes available anywhere. For example, we have 20 different finishes for our stainless steel cards.
Customization and Personalization – To customize your metal cards we offer a range of options to make each card traceable.
Client List – Pure Metal Cards works with a wide range of clients ranging from globally renowned brands to start-ups and fledgling businesses across all industries and continents.
Switch to Metal Business Cards Today
With over 1.5 million metal cards shipped to-date, we lead the industry in card innovation and options to make your name or brand stand out from the rest. Pure Metal Cards can help you develop your existing business card or membership card to become an unforgettable metal card your clients or members will enjoy receiving. Let our graphic design team create your ideal card for you. For more information please contact us today.