Top 5 Business Card Fails
Recently I was featured in the Wall Street Journal about what to put on a business card. Link to the article below. So what are the top 5 business card fails! Well, there are probably lots more than these but are you doing any of the top 5?
The reporter asked, “What are the most important thing to put on a business card?” I gave her some ideas of what to put on the card. She also asked my ideas of who I think has a good card and a not-so-good one.
It got me thinking about what can go wrong with a Business Card. Here are a few things that I see when it comes to Business Cards that cause me to scratch my head. One of the most important things about having a business card is having your email address clearly legible.
Please make your email address something an average person can see easily without trying to decipher if it is an S or a 5. One character off will throw off the entire address. Today you may also want to include your social media information. * If you aren’t updating the social media account, do not include it! There is nothing worse than directing someone there and there hasn’t been an update in 6 months!
A Fax number? Really? Will this document fax to 1993? Stop putting that on there. If someone really needs your fax number they will ask you at the time they need it, IF they need it! They will not go back to your business card to look it up. I Promise.
Don’t buy the cheapest card you can find. No, of course, your business card doesn’t sell for you but it will tell a story, and “I am really cheap so I use flimsy paper” is not the story you’re looking to tell.
Make sure it can be easily scanned. Today most people are scanning cards into a smartphone or scanner and if your font is fancy and illegible, it will not scan well.
Check out the WSJ Article Click the headline
As business cards change in the level of importance, they are also giving you an opportunity to upgrade the way you connect. As digital becomes more and more prevalent, the way you connect will be too. I just can’t emphasize enough the power of having a truly professional digital footprint.
Again, I feel like I can’t emphasize this enough, stop using Gmail, AOL, etc for business! If you have a website, you will get as part of it, email addresses that reflect your site. If not, find out why. Today you are what your footprint is and business cards will eventually fall by the wayside, don’t be the last person to change. Remember if you are behind the times, your work will be perceived that way too!