| Remember the business card scene from "American | | | | need to make every line work to your advantage, |
| Psycho" with the four VPs showing off their sleek, | | | | make sure your domain name is expressing the |
| minimalist black and white business cards printed in | | | | essence of your company too, something like |
| rare, unheard-off typefaces ("Romalian", "Silian Rail"), | | | | FastOnlineAds. Make sure your domain name is |
| and all on refined thick paper with slight tones of | | | | memorable, though, so that someone could easily |
| white ("pale nimbus white", "eggshell" and "bone | | | | type in their browser from memory. If your domain |
| white")? | | | | contains more than one word, it's useful to Capitalize |
| Until you become a VP in a mergers and acquisitions | | | | the first letter of each word, to make the site's URL |
| giant, however, it's time to forget all about | | | | more legible. |
| minimalism, that is, if you are a small business owner | | | | In case you don't have an e-mail address containing |
| searching for every little bit of promotion and public | | | | your domain name, maybe it's wise to create one: |
| attention you can get. | | | | john., because nothing is more off-putting than |
| In this case, your paper stationery is a very precious | | | | showing that you prefer free web-based email |
| real estate, and among your letterhead prints, | | | | services like hotmail or yahoo. A domain based email |
| brochures and leaflets, your business cards are the | | | | address shows stability, and talks about the |
| flag-ship of your business promotion. | | | | seriousness of your business. |
| It's good to think about your business card as a print | | | | The back of your business card is an excellent carrier |
| ad, a street billboard ad, telling everyone you meet | | | | of information, ranging from you're a.) your website |
| who you are and what your business stands for. | | | | address again, b.) an appointment form, c.) a calendar |
| That doesn't necessarily mean busy, cluttered, | | | | of events (seminars, webinars, trade shows), d.) and |
| impossible to read designs, but a space for creative, | | | | invitation or e.) a discount promotions (coupon, or |
| memorable and convincing copy. | | | | limited time discount). |
| The front side of your business card should include a | | | | Last but not least, an important detail is the quality of |
| company message right under your Company name, | | | | the paper you're printing on. Choosing a 12pt. Matte |
| your slogan or tagline that concentrates the market | | | | paper is your better choice, as 10pt. paper is |
| positioning of your company. If you don't have one, | | | | considered too thin, and may send the wrong |
| it's high time you started pondering about a 4-6 word | | | | message of cheapness about your company. 12 pt. |
| line expressing the essence of your business - "Your | | | | Matte, or Glossy paper is quite accessible and |
| heart to heart accounting services"? ... "Honest Real | | | | affordable if you use online printing companies. |
| Estate Expertise"? - something that endorses your | | | | Your business card can thus introduce you to your |
| particular business, with what makes it unique, rather | | | | market segments, talk about what you're doing, |
| than your whole industry. | | | | promote your marketing message, and even close a |
| Beside a Company message, you may need to use a | | | | sale. |
| logo or graphic concept that actually plays a role in | | | | One last thing, according to some direct marketing |
| communicating your value and quality. If properly | | | | research studies, you need to spread around about |
| designed, this logo should look good in black and | | | | 50 business cards to produce a response. Think |
| white, tones of gray, in bright or fade colors, and | | | | about printing and sharing a lot of business cards |
| even in offset colors, as well as in large size or in | | | | (multiply 50 by how many sales you want in a |
| miniature, and be legible rather than cryptic. | | | | trimester) while selecting prospective customers or |
| Mentioning your website address is a must in today's | | | | business partners as best as you can. |
| world, together with your email address. Since you | | | | |