Business Cards
Updated June 19, 2020 • 7 minute read
Should you put anything on the back of a business card? Is it important to list your website url?
Just because you only have a few inches of real estate to work with doesn’t mean you still can’t get your message across and do it in a way that doesn’t require packing every possible bit of information about your business.
Your business card is often the first place prospective customers look when they’re searching for contact information for your small business. Having a professional looking business card forms a first impression that can mean the difference between them picking up the phone or throwing your business card in the trash.
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If you want your business card (and your business) to really get noticed, it all starts with great design and quality printing. Your brand should be immediately recognizable. That means should always include the name of your business, logo, and tagline (if applicable) somewhere on your card. Need help creating a tagline for your business? Check out this article.
One of the questions I see the most frequently from small business owners is whether to list a title on their business card and, if so, what exactly to include.
There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of opinions and discussions around the topic of what job title to use on a business card when you own a small business.
Typically, job titles fall into 3 categories--no title, organizational role (ex. CEO or President), or function (ex, Director of Sales and Marketing).
Here's my take...
Back in the day, businesses had one (or at most two) telephone numbers. Now you’ll often see business cards that include an 800 number, a direct line, a cellphone, and possibly even a home number. Totally ridiculous! Your customers shouldn’t have to play a game of telephone tag.
Why not keep it simple? Include the one or two numbers where your customers will be able to reach you. That’s all, that’s it!
Along with your phone number, always be sure to include your email address. Notice I said “your” email address and not some generic “info@yourcompany.com.” Nothing says “Please don’t contact me—I really don’t care about you” more than pointing people to an anonymous inbox.
Do you need to include a physical address?
That depends on your business. If you have an ecommerce store with no brick and mortar storefront, operate out of your home, or there's no reason customers would need to visit you, leave it off. Otherwise, it's entirely up to you. However, I have spoken with a number of folks over the years who feel a physical address helps validate the legitimacy of a business.
On the front you'll typically want to include 1) a contact name 2) email 3) phone number 4) address and 5) website--all the information prospective customers will need if they want to get in touch.
Of course I can’t talk about business card content without mentioning the fax. Of all the superfluous information you could possibly include, this has to be at the top of the heap. With the ability to scan and email documents, listing a fax number generally isn’t necessary (unless you know your customers are going to use it).
Let's just nip this one in the bud right now. Including a QR code on your business card isn't going to make you look hip or cool.
The fact of the matter is most people aren’t actually going to “do” anything with your business card until they get in front of a computer or tablet. At that point, it’s going to take just as much time for them to pull out their phone, waste time scanning a QR code, connect to the web, and check it out as it would for them to just type in your url.
If your small business is on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+, it doesn’t take long before you wind up with a proliferation of social media profiles on your business card. Instead of giving people different ways to connect, you end up overwhelming them with a sea of social media icons and links.
Focus on the 1-2 primary social media channels your customers actually use and leave all of the other links for your website.
If you have the room including a short list of services can definitely help reinforce your offerings with current and prospective customers.
Notice I said short. Trying to list everything under the sun will only junk things up. I know when I get business cards that have a massive laundry list of services my eyes usually just glaze over.
If you have a business website, an ecommerce site, a blog, and three social media profiles—you’re much better off pointing prospective customers to one url where they can then access all of your other information. In other words, don’t junk it up.
Don’t be afraid to use both sides of your business card. Doing so gives you more space so you allow your content to breath and also make it easier to digest for current and prospective customers. For starters, add your small business logo and tagline to the back side of your card. Then use the front side for your name and title, physical address (if you have a brick-and-mortar storefront), your phone number (one is almost always enough), and your email address and website.
Two popular options for ordering custom business cards online are MOO.com and Vistaprint. Vistaprint is definitely cheaper running promotions for 500 business cards for $9.99, but speaking from personal experience the print quality of MOO business cards can't be beat.
MOO.com and Vistaprint both make ordering business cards online super easy. You can browse their business card design templates or upload your own design/logo.
Have additional questions about what to include on a business card for your small business? Leave a comment below or send them to me directly.
As a disclaimer, I use affiliate links for some of the products listed. They are all products I absolutely love and trust and would recommend regardless of whether they have an affiliate program.
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Why Business Cards Are Still Important In The Digital Age
How To Design A Business Card
Business Card printing offers a truly unique way to make a powerful first impression.
With such little space, it’s important to know what to include. Everything on your design should earn the right to be there. Printing double-sided will afford you more space to inject your product with your identity.
A perfect Business Card brings a checklist of essential elements together. Here are twelve things we believe you should always make room for on your cards. Each ingredient of this recipe is equally important and warrants its place in your print.
Your company name is a critical detail. Without a name, Business Card receivers won’t know who it came from. With the standard Business Card size being small offering limited space, a strong name should include what services you offer to your customers. Give your name room to breathe in your design, so it has enough space to soak up maximum attention.
As a general rule, your company name is usually the largest piece of text on your design, as this is what people will remember most distinctly. Be clear; Gregg’s The Bakers tells your customers what you do better than Gregg’s. Likewise, Essex Scaffolding Company is more obvious to your recipients than ESC.
A great logo becomes the centrepiece of a brilliant Business Card. If you’re printing double-sided, ensure your eye-catching logo sits firmly on the front of your design for maximum impact. This is your chance to show what you do without saying a word. Use your limited space wisely and captivate your customers with a powerful design. If a picture can speak a thousand words, so can your logo.
Use a vector image so you can scale up or down the size of your image infinitely without affecting its quality or detail.
If you’re giving Business Cards out personally, let your customers know who it’s from. When they get in touch with your business, they’ll have a contact to speak with directly. By creating this personal relationship, a prospect is more likely to become a client.
If your company name doesn’t specify what you offer, your job title is an alternate place to do this. If your company is called Susan’s Designs, this leaves some ambiguity. Label your job role more clearly: graphic designer, interior designer, fashion designer etc.
Use a select few words to further specify the products or services you provide. Typically, slogans and taglines are short phrases with the most famous ones being three words long such as McDonalds’ “I’m Loving It” or Nike’s “Just Do It”.
Use this line of copy to highlight what you specialise in. If you’re designing a gardening Business Card, a tagline such as ‘quick garden makeovers’ would tell your customers exactly what you do. Something a childminder Business Card could have as a slogan is ‘Learn. Play. Grow.’. If you’re writing yours from scratch, you can check out our 6 tips for how to write advertising slogans that sell.
Another essential element to this recipe is your contact information. Without them, how can your prospects get in touch and take further action? For them to become a client, they need to be able to get in touch with you. Leave whichever contact details you check the most, whether that’s your phone number or email address. Typically, the aforementioned are the two most likely ways for your customers to reach you. If you provide more than one means of communication, place them in order of your preference.
A geographical address is not always necessary, but every business should feature its website. This is a great place to direct your customers from your Business Cards. If your print has performed its job and piqued the interest of your prospects, your website is the perfect place for them to gather more information.
Depending on what your business does, it can also be relevant to include your physical address in the form of a postcode, street name and property number. If your business requires attendance in person, such as a nursery, including a physical address is a smart approach.
Social media icons for Business Cards provide a great next step for your customers if they’re interested in seeing more, much like adding your website URL. If your business is very visual, include your Instagram so your customers can see more of what you offer. If your business is more informational or educative, include your Twitter so your clients can read and learn more. Include what you believe is best suited to your audience, whether that’s Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube. These icons are great to feature on the back of a Business Card.
Writing in a clear, easy-to-read font may sound like simple advice but it works. Being over-elaborate with your font not only makes your Business Card hard to read but it loses the attention and interest of those you’re seeking to impress. Great design can’t exist without equally great copy and typography. Check out this guide if you want help picking from the best free fonts.
One of the advantages of Business Cards is the ability to add a QR code that offers your customers an effortless solution if they want to take action. By simply taking a photo of your QR code Business Card, they can be instantly directed to wherever you deem most important. Websites and social media are the most common places to send customers.
However, get creative! Why not use a unique code to send them through to a competition as part of your marketing push through your Business Cards? If you don’t know your Static from your Dynamic, you might want to read our QR code guide to avoid common pitfalls.
Great Business Card design uses space efficiently. Smart use of space means everything earns its place in the design. It also means the final product doesn’t look overcrowded, chaotic and confused. Leaving space on your Business Card allows your design to breathe and can further highlight the existing details. It shows care has been put into its creation by not having everything thrown into it. Sometimes the best-tasting cakes have the fewest ingredients.
A call to action (CTA) is your chance to tell your customers what you want them to do next. You may have already done it by adding your contact details, address, social media or QR code. If not, direct your customers to where you want them to go next. If you’re pushing a particular campaign or product, provide a unique URL to the specific landing page. Or, if the next step is for them to check your social media, make it clear whether you want them to follow, like, subscribe, or simply just to take a further look at what you offer.
After your design has been finalised, one tip that comes into play is your finishing options. Here, you have several options to take your Business Card to the next level. Choosing the right paper stock and finishing type is crucial to get the print you desire. For a luxurious look, consider choosing Foil Business Cards. Equally, our Cheap Business Cards, on 400 gsm silk, remain hugely popular when you have a smaller budget but still have high expectations for your end product.
So, now you know what information to put on a Business Card. When you’ve completed your design using our free Business Card templates, we’re here to deliver high-quality print every time.
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