Getting a business card is a rite of passage for small business owners. It is proof you’re truly in business, though it may be your first step in marketing said business. Receiving business cards is a sign that you’re a full member of the team, too.
However, the constant churn in business means you need to keep your business cards up to date if you want to be taken seriously. Here are 5 things to look out for when updating a business card.
Incorrect Contact Information
It is surprising how many people will alter their logo or product listings but won’t make sure their email address, phone number, or website are up to date. Then there is the damage done by inertia.
For example, you may leave your social media profiles unchanged while correcting a phone number … but it doesn’t help when someone sees a Google+ social media link that is no longer valid.
If you aren’t keeping the social media profiles up to date, a potential client seeing this undermines your image. This is another reason why most business cards should only have your name, address, phone number, email address, and website on them.
Inconsistent Branding
Did you change your logo in any way? Redesign your business card to reflect that. Having the same logo on your business cards as your website and social media accounts build brand recognition and trust.
And you want them to see the same, consistent color scheme and logo across every marketing channel. This means you don’t have to update business cards immediately with your new logo, but it looks bad if your team is carrying the old ones a year later.
Amateur Hour Mistakes
Nothing hurts your image more than misspellings in addresses or product descriptions barring the classic typo in a phone number. Too many people rely on spell check and grammar check, though these tools won’t notice a misspelled word that is actually another word.
Nor do these tools necessarily notice repeated bullet items. This is why you need to proofread your business cards several times before you have them printed. If you find mistakes like misspelled words or poor grammar, print new business cards once you make the correction.
Unprofessionalism
A different mistake small business owners make is not considering whether or not their business card is professional. A good rule of thumb is to compare your business card to a resume. If that funny email address would be a mistake on your resume, you need a new business email address for your business card.
If the font or pink paper would not go over well with an interviewer, it shouldn’t be on the business card. Furthermore, business owners should consider getting a commercial mailing address instead of having letters and bills sent to their homes.
Legibility
Choose fonts and text sizes that are easy for someone to read without putting on their reading glasses. Use images sparingly so there is plenty of room on the business card for the customer’s handwritten notes. Any image should be relevant to the business card and high quality. No one should have to strain to see the array of products in the photo.
Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.
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