Ideas to Spruce Up Your Business Card

When it comes time to update or improve your business card printing orders, you have plenty of options. Your business card reflects your business and your brand, so you need to invest plenty of time, thought and money into it. Having included money, though, I’m not saying you have to break the bank – business cards are often the cheapest marketing tool you use. But instead of buying 250 boring business cards for $20, why not spend a little extra to impress prospects? The money you spend will come back to you in the form of new customers impressed by your card.  

But to impress prospects, you must have a business card that is different. Innovative. Unique. I’m going to give you some ideas of great designs that you can tweak to create your own distinctive design. Hopefully some of these ideas will spark a great idea for your revamped business cards.

Use the Back for Something Useful

One great idea is to use the back of the card for important info. This will give prospects a reason to keep your card when they otherwise wouldn’t, plus you are seen as helpful for including this info on your card. A common design technique is to include a 3-month or 6-month calendar on the back. (1-year calendars just don’t fit well on traditional business cards.) Another idea to is to list local emergency phone numbers, like for the nearest hospitals, fire stations, poison control hotlines, etc. There’s nothing wrong with this at all.  

But if you are in an industry that allows you to give helpful info that is connected to your industry, all the better! This makes your card tailored to your industry and helpful. For instance, a chef or cooking instructor could include cooking measurements on the back of her business card (1 cup = 8 oz.; 3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp.). That’s something I would keep around! Or, as seen here, a guitar instructor could include basic guitar chord fingerings for students. Any kind of music teacher could include fingerings for most instruments.

 

Make Your Card Interactive

Now, this type of technology isn’t widespread yet, mostly because each card costs $25 each, but it’s a cool notion of what’s to come. You can include a short video clip into your business card! How cool is that? The client has no time for an in-person demonstration? No problem! He can watch the demonstration at his leisure by whipping out your business card! According to Gizmodo, the rCard: Fully Interactive Business Card “plays video and comes with a 1.875" x 1.875" full color flat screen, speakers, a navigational button, 1 gig of memory, and a USB port. The battery on it is as thin as a postage stamp and lasts about 4 hours of continuous use, but there's a rechargeable battery option, and you can power it off and on. The whole thing only measures 2" x 3" and weighs a measly 2 ounces.”

Now if that doesn’t impress you, I can’t help you!

You may not be able to afford a video business card, but you could use a holographic image, metallic lettering or a clear plastic card. The design includes the card’s material and you don’t have to limit yourself to cardstock. If you have the budget, go for something new and unusual – recycled cans, wood – whatever is related to your industry.