Business Cards
Making it easy for people to do what you want them to do is a secret to success. Business cards are one such way of achieving this. If you want someone to do business with you, put your contact information in their hands. Allow them to keep you in mind when they need your services.
Business cards are simple networking tools that need only contain your name, phone number, email address, and website address, if you have one. I also include a list of my books and blogs on the back of my card.
Card design should reflect your business. If you work in the arts and entertainment fields you may want a burst of color or design but traditional business should be professional and uncluttered. Again, the point is having information that is clear and easy to read.
The practice of exchanging cards began in France in the early 1800s and quickly spread through Europe. Victorian cards were simple, but lovely. Most were handwritten and designed with only a person’s name and an artistic touch. They were known as calling cards because they were passed on with the desire to call on someone in the near future and left on a silver plate in an entry if the person to be called upon was not home.
As we move towards a “paperless” society, today’s type of cards are phasing out to some extent. Some people prefer to transmit data directly into another person’s phone eliminating the waste and clutter of the cards.
There is a point to this but the tangible reminder that the card serves and the ability to visibly see your name continues to be valuable. When left on a desk or posted on the refrigerator the handy number is the one we call.
©2013, Mary K. Doyle