Many people say business cards are becoming obsolete in the age of V-cards, smart phones, Facebook and LinkedIn, though I think the opposite is true. Business cards represent the identity of organizations and individuals, and they create many first physical impressions.
The business card exchange is one of the most important, galvanizing rituals between two or more people who are likely to engage in some greater social or business interaction. The business card not only is a tangible artifact that creates first impressions, it reinforces second and third impressions when a recipient refers to it for future reference or contact data entry.
Business cards perform basic utility, but they are also accessories that say a lot about you, signals that promote or detract from your company or personal brand. Whether you’re a free agent or an employee, in good economic times or bad, business cards are like oxygen for your ability to do better business.
That’s why I’d like to share a list of best practices for business cards, emphasizing elegance, etiquette and practically:
- Material and surface. High-quality, tactile paper with rounded corners creates a friendlier and more substantial experience. Rounded corners, as the credit-card industry figured out decades ago, are less likely to catch or slice through people’s skin. And nobody wants their business card to cause a paper cut.
- Simple design. Adopt a simple, beautiful design. If you’re not a great designer, hire one. Use light backgrounds, multiple colors, and a beautiful font, and ensure the type is large enough so people with poor eyesight can read it. Business cards are not items to get cheaply. Invest in them the same way you’d invest in nice shoes.
- Minimalism. Omit extraneous information like industry affiliations, certifications and multiple academic degrees, unless they’re really important and highly relevant to your card recipients. Use fewer words, not more, and that includes keeping job titles descriptive yet as short as possible. Don’t include more contact information than your e-mail, office and mobile phone numbers, and a physical address. If people really need your fax number, they’ll call or e-mail you. Lots of white space is not only cleaner, but it makes you stand out against the clutter and complexity that are so many other business cards.
- Use Them. Keep business cards with you, always in reach. These days, with few exceptions, not having business cards makes you look unprepared and unprofessional. Simply put, business cards won’t benefit you if you don’t have them.
- Presentation. Keep your business cards neat. Worse than not having business cards is having poorly kept business cards. Do you think recipients like accepting crinkled, dirty cards that came out of the inner pocket of your old leather wallet. No, that’s disgusting and insulting. I have a dedicated leather card holder that improves my image and accentuates the overall business-card exchange.
- Grace. Present and accept business cards with grace. I’ve long admired how the Japanese handle the business-card exchange. According to Wikipedia, the presenter holds the card out with both hands and introduces himself, with the bottom of the card facing the recipient so they can read it as it is being handed over. A receiver should not write on or place the card in a pocket. The proper procedure is to file the card at the rear of your business card holder.
- Don’t personalize. Many people want to personalize their cards, with a photo, a quote, or some personal graphic to make them stand out. A business card is not the time to be cute or different. The design of the card should be all the difference you need to communicate.
Filed under: Agency ideas
