6 Design Pitfalls When Creating Business Cards

Everyone knows how important it is to make great first impressions. If you’ve ever been to a networking event and found yourself with a handful of business cards, you’ll know what we mean. For better or worse, a business card is how your newly met contacts remember you. A professionally designed business card is essential to making long-lasting positive impressions on new contacts. However, a poorly designed card may result in the loss of a potential client and a lack of familiarity with the brand.

Companies can prevent negative interactions by avoiding these six business card design pitfalls:

1. Providing Insufficient Information

While it may seem self-explanatory, ensure that all your company’s information is included. This includes the common details such as your company name, contact information and logo, but also other pieces that tend to be forgotten such as your slogan and/or mission statement. We cover 4 ways to market your small business through print in another blog here.

2. An Unoriginal Design

If your business card lacks originality is likely not going to be remembered. To ensure your card is not forgotten, seek out a print company to alter your business card with visually interesting customizations. For example, a custom die cut will help businesses turn their cards into unique, non-rectangular shapes that stick out from the norm. Spot UV also deviates from the typical card, drawing eyes to the card’s information.

3. Failing to Represent the Brand

Your business card is a lasting impression of your brand. Business cards without clear brand representation prevents companies from properly introducing customers to their brand. Create recognition by including prominent brand-related visuals on the card, such as the corporate logo, company colours, and typeface. Business cards can be coloured by printing companies to expose contacts to themes utilized by the organization.

4. Offering No Additional Functionality

Increase the value of your business card by incorporating design elements that give your business card additional value to your customers. Depending on your industry, your business card can double as a stampable loyalty card or you may include a tear off discount code.

5. Typos, Misprints, and Colour Alignment

While everyone makes mistakes, your business card is an area where you don’t want typos, misprints, or misaligned colours. Nothing screams, “I don’t care about my business” louder than these three problems. Print companies normally offer a, “physical proof” before beginning a print job. This is your only opportunity to perform quality control, so make sure your business card is perfect!

6. Using a Poor-quality Card

High-quality business cards with thought and intention behind them leave a positive feeling in your customer’s mind. Your customers make decisions based on emotions, so make sure there are positive emotions associated with your business card. Cards that are feather-light, have rough edges or are peeling create an impression of cheap-quality which reflects poorly on your company. Take the time to plan and design your business card—even the card material itself.

Post Press

Post-Press Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard has years of experience with creating high-quality, memorable business cards for hundreds of businesses, offering timely and friendly service at competitive prices. Ready to get started on building your network through memorable business cards? Contact Minuteman Press Calgary Shepherd today.

5 Ways to Create Brand Exposure in a Contactless World

If you are one of many small business owners who has a brick and mortar location, the pandemic has fundamentally changed how customers access your company’s brand exposure. Physical restrictions on businesses have transferred in-store purchases to online ordering and contactless delivery.

This does not mean that print is dead. On the contrary, it is more important than ever to be strategic in your placement of branded content to continue to leave a lasting presence in your customers’ minds. With so much online competition, your imagery must dance online and thrive offline. How can you continue to make a lasting impression?

1. Create Branded Packaging

Packaging can be expensive as a small business, but when customers cannot come into your location to view your product, packaging becomes even more crucial to brand exposure. Ensure there are company symbols, colours and logos on the packaging, so it sets your product apart from others. Each order is an opportunity to maintain brand recognition with the client. Well-conceived packaging tells the customer that your company has considered the details and values their experience. Print service companies can help design packaging to match your company’s products and branding.

2. Direct Mail

Direct mail includes print advertisements like flyers, postcards, and catalogues that are sent in the post. In addition to direct mail, placing items inside your curbside pickup or posted packages is an excellent way to show your customers what is new and exciting at your business. Utilize these to encourage reorders and create loyalty. The more your imagery makes its way into your customers’ homes, the better.

Printed catalogues can display your current product or service offering and share upcoming offers. Drop a single page flyer version of your catalogue with each order and mail more detailed monthly catalogues.

Newsletters can offer behind the scenes insights into your business as a community. The energy that customers once felt when they entered your store must be replicated in some other way. Newsletters should be a part of that plan. Newsletters can share plans for the coming month or your favourite project from the previous month. Memorable stories create a personal connection that the customer will wish to revisit in the future.

You can’t forget business cards. Business cards are portable calling cards that your customers can take with them wherever they go. “Where did I get that awesome product? Oh right! Their card is in my wallet.” This puts your contact information and your website at their fingertips and solidifies your brand exposure.

3. Match your online imagery to your offline imagery

Your digital content must match your offline content to keep a cohesive image and direct customers back to the website they ordered your products from. This means working with your printer to design signs, labels, business cards, internal documentation, invoicing and packaging to match the colours, fonts, and imagery that is found on your website and social media. If your colours look completely different on print versus on screen, your customers may not immediately make the connection between your branded content and your business. A graphic designer at a print shop can help ensure these things are cohesive and allow your customers to tie your digital presence to your product or service.

4. Use your website and social media to create a loyal following

Though there is less foot traffic entering your brick-and-mortar store, you can still communicate with your customers. A landing page and/or ecommerce site is an absolute must. Here is where you will place the bulk of information about your business. To direct your customers to this page and keep an open dialogue with your customers, utilize social media platforms to continue the conversation. Monitor your emails, messages and social media channels and stay active. Building a following and creating awareness requires diligence and a plan. If you are a B2B business, LinkedIn is a great place to start. Instagram is excellent if you have visual content. Twitter is perfect for linking back to the appropriate content on your website.

5. Video marketing

Video marketing is an online trend that is sure to stay. Create a well-constructed video that is geared towards your target audience and their interests. You can use video to showcase a product in use or share a heartwarming story about your business. In addition to your digital branded content on the video, strategically placed branded print items in a video will reinforce your company’s imagery. If you’re still working in your physical location, film your video in your showroom to create a virtual shopping experience for your customer. A printed backdrop in your branding colours will pop in the background as you showcase your product or service and solidify your business’ personality.

Post-Press

In the age of physical disconnection, it can be a challenge to create brand awareness. By utilizing these tips, your company will make a lasting impression both digitally and in print. Harmonious use of these elements is essential to create an enduring relationship with your clients. Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard can help you design and create print content that will strengthen your brand awareness in a contactless world. Contact Minuteman Press Calgary Shepard today to discuss the best print options for you!