Designing the right business card can increase your business

As many business owners know, one of the main tools for promoting your business to potential clients is distributing business cards. They are collected in such situations as business networkingmeetings and events and can really be a big influence on a person’s opinion of your business and effect their first impression. They are then retained by business people alike as a record of past, present and potential business and vice versa so it is important to remember that what the card displays has to be appropriate. Many countries have different etiquette that need to be followed if you are distributing your card not just local but internationally. To get the best response from your business card, it is best to do some research on various countries. This will avoid offending people and it will show that you have taken some time to learn about their culture.

Small changes such as multilingual information on your cards can make a massive difference. If you travel somewhere where they are unlikely to speak English, it would be a massive benefit to get some cards printed with not only English but whichever language that country speaks underneath the English. This instantly gives off a more professional impression which means someone is more likely to do business with you. It may cost a little bit more but it will be so much more worth it.

As well as this, things such as certain colouring can be offensive in some countries and good luck in others, as well as symbols and words. The number 6 is an extremely lucky number in Chinese culture, yet in the UK or other places where Christianity is a strong religion, the number 6 is associated with the devil and bad luck. It is best to stick with simple ideas in the design because even though you may not think it, the smallest details can affect the way someone looks at your business.

In European countries, you should always carry your card, and only distribute at the start or end of a meeting/chat/networking event and only give the person your speaking to one card. If you do give more out, then explain the purpose for this, the reason could be for them to then distribute it to people they deal with to help with business development.

Never underestimate the power your card can have, if you get the design spot on, you will really see the benefits. When attending business networking events, a lot of cards are going to be passed around and you really want to make sure yours stands out at the end of the day when everybody leaves, especially if there are other businesses in the meeting or event similar to yours. There are guides online on how to create the perfect business card.

Also try and put as much contact information on the card. A lot of people forget to add simple details such as their name or fax number. This can make all the difference so make sure you remember to use the space provided wisely and appropriately and the next time you are distributing your cards to potential clients, your card won’t get lost in the pile.