A business card, while small in size, is your big weapon. Here are 7 topnotch tips to keep your card out of the wastebasket and into the rolodex!

In case you didn't read Part 1, here's the story.

Let me tell you about the last home show I went to.  It was your typical home show with lots of booths, pretty displays, loads of freebies.  But I wasn’t interested in all that.  I was on a mission.  I needed a landscaping contractor to take my dismal, ordinary backyard and turn it into Fantasy Island.  Not too much to ask, right?

I was prepared to spend all day, if necessary, talking with every last landscaping contractor there in order to find someone to make my dream come true .  So I grabbed a tall mocha on the way in, took a plastic goodie bag from the entry table, and set off to find me a contractor.

Not as easy as it sounds.  Everyone seemed to have a great deal going, and the displays were all so gorgeous, and pretty soon all the people I met seemed to blend together!  On the upside, I did collect a lot of pretty brochures to put in my bag, not to mention some nifty water bottles and key chains.

When I got home later that evening, I slipped on some comfy clothes, sat down with a cup of hot tea, and stared sorting through all the business cards I’d collected.  But, I had so many cards it was hard to remember who was who!  Which one was the guy that specialized in outdoor kitchens?  And the one that did those waterfall scenes, which one was that?  Ahh!

I don’t remember what every one said.  I just remember what I liked.  But it was hard to tell anyone apart from this stack of cards!  Is there a way to set yourself apart from the crowd with just your business card?

Absolutely!  A business card, while small in size, is your big weapon.  Here are 7 more topnotch tips to keep your card out of the wastebasket and into the rolodex! (The first 7 are in Part 1)

8)  Don’t get too crazy with the fonts.  Make it appropriate for your business, without the trendy or overly embellished versions that are available out there.

9)  Keep a tight rein on your text.  Think small and compact, and your text will have a much more professional look.

10)  Avoid using all capital letters, because THEY ARE HARD TO READ.  It looks unprofessional, not to mention it implies that you are shouting at the reader.  You don’t want to scare anyone off, do you?

11)  Use a grid.  It helps you to align texts and objects to each other in a way that you just can’t do with the naked eye.

12)  Any illustrations that you use should be bold, not delicate.  When you try to print all that detail at the small size of a card, it just looks muddy and you lose the look you were going for.

13)  I said bold, not amateur.  Illustrations from clip-art are usually out-dated and campy.  Find a good quality resource for your illustrations, and stay away from the I-did-it-myself look.

14)  Don't forget the back! That's wasted real estate back there. Why not put a special offer or something else enticing to encourage people to call.

OK, now you are all set to let your little business card do big things for your business!  If it’s the first impression people get about you, you want to make sure it’s a memorable one.  Your success depends on it!

Copyright © 2007  Karen Saunders

Karen Saunders is the owner of MacGraphics Services, a unique design firm for today’s entrepreneur.  Whether you outsource your promotional pieces or are a do-it-yourselfer, Karen takes the mystery out of marketing.  Learn the Top 5 Mistakes that can cost you money by signing up for her FREE e-course, available for a limited time.  To take advantage of this e-course and find out how easy it can be to attract more clients, visit http://www.macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php
You can also contact her at 888-796-7300, or Karen.macgraphics.net.