| BUSINESS CARDS / LETTER HEADS |
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The business card / Letter head--many of us use it more than any other single marketing item, yet it very often demonstrates the least marketing smarts. A conventional card includes a logo and some basic information--the name of the organization, the name of the employee, their title, phone numbers, and street address.
ACT Media can
cut costs significantly when print design products
are designed to match or reflect the look established
on the web site designed by us. (Vice-versa: If
you already have a clear and coherent look in your
print products, designing a web site to reflect
the look will hasten the web design process.)
Dimensions
The international standard size specified by ISO 7810 ID-1, the same dimensions as credit cards, is widely used: 85.60 by 53.98 mm
In the United States the following size is common: 3.5 by 2 in (89 by 51 mm)
Resolution
Images and designs should be saved to 300 ppi at 100% of the dimensions at which they will print to ensure high quality printing results. ACT Media uses the industry standard CMYK 4-color process printing.
| What can you do to make your business card generate business? That requires a little "Jolt thinking." |
BUSINESS CARD CHECKLIST
Here are some of the many details you might include on your next business card. Have some additional ideas? Click here to add to the list.
PEOPLE
» Name of person
» (Nickname)
» Title
» Affiliations
» Professional/academic designations
PLACE
» Pronunciation of unusual names
» Department/division name
» Organization street address
» Floor/suite/mail stop
» Alternate P.O. box address
» City/state/state abbreviation
» Zip+four/postal code
» Country
» Home street address
COMMUNICATION
» Voice phone/extension number
» Toll-free phone number
» Mobile phone number
» Pager number
» Fax phone number
» Home phone number
» E-mail address
» Web site address
DETAILS
» Office hours
» Time zone
» Appointment fill-in
» Map/directions
ORIENTATION
» Name of organization
» Mission statement/business description
» Product/service categories
» Resource info
» Special offer
» Invitation
» Illustration/photo
» Logo
» Organizational affiliations
» Sponsorships
JOLT THINKING
The business card--many of us use it more than any other single
marketing item, yet it very often demonstrates the least marketing smarts.
A conventional card includes a logo and some basic information--the name
of the organization, the name of the employee, their title, phone numbers,
and street address. What can you do to make your business card generate
business? That requires a little "jolt thinking."
Jolt thinking questions the basic premise--the what, why, and how of doing something. Even though design is
a creative exercise, it is fraught with formula thinking--a newsletter is
8 1/2 by 11 inches, a brochure has a headline on the cover, text in the
middle and a logo on the back, and a business card is 3 1/2 by 2 inches,
printed on one side using a boilerplate layout and the usual information.
Jolt thinking is the opposite of formula thinking. It challenges you to
examine your mission, strategy, and execution of a project. How? By
answering three basic questions: What is the purpose? Why is it done the
way it's done? And how can I do it most effectively? |
INFORMATION CARD
One of the "whys" of business cards is to get folks to hold onto
it until they need it. And one way to increase the chance of having
it saved is to incorporate information your prospect might refer to
from time to time. While some folks print something general, such as a
calendar on the back of their card, you might choose something that is
specific to your field. For example, a grocery salesperson might print
common weights and measures, a computer trainer could include a short list
of keyboard shortcuts, or a social worker might list the toll-free numbers
of resource organizations.
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REFERRAL CARD
If you're part of an organization that recruits members--a club,
a church, or a professional group for example--a referral card
makes it easy to introduce the organization and invite a prospect to your
next meeting. On the front there's a place to fill in the date, time and
location of the next meeting, the address, your name and phone number. On
the back, include a brief overview of the organization and any necessary
details. Give each member a handful and encourage them to distribute them
when they see an opportunity. |
BILLBOARD CARD
Jolt thinking often approaches a problem from a different direction.
Most organizations ignore side two of their business cards. Why not use
the blank side to present your advertising message? You can design it just
as you would a billboard--a to-the-point message that can be understood at
a glance. Use less than 10 words set in a readable typeface and some
eye-catching Graphic or a photograph.
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NOTE CARD
If you're often jotting down notes on your card, why not make it
note-worthy? On side two, or on a second panel, include a lined section to
accommodate notes you write before handing over the card. You might, for
example, use it to write down prices, a date or time for a meeting, a
product name or the name of someone in your organization your prospect
should contact, or to jot down specifications. |
CARD PAD
Do you have to meet your prospects face-to-face to give them your card?
Not hardly. If your organization will profit from anonymous contacts, a
card pad is one good way to make connections. You simply design your cards as
you normally would, but print them on slightly lighter paper and have them
assembled into pads. Any commercial printer can produce them. Tack the
finished pad on a bulletin board, leave it on a table in a waiting room or
on a retail counter--anyplace the audience for your idea, product or
service might frequent.
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COUPON CARD
A conventional card contains passive information --a "jolt
thinking" card generates business. One way to do this is to use your
card as a coupon. Invite your prospect to use it to request a discount on
their first or next order, as admission to an event, or to redeem it for a
premium if they pay a visit. You can make your card look like a coupon or
simply add a line such as "Bring this card in for a 10 percent
discount on your next printing order." Or, as the example shows, you
could punch the card each time the customer presents as an incentive to
visit more than once.
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ROTARY CARD
In many cases, you want your name to end up in your prospect's rotary
file--once you get that piece of real estate you're bound to keep it
for awhile. Why don't you make your business card a rotary card? It
provides a visual cue to place it where you hope it will do the most
good. If you're not sure whether to use the large or small size, most
commercial printers can print a single sheet with both versions.
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STICKER CARD
A jolt thinker matches the solution to the problem. If you don't have
many good opportunities to hand your cards out--think of alternative ways
to distribute them. When you print your card on a label, for example, you
can attach it to a package, a product sample, or on a booklet or brochure.
Even if you don't foresee using a lot of stickers, ask your commercial
printer to run 50 or 100 sheets of adhesive-backed stock when they're
printing your conventional cards. It won't cost much and you'll be able to
see if a sticker card it is productive for you.
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WEB CARD
As more and more prospects have access to the World Wide Web, business cards and other organizational marketing materials are being used to direct prospects and suspects to the kind of up-to-the-minute, detailed information you can offer online. If you already have a significant web presence, you might consider a web-oriented card that, in addition to providing conventional information, provides a quick index of your site
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