Lessons Learned #2 - Titles and Business Cards

After equipping a business with professional contact addresses, one of the next steps to promoting yourself and your business is by creating a business card. The 3 main components to consider for your business card (beyond your permanent info like your name etc.) are:

- Your Title
- Adding a slogan or description for your company
- The design

Your Title
Selecting your title is a very important aspect of how your business will be perceived. I think the natural tendency here is for sole proprietors to give themselves as important a title as possible, such as "President" or "CEO". However, do consider who will be receiving your business card and what the possibility of them perceiving your business to be a very small operation. In some instances, it may be best to simply be a "Director" or "VP of ...." (insert sales, etc.) In fact, for my latest batch of business cards, I have forgone the title completely, giving me the flexibility to inject my role into conversations ("I run the productions.." or "head of sales..." etc.) Think about who will receive the majority of your business cards and what impression you want to convey.

Adding a Slogan or Description to Your Business Card
This is very important especially if you see yourself handing out a lot of business cards at events or places where you do not have more than a few minutes to make contact with people. Unless you have had a long conversation with somebody about what it is that you do that differentiates yourself from others, then chances are they will need a little help remembering your business when they look at your business card hours, days or weeks from when you first met. Having a slogan that describes your business and why it is great (20 words/one sentence max!) will remind them of you and is the intermediate step that will lead them to visiting your website or calling.

The Card Design
In my opinion, the two ways to go about developing your design is either to select a traditional business card design or inject a contemporary design that demonstrates what it is you do. The latter, when executed well, will definitely leave an impression and will allow you to forgo a slogan. However, I have rarely seen a business card that graphically demonstrates the business and you run the risk of producing something hokey and cheesy. The safer choice is to produce a professional business card that incorporates your brand/logo and includes a slogan. When you give your business card out, you can convey your dedication, determination and drive through your demeanor. One excellent company, which I use for my business cards, is iPrint.com.