| You need a business card. So now you have to | | | | Discount Real Estate Guy", "The Source for |
| decide what it should say and what it should | | | | Cottages and Summer Homes", "Beautiful Color |
| look like. | | | | Vinyl Banners." |
| | | | |
| Before asking the inevitable questions about | | | | **Consistency has its place** |
| the design of your business card, you should | | | | |
| ask what its function in your overall | | | | It is always good to make your business card |
| marketing plan should be. Above all you want | | | | consistent with your corporate image and the |
| to make sure it communicates the most | | | | rest of your marketing materials. Usually |
| important things about you and your company. | | | | this boils down to basic things like your |
| | | | choice of colors, typeface, and layout style. |
| **Include Your Most Important Sales Message** | | | | And of course you will want to include your |
| | | | company logo. |
| We all know a business card should contain | | | | |
| basic contact information: your name, company | | | | Usually your marketing consultant or graphic |
| name, address and phone number. But probably | | | | designer will want to plaster your logo on |
| even more important is conveying your Most | | | | all your marketing materials, sometimes using |
| Important Sales Message. If you don't have an | | | | the logo as a substitute for real marketing |
| "MISM", you should create one. It is a brief, | | | | design. "A lot of work went into creating |
| succinct statement of what your company is | | | | that logo, and we must convey a consistent |
| about. It is the answer to the question: | | | | corporate image" is the usual mantra. What |
| "What does your company do?" | | | | ever you do, don't ask "Why is consistency so |
| | | | important?" That question opens the way for |
| Sometimes this kind of answer is called an | | | | tedious theorizing about "the long term |
| "elevator speech". You're on an elevator and | | | | importance of developing a corporate image." |
| somebody asks you "What does your company | | | | |
| do?" You have six or seven seconds to give a | | | | You would be better to agree. "Yes, by all |
| memorable reply. Good elevator speeches go | | | | means, we want to present a consistent |
| beyond hackneyed answers like "We do web | | | | corporate image." And then add, "But I want |
| marketing" or "We make bowling balls." They | | | | this business card to do some selling for me, |
| are confidence-inspiring marketing | | | | so I would like to give the sales message a |
| statements: "We create websites that sell | | | | bit more prominence than usual." |
| tons of products for people." or "We make the | | | | |
| world's most beautifully balanced bowling | | | | In other words, use the usual corporate |
| balls." | | | | colors, typeface and layout style on your |
| | | | business card. Include the logo too, because |
| Your MISM (Most Important Sales Message) may | | | | it IS important. But every business card |
| very well be a "product" (as in the bowling | | | | should give prominence to the sales message. |
| ball example above), but it should always be | | | | Show a picture of your product. Or if you |
| accompanied by a "pitch" of some kind or | | | | think you are the product (as most real |
| another. Often this will essentially be a | | | | estate agents seem to think), then include |
| "slogan". | | | | your own picture on your business card. But |
| | | | don't forget to enhance the photo with that |
| For your elevator speech you need a seven | | | | slogan we talked about in the previous |
| second slogan. For your business card you | | | | section. |
| will need the same slogan boiled down to an | | | | |
| string of words that not only sounds good, | | | | And now that you have a business card worth |
| but looks good on the card: "Websites that | | | | handing out, get out there and start doing |
| Sell Like Crazy", "The World's Most | | | | it. |
| Beautifully Balanced Bowling Balls", "The | | | | |