Business Cards: You Only Get One First Impression

These days, it’s tempting to argue that business cards are overrated. Critics say business cards are nothing more than a product of networking events, something that will sit on one’s desk and collect dust. That’s possible, but completely avoidable. Taking Boucher + Co.’s tips for an effective business card into account, one could turn their business card into a convenient, mobile marketing tool.

Soon after our foray into branding and advertising, we learned of the power of the business card as a marketing tool. That small, 2×3.5 inch rectangular card packs a lot of potential. The key is to balance a business card’s content between simplicity and a direct call-to-action.

We recently designed a refreshed business card for the Latino Youth for Higher Education Program (LYHEP), a non-profit organization for which we designed a web site back in early October. LYHEP’s new business card is unique in that it promotes LYHEP – its mission and its brand – while also providing supporters with a quick and easy means for making a donation. All while maintaining a clear and simple card format.

Take, for instance, the QR code (that universally-recognizable barcode found on posters, t-shirts, and packs of gum worldwide) located on the card’s front side. Scan this code, and you are instantly taken to the portion of LYHEP’s web site in which you can make a donation. Our research (and fundraisers) have shown that when presented with a QR code, supporters are more likely to scan the barcode and make a donation than they otherwise would. That means a larger donation rate.

Or perhaps, the back of the card, which shares a personal experience and/or view of LYHEP through the eyes’ of the cardholder. Founder John Moreno, for example, discusses how the organization has provided scholarships to immigrant students in the past.

Whoever the organization or person, it’s obvious that treating your business card as the most effective marketing tool in your toolbox is a no-brainer. Do that, and I promise your business card won’t wind up covered in dust – or worse, in the trash.