Business cards can be one of our most important pieces in the marketing toolbox. They are handed out, mailed out, left out, worn out and just plain lost. You may be the type that uses 100's or 1000's each year.
Business cards are economical. The more you print, the cheaper they get per piece. Your business card says a lot about you, your organization and your products or services. Your business card can influence customers to pick up the phone - or toss it in the trash.
Business cards come in all shapes, sizes and colors and are printed on just about anything you can imagine. Changing any one of these variables can help you create a very memorable card. Think about the times you have been handed a card and just the feel of the card in your hands made an impression. Our goal is to make that a GOOD impression. Giving or receiving flimsy little business cards can make a BAD impression very quickly.
Focus on the paper stocks
With most everyone agreeing to the value and importance of a good business card, it still amazes me that so many businesses want to print their business cards on cheap, thin paper stocks.
Pick up your own card right now. With your eyes closed, imagine how your current card feels in prospects' hands. Is it light and flimsy, telling them that your company is on shaky ground? Or is it thick and solid, telling them your are well grounded and prepared to handle their business needs?
Business card printing is cheaper than you think
Business card printing is the most economical, "biggest bang for your buck" printing that you will ever do. But still, you have many small businesses that will print business cards on desktop printers using specially perforated business card paper. They think they are saving money but the desktop business cards have three disadvantages:
- Your inks look bad and can smear for a sloppy image.
- The perforations and thin paper required to make it around the desktop printer cylinder make for a flimsy, cheap-looking card.
- It's actually more expensive than professional printing.
Skip the home printing
Printing business cards on desktop printers not only looks bad, it costs more money than having your business cards printed by a pro. Do the math yourself: to print 1,000 business cards, you would need five packs of business card desktop printer paper at a cost of $80 (200 per pack at $16 each). And while printing at home seems "free," it's when you go to replace those ink cartridges that you realize just how much it really costs. It could cost an estimated $.20 / sheet to print for a total of $20. So now there's about $100 in "cheap" business cards.
You compare that to 1000 cards printed in full-color on 14pt gloss with UV coating. It a "no contest."
There's no downside to having your business cards professionally printed on sturdy, professional paper stocks. You look good, the cards feel good, and you can actually save money.
David A Moore is a cross-media marketing junkie fueled by Mountain Dew. His habit is supported as managing partner of Advantage Printing, a commercial print and marketing service provider serving churches, nonprofits and small businesses.
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