The 7 Key Elements of a Business Card – Billy R. Williams, PhD. 

In a small business your business card is not only a salesperson, but an important part of your marketing department. 

Make sure your business card contains these 7 key elements:

1. Name: Your name should be prominent and easily read. Avoid overly fancy fonts and styles. 

2. Phone Number(s): Show all of the key phone numbers people can use to contact you. Most people use some type of scanning software for business cards, so don’t get carried away with fancy fonts, and don’t bury your phone numbers in colored backgrounds. If your phone number is text message capable, make sure you point that out. Example: Call or text message me ???-???-????. 

3. Email Address and Website: Most people research you and your company to get a better idea of the products and services you provide. Make it easy for them to locate your website. 

4. Logo or Photo: If you are branding yourself, you need a photo of you on your business card. That photo should be up to date, not a glamour shot photo from 10 years ago. If you are not using a photo then you should put your company logo on your card. Copyright 2016, Inspire a Nation Business Mentoring – www.inspireanation.org 

5. Company Tagline that clearly states a problem you solve: Have you ever received a business card and still had no clue what the person actually did professionally? The best business taglines tell a reader a problem your company solves or a benefit you offer. Examples: “We make financing your new home a breeze”, We provide over 200 models of cars to choose from” We make sure you have enough money to retire on your terms” We make choosing the right auto insurance easy and affordable” 

6. Physical Address: Whether you use your physical address or not is up to you. If you operate an in-home business or an online business, use your website address instead of your physical address 

7. Don’t Forget the Back The back of your business card is prime real estate, don’t waste it. List a few problems your company solves or a few products and services you offer. If it doesn’t clutter your card too much you can also provide your LinkedIn profile link, or your Facebook profile link, or, your fan page address. 

What you need to remember is that your business card is contact tool. It’s meant to quickly tell people what you do and how they can contact you. 

The two main mistakes when it comes to business cards are: 

1. Using too fancy of a font. Your font should easily allow a person to scan your information using today’s business card scanning software. Most people will not take the time to type a business card into their data management system. 

2. Too much information on a card. It’s a business card, not a brochure. Keep the area of the card that contains your contact information as clean and clutter free as possible, especially avoid dark letters with dark background colors.