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Business Card Information in the Information Age
How can you reach me? Let me count the ways! There's my email address, cell phone number, fax number, website -- and oh yeah, you can still send stuff to my actual street address, too. No wonder the type size on business cards is getting smaller and smaller!
If you're about to print a new set of business cards, you may be wondering what information to include. To help you with some of these tough decisions, we've listed below the standard information to include on a business card -- plus some food for thought to help you avoid tossing 950 business cards just a month after you picked up that box of 1,000 at the printer.
Basic Biz Card Ingredients:
- Your Name.
- Your Title. If you're a small company where titles aren't too important, put something descriptive of what you do, like "Technical Writer" or "Sales Consultant."
- Your Company Name. You may also want to include a descriptive tag line, like "Idea Cafe: The Small Business Channel." Or if you have room, try something even more descriptive of your products or services, like Idea Cafe's motto, "A fun approach to serious business."
- Company Logo. If you have one, include it. A logo builds identity.
- Phone Number. Don't forget to include an 800 number, if you have one.
- Fax Number. If you're a small company with only one phone line, you might consider putting "fax and phone" next to your single phone number to show you're equipped to receive faxes. However, to avoid answering the phone to that awful squeeling noise as someone tries to fax you without warning, you might want to go ahead and get a second line.
- Address. If you have separate mailing and shipping addresses, put both on your card. Particularly if your mailing address is a P.O. Box, put a street address on the card -- remember, Fed Ex won't deliver to a P.O. Box, and these days, express mail is an essential part of doing business.
- Email Address. Before you have your cards printed, be sure your e-address isn't going to change soon. If you're considering changing Internet service providers for cheaper rates, or changing your email address name to escape annoying spammers (junk mailers), do it now before you print your cards. Also, if you're a small home business, consider whether you want to use a single email address for both business and personal use. You might want to set up a separate address for your business, even naming it after your business, such as "techwriter@micro.net". Or, if you've established your business name as your domain name, then you can use both your name and your business name in the same email address -- a good way to reinforce your presence in customers' minds.
- Web Address. If your primary business is a website -- like Idea Cafe, for example -- your web address is an essential item for your business card. If not, it's still your envoy in cyberspace and yet another way to reach you.
- Cell Phone and Pager Numbers. If it's important your customers and associates reach you at these numbers, include them on your card. But if these phone numbers serve personal or emergency uses, we recommend you leave them off your printed card. You can always handwrite an important phone number on your card for a special contact.
That's a lot of information to squeeze onto a tiny 2" x 3.5" card! Plus, there's lots more ideas, like your photo, or a map to your office. Look for more tips on design and biz communications in Idea Cafe's Biz Communication Zone.
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