Top Five Business Card No-Nos
I’m truly amazed at the number of bad business cards that I come across. There’s no excuse for a poorly designed or printed business card these days. Or any day.
No-No #1
Printing your own business cards on your home printer. We can tell. Really. Without a professionally designed and printed card, you’re putting your credibility in question at the starting gate. I actually received a homemade card from a financial advisor. If he couldn’t spend $200 getting business cards printed, I’ve no trust in his ability to manage finances.
No-No #2
Oversized cards. Yes, these are really fun and neat and cool. But they don’t fit in card holders, so they get tossed.
No-No #3
The print is so small no one can read it, particularly those over 50.
No-No #4
Unclear what your business is. If your name doesn’t make it crystal clear what business you’re in, add a line describing your product or service.
No-No #5
No physical address. I realize that for some, putting an address on our business cards appears to limit our business to a certain geographic area. But for most businesses, it’s a necessity. It lends credibility (you can be found), and makes it easy when someone needs to send payment or correspondence. Many women seem to be wary of including their address on their cards, for reasons of personal safety. Most addresses are readily available from a simple google search, so I’m not sure this is an issue that’s cause for concern.
