Is Your Business Card Working for You?

I just ordered my second set of business cards from a great online service that I absolutely love (MOO), and in doing so, I was reminded of a blog I wrote about a year and a half ago about how to improve your image in unexpected ways, one of those including having a unique and high-quality business card.  Below is an excerpt from that blog:

Living in Nashville where you can throw a stone and hit six songwriters with that one stone, it’s easy to collect a lot of cards from a lot of people in the music industry. I try my best to always write down on the back of the card where I met this person so when I’m looking back through my rolodex I can remember who the person is. I’m one of those people who remembers a face but has a hard time remembering names. I have a feeling I’m not the only one who is like that. Therefore, I like getting a business card from someone who has included their picture on their card. This is the same reason why I have my picture on my card. I don’t have to stop and think where I met this person when they have their picture on the card.

I know that there are online services such as Vista Print where you can create your own card using one of their templates and get a set of cards just for the cost of shipping, but let me tell you why that’s not the best idea. There is one particular template on Vista Print that has a red background with a microphone on it. Do you know how many people here in Nashville have given me a card with this template background? Their cards don’t stand out to me because they look like so many other cards I’ve been given. Also, they are printed on very thin paper. What impression do you think this makes on the person receiving the card?

I want to encourage you to take the time to create your own unique card with your picture (or without if it’s not appropriate in your particular industry to include your picture) or get help from someone who can, and then have them professionally printed. You won’t be sorry! People will respond, “Hey this is a nice card,” and they will remember that.

I created my own card using a great online service called MOO (see below).  I was able to design my own card with their easy-to-use online system that let me upload up to 50 different images for the back of my card!  This was so cool because I was able to make my cards different and unique by using the images of past clients to showcase my wardrobe styling work on the back of my cards! 

If you don't want to create your own, they still have some cool templates that have different designs on the back of them so that not all your cards look the same (see below).  I love this!  And the best part is you can choose between their really thick and modern finish cards or a more eco-friendly "green" card.  The cost is a little more than what you would pay at FedEx/Kinkos or UPS Store, but your card will stand out making it worth it! 

You can even order your business cards in sticker form or give them rounded corners; just simple little things to make them stand out.  You can also order round stickers to put on CDs or your other merch items.  For instance, I purchased some stickers that said "#1 Amazon.com Bestseller" to put on my book Advance Your Image. 

You can get your MOO business cards (and post cards, stickers, and more) by clicking here to get started.  I think you will love the look of your cards and others will too!