Business Card 101
/For a lot of us in the mental health profession, our business is built on referrals and recommendations. A quick and easy way to increase this practice is to have creative and informative business cards on hand at all times. But having a card with too much or too little information can be a poor first impression of your business. Below we answer the top business card questions and how to avoid etiquette mistakes.
Top business card questions answered:
What should go on them?
Logo and Tagline
Only if you have one. If you don’t, that’s okay. You don’t have to wait to order business cards until you have a logo and tagline. Your business cards can always be altered throughout the growth of your business and reordered.
Name and Functional Job Title
Contact Information
Dependent on your role, you may not need your address. Typically, an email and phone number are enough.
Website URL
Social Media Platforms - if helpful
You only want to list social media handles if you have an active social presence and it serves your business by directing people to the platforms. If you don’t frequently post on your social sites or use social media to promote parts of your business, it’s best to leave the social media URLs off of your card.
White Space
Creativity
Where can I design and order business cards?
• Canva
• MOO
What do I write on the business card?
Not too much! Remember to leave white space on your card and not overcrowd the surface with words, patterns, or designs.
What shape business card should I get?
There are lots of options. All different shapes, sizes, and thickness. Think practically when picking the shape and size of your card and choose something that aligns with your brand. I personally went with a square card for one of my businesses and get a lot of positive feedback on it. Caution to getting business cards that are too small, or odd shapes because you don’t want people to misplace them and you want people to be able to put them in their wallets.
What colors should I use?
Be consistent with your branding colors. For example, if your office and website are all light and whimsical, don’t make your cards black or with bright colors. Remain consistent with the same color palette and maybe just use different shades of those colors.
How many do I order?
The more you order the cheaper they will be per card. But I would start out with 100 or so to see how you like them, and what feedback you get (if any) when handing them out. From there I would make changes if needed and then order more to ensure you don’t run out.
So now that your informed on what should be on a business card, you might be thinking “why do I even need a business card, it’s not 2001” or “what do I even do with the business cards when they arrive.”
Find out why your business still needs business cards here.
Find out what to do with your business cards when they arrive here.
Shannon Gonter, LPCC, Owner and Founder of b.mindful Louisville
Have additional questions? Feel free to message me and ask!
*permission was granted by business owners to use their cards as examples