A good hand: five steps to better business cards

HOW CAN you make your business card work harder so that it helps you attract potential clients and more profit? Here, according to Krishna De, are five of the biggest mistakes that people make with business cards:

1. Incomplete contact details: During or after a networking meeting, many people will review your business card. If you only have your mobile number on the card and no landline or address, don't expect to be taken seriously. People expect to see full details on your card so that they can tell you are a real business.

2. Creating your cards for free: With the advent of free online card services and stationery that you can use in your own printer, many people mistakenly believe a free business card is the solution. It's not. Don't be seen as a cheap skate, with cards that have "printed free by xyz" on the reverse. You won't be taken seriously.

3. Branding someone else: One of the first things people check on a business card is if you have an e-mail address. Yet many people have a Google, Yahoo or Eircom e-mail address, reinforcing someone else's brand and not their own. Even if you are not ready to develop your own website, invest in your own domain name, which can then be used to host your e-mail address so that it reads yourname@ yourcompanyname.com.

4. Your brand is bland: Ensure your corporate identity is reflected through your business card. Be careful that the colours you choose resonate with your target audience and ensure your font is legible and consistent with your visual identity.

5. The back is blank: If you are going to print your business card, take the additional step to invest in printing on the reverse. This could be used to promote how people can access a report, e-zine, discount, or even a trial of your product or service. Your business card then becomes integral to connecting to your overall marketing.

• Krishna De is a brand engagement and marketing mentor specialising in social media strategies. www.bizgrowthnews.com

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times