Anyone who has something to sell should have a business card. Whether you are a local store owner, freelance writer or CEO of a five-star hotel, you need to have these little cards handy all the time. These help define your professional identity to those you meet. It tells them that you mean, well... business. And it tells them just what that business is.

Since your business card contains basic info about you and your services, it's a cheap form of advertisement for you. When the need for a service like yours arises, people are likely to turn to you first since they have your contact info readily available.

Now how do you select the right design? Well, it depends on the type of business or service you have. Here we give some general guidelines:

Color Theme

Color sets the tone of your business card. Choose a color scheme appropriate for your business or work. For instance, if you sell environment-friendly products such as biodegradable bags, get a grass-green color theme. If you are an event planner that specializes in weddings, you obviously don't want a black-colored business card. When choosing a color theme, make sure there is a strong contrast between colors so your text shows up nicely.

Design Motif

There is an endless variety of layouts and designs. You can even choose between horizontal and vertical layouts. The former is more common; the latter reminds you of a bookmark. No matter what layout you choose, when designing your card, use an appropriate graphic for a background image. Let it take up about half of its face. On the empty space, put your company or personal name and contact info. The idea here is to heighten visual impact with the use of a graphic, accompanied by text.

Business Card Logo

Everyone should have a business card logo. Make it simple and easily recognizable even if printed small. If your logo and color theme are nice enough, you can do away with a graphic background.

Information

What info do you put in your business card? What you want your potential customers/clients to know! This includes: company name, personal name, position in the company, office address and phone number(s). Usually in that order with company name being the most prominent.

You don't need to put your individual name there. If you own only a small business with few staff members, you don't want to spend all those extra dollars printing separate ones for each of you! But if you are part of a bigger company, it helps to have your own personal business card. Of course, it must bear the same theme and look of the basic company card.

Don't forget to include your e-mail address and web site URL if you have any. If there is room, include your business hours. You want people to know when they can contact you.

Tagline

A tagline is a short catchy line that describes whatever you're plugging. It can be your business motto, or it can be a special offer you make. Find space for this since it acts as a "come on." Give people a reason to choose you over many others in your field.

Folding Cards

Some business cards have folding designs. You can put more information on these multi-sided cards. For example, if you can make a list of your services. If you own a restaurant, you can list the types of foods and beverages you serve, and/or any special discounts.

Conclusion

Business cards are a valuable part of your marketing strategy. Print many of these cards and always have a handful in your pocket. Every time you meet someone new, give them yours. One day they will call you or pay a visit. Try it!