WHAT BUSINESS CARD IS BEST?
How to make your business cards stand out with specialty options.
First impressions, that “gut feeling” that people initially feel about your business, is so important. What business card is best in order to make the best first impression possible? Let’s look at some things.
You, me and everyone else on Earth are all human (hello!). As humans, we make snap judgments about people, places and things that we encounter.
Is that person at the gym attractive? Does that new restaurant downtown look like a place you would like to try?
We also need to be aware that others are always judging us as well. We want the impression that we make on others to not only be positive, but also memorable.
Your business cards are a great tool to help form that positive first impression.
People generally have one of three reactions to your business cards:
1. “Meh” / Indifference
Your cards aren’t awful but there’s certainly not anything special about them. They have the information that people need, but the design may look dated, the stock may be thin and flimsy or they may look just like everyone else’s card.
2. “Wow...these are awful cards.”
This generally stems from them feeling cheap, being unattractive, or missing important information.
3. “Wow, these cards are awesome!”
This is easier to achieve than you might think. Adding a specialty coating, round corners, unique sizes and shapes, and a clean, professional design all go a long way to creating the “WOW” first impression that you want to make.
So, let’s talk about how to get that “WOW”.
Here I’ll discuss what kind of options are available and use $’s to illustrate the average cost of such upgrades.
(These are listed out in alphabetical order, so placement on this list does not have any bearing on something being “better” or “worse”.)
$ = entry range
$$ = mid-range
$$$ = high-end
Akuafoil ($$)
Akuafoil business cards allow you to get a wide range of colors with a sparkling foil finish. This foil differs from traditional, single color foils as the foil is actually laid down under the ink. This allows for unique finishes like gradients that just can not be achieved with single color foils.
BROWN KRAFT ($-$$)
Kraft paper business cards are very popular right now. This thick, rich, light paper has natural fibers and subtle flecks to give them an organic look and feel. This specialty paper stock consists of 30% recycled materials, lending to it’s rustic, eco-friendly appeal. Brown kraft paper business cards offer a unique option of white printing in addition to the traditional full-color print.
BLACK EDGE ($$)
Black edge business cards will definitely make you stand out. They feature a 3 layer design that gives the cards an ultra-thick 32pt thickness with a sandwiched white, black, white stripe along the edge of the card. If you’re looking for a sleek and modern card design, these will not disappoint.
FOIL WORX ($$$)
Add flair and shine to your business cards with Foil Worx. This high shine foil is a great way to catch your customer's eye! Choose from one of our standard foil colors of gold, copper, silver, black, blue or red.
LUSTER CARDS ($)
Outshine your competition with our super glossy luster business cards. Luster cards are printed on 16pt card stock with an optically clear 3mil gloss laminated added to both sides which makes these cards an impressive 22pts thick! Not only do these cards shine, they are also water-resistant!
NATURAL ($)
Our 14pt natural stock is environmentally friendly and will give your business cards a simple, elegant feel. They are a light cream color with a smooth finish that is made with a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste content.
PAINTED EDGE ($$$)
Painted edge business cards are perfect if you are looking to gain an edge over your competition. They feature ultra-thick 32pt cardstock with painted edges. If you really want to stand out, try these with a vivid, metallic painted edge.
PEARL ($$$)
Our 14pt Metallic Pearl paper is unique in that it shimmers in light when viewed from different angles. The paper itself is embedded with pearl fibers that give it an overall smooth, metallic look. If you have a company that specializes in weddings, parties, or other special events, these cards would be perfect for you!
PLASTIC ($$$)
If you are looking for something different than almost any of your competitors, consider plastic business cards! These durable cards are printed on thick 20pt plastic in opaque white, frosted clear or clear. They are waterproof and tear-resistant and would make great cards for people who are regularly exposed to the elements.
RAISED FOIL ($$$)
You will not be forgotten with our luxury raised foil business cards. All of our raised foil cards include velvet lamination, which means your cards will feel soft to the touch which when paired with the 3D effect of the raised foil will really catch your audience's attention.
RAISED SPOT UV ($$$)
This luxury business card option is a lot like the raised foil. They feature the same velvet finish and 3D effect that make for a seriously impactful first impression. These cards don’t look or feel cheap, they are a great way to show your potential customers your worth.
ROUNDED CORNERS ($)
While you might not think of rounded corners as very different from traditional business cards, it can really make a difference. This is especially true when paired with a unique card shape or size. Rounded corner business cards are great because you can adjust the size of the corners or even choose to only have 2 of the 4 corners rounded!
SILK ($)
Silk business cards are super smooth to the touch with a matte appearance. The silk finish makes the cards water and tear-resistant so they make a great option for someone who isn’t really gentle on their cards!
SPOT UV ($)
Spot UV business cards are a great, inexpensive way to stand out. They offer small areas of glossy coating paired with a matte coating across the rest of the card. This is a good way to highlight your logo or add a subtle design to the background of your card. The matte finish on the remainder of the card also makes it easy to write on the card if need be.
SUEDE ($$)
This luxury business card finish is a good way to make a big impression without breaking the bank. You get the same luxurious, soft feel as you do with the raised foil or raised spot UV cards without the added cost of the 3D effect.
SQUARE CARDS ($)
If you are looking for cards that are affordable while still standing out from the crowd then square cards might be right for you! We offer the standard 2” square as well as oversized 2.5” cards.
So, what business card specialty option is best for you and your business?
If after reading this you’re still not sure or if you have a great idea for your business cards but don’t know how to make it a reality, Give us a call!
If after reading this you’re still not sure or if you have a great idea for your business cards but don’t know how to make it a reality, Give us a call!
We love creating custom cards for businesses like yours. We will work together with you to create business cards that will give you that great first impression while making sure that you stand out from your competitors.
Reviews are a secret weapon for local businesses.
Business greeting cards are a very cost-effective marketing tool that small businesses can use to strengthen customer relationships. Business greeting cards come in various formats, from e-cards to SMS cards, you can send them to customers and prospects on occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, congratulate them after a major achievement, or simply to thank them for their business. Here's a blog post from one of my partners about business greeting cards that I found to be a great read so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
This is a popular question that we get a lot. What type of website should I use for my business? Should I build a website myself? Can’t I just let my sisters’ boyfriends nephew build it? He seems like he’s good at computers? My friend is telling me to make a WordPress / Wix / Squarespace website because it’s so easy to build yourself. These are just some things we hear regularly. Let’s dig into these. “My friend is telling me to make a WordPress / Wix / Squarespace website because it’s so easy to build yourself.” I had an initial consultation with a new client last week. She reached out to us about building an e-commerce website for her business. During our meeting, it came up that for the last year she had been trying to work on building the website herself via Shopify, but could never get it to look how she wanted it to look. She said that she had spent hours searching for instructional videos on YouTube on how to do this thing or that, only to find that more often than not, she found something else had broken because of following the steps she was told to take. She told me how frustrating the entire process has been and how she can’t even guess how many hours and hours that she’s wasted trying to figure it out. Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and these other are easy once you’ve put in the time to become familiar with them and how they work. After only a short time of using them, you should have no problem figuring out how to add a photo, text box, links, etc to your budding new website. That being said, while these tools are easy to start, they can be much more difficult to master. Learning the more onerous tasks can be quite frustrating when attempting to learn via trial and error. Can you figure it out? Of course you can. Anything is possible if you devote the required time and attention to it. Also, how long is this whole learning and development process going to take? 40 hours? 80 hours? How many hours a week are you prepared to dedicate to researching and learning how to build your website? Ok, it’s done! All of your hard work paid off and your business’s new website is live for the public to access. Does it represent your business in the professional way that it needs to be presented? Does it work well on smart phones? Do visitors feel encouraged to take the next step in your buyer’s funnel, or are they backing out of your site and heading to your competitors? For most business owners, the tiny amount they save by building their new site themselves pales when compared to the time savings, ease of development, professional final product and increased customer conversions that they get when they choose to work with a professional website developer like us. So which website is best for a business? The one that pays for itself time and time again because it looks great, works great and helps guide your visitors into becoming paying customers. Schedule a call with us today to discuss how we can help your business with a new website, social media management, SEO and other marketing services.
