Why Your Business Cards Go Unnoticed

There are so many business owners who rely on business cards to get noticed and gain more exposure. Business cards have been used for decades as a way of spreading the word about a specific business. And, while they have been used for quite some time, not everyone is having success with them.

You may have noticed that your business cards are not getting the amount of attention you originally envisioned. However, don’t get too discouraged. High quality business card printing is cheap online, and you may only need to revamp one aspect of your card. Some of the reasons a card may go unnoticed include:

Poor quality

Plain design

Generic contact information

Lack of message

Pull out your business cards and study them while you read through the following list. There’s a good possibility that the reason your business card is not performing well is due to one of the aspects below.

Poor Quality

A business card that looks cheap speaks volumes about your business. Floppy paper, low-resolution printing, pixelated graphics – these are just a few examples of why a potential customer may ignore your card. Get your cards professionally printed or don’t bother. Cards with poor quality will do more harm than good.

Plain Design

This point may be very industry specific. So if your industry tends to create a standard type of design – such as professionals like attorneys and CPAs – this may not apply.

But for the rest of us, we have a certain amount of creative liberty we can take with our business cards. Take advantage and create something engaging and interesting. An overly simple, black-n-white business card can exude cheapness. So consider having a little fun with your card, integrating your brand elements (logos, colors, typography) into the design.

If you don’t feel confident with your own design skills but know a bit about Photoshop or another design program, you could always use a pre-designed template. Some printing companies, such as PrintPlace.com, UPrinting.com, and VistaPrint.com, provide free templates for business card printing that you can customize with your brand colors and unique graphics. Or you can purchase a professional template for a very reasonable price from sites like Vandelay Premier and GraphicRiver, and customize on your own as well.

Generic Contact Info

Have you ever been given a card with generic contact information for the business, not of the person you were talking to? How does that make you feel? Typically this also says “cheap” and, worse, makes it difficult to remember who the person was to whom you spoke. Make individualizd business cards for any staff that will be carrying cards.

Also avoid putting multiple individuals on one card. It’s a sure fire way to communicate to your potential customer that you’re too small to handle their needs.

Lack of Message

Your card should quickly communicate what it is your company does. Use a short tag line on the front of the card, and use the back of the card to explain in more detail. Don’t clutter the front with too much information – keep it very simple so recipients can easily recall what you do. They can always visit your website or social media sites, if you include these, for more information. And of course don’t forget your main contact number and email address. Don’t include your physical address, unless you have an actual storefront you want customers to visit, and don’t include a fax number unless your industry requires clients to fax you information.

The goal of a business card is to make it easier for your customers to get a hold of you later. Make the card memorable and clear so they can remember who you are and what you do. Avoid cheap materials or a design that doesn’t inspire interest, and you’re well on your way to a card that generates phone calls and emails and hopefully new clients.

About the Author:

Tara Hornor has a degree in English and has found her niche writing about marketing, advertising, branding, web and graphic design, and desktop publishing. She writes for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers brochures, business cards, flyer printing, posters, postcards, full color booklet printing, and more printed marketing media. In addition to her writing career, Tara also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. Connect with @TaraHornor on Twitter.