Business cards are still very important marketing tools today, even though we currently live in the digital era. Understanding this, you have spent time and money carefully crafting the perfect business cards to represent your business.
But as well as creating a top-notch, stand-out business card, it’s also important to keep it up to date. Some common questions that people have when it comes to their business cards is whether or not they should update their business card, and how often it needs to be done.
By reading on, you can learn everything that you need to know about updating your business card, including when it’s time to think about re-designing it.
What Are the Signs That You Need to Update Your Business Card?
You might have been plodding along with the same old business cards that you designed months ago, or even years ago. But when is the right time to give your business card an overhaul – whether a complete redesign, or simply an information update?
There are some signs to look out for that quite clearly indicate that your business card should get an update.
Here they are:
Your Current Card Has Outdated Information
It’s absolutely vital that your business card doesn’t contain incorrect or outdated information. This can hinder a person’s ability to contact you – and that means lost business. Your information might need updating if:
1. You’ve switched to a new retail or office premises
2. You’ve changed your phone number or e-mail address
3. You’ve acquired new social media (e.g. a Twitter or Instagram account) since creating your business card
4. You’ve changed your business’s name, tagline or motto
5. You’ve updated or redesigned your logo, or changed some important design aesthetic, such as your business’s overall colour scheme
If any of the above apply, you will need a new business card to reflect these changes.
Your Business Card Isn’t Translating into Clicks or Customers
Maybe you’ve been tracking the response rate from handing out business cards (for example, by adding a unique QR code to each one, so you can see who’s actually read your card) and you’re not noticing the results you were looking for. Perhaps you’ve handed out hundreds upon hundreds of cards, but haven’t noticed an increase in new customers or clientele.
This might be an issue with your business card’s design. If it isn’t eye-catching and memorable – in other words, if it doesn’t stand out in the crowd – then you’re missing out on your card’s potential, and it’s time for a redesign.
In many cases, business cards just get tossed together in some pile and are only searched for when the person needs a specific service or product. As they pull out a card, they will try to remember the person that gave it to them. Make your card unique and memorable, then you will start noticing results.
Your Current Business Card is Uninspiring
Sometimes you just put together a business card hastily and without much thought because you needed one ASAP. If you rushed your business card, you probably didn’t put as much work into the design as you should have – perhaps you went with a boring template that you didn’t even spend time editing. There’s also the chance that you just didn’t know what you wanted at the time, but now it’s been a while and you’re feeling uninspired by the design you chose.
You need a business card that you find inspiring because this means it will also leave an impact on your potential clients. A revamp for your business card may be required to get something more inspiring.
Why It’s Important to Redesign Your Business Card
A good business card should accomplish the following aims:
1. Get the attention of/acquire prospects
2. Quickly tell people who you are and what you do
3. Encourage your prospects to keep in touch or engage with you via phone, email, social media, or visiting your business premises
4. Spread brand awareness and recognition (get your logo out there)
5. Let readers know of important information, such as store opening hours or prices (if applicable)
If you are not getting these results from your business card, that means it’s time for you to update and redesign your business card. These changes could be as minor as just changing the colours or going for a complete overhaul. If your current business cards aren’t working for you, it’s time to update your business card.
When It’s Time to Redesign Your Business Card
You should redesign your business card whenever you need to. There’s no exact timeframe on how often you should redesign it – whether it’s every quarter with the seasons, once a year, or every few years.
The most important thing to remember is that all of your business marketing materials should be updated at the same time, in order to ensure brand consistency. This is vital for raising brand awareness for your company and keeping your business recognisable across the board.
One of the biggest reasons why people don’t benefit from business cards is because of the design. Your business card design may be too confusing or not memorable enough for your prospects. Redesigning your card could be the solution that you are looking for. Remember, there is no real timeframe on how often you redesign you card; just do it when you feel it’s time.
How to Redesign a Business Card
After you realise just how important your business card redesign is, you can move onto how to best go through this redesign process for the best results. The last thing that you want is to go through this entire process of redesigning your card, only to not have the results that you are looking for.
Here, you can see the steps that you need to take to make the most out of your business card redesign.
Know Who Your Audience is and Your Value
The first place that you need to start is to determine who your audience is and what value you have to offer. Why do they need your services? Why are you the best team to help them with what they need? This is an important first step because this will help you design the most appealing card for them.
To do this, ask yourself a couple of questions:
1. Is your company in the tech industry? Show off your tech skills by adding a QR quote for your website or landing page to your business card.
2. Can people find your company on social media? Be sure to include your social media profiles/handles to the card so people can find you.
3. Do you work in a very formal industry? You should stick to business cards that are sleek and minimalistic, only offering the most essential information for your prospects.
Create a Business Card the Matches with Your Brand
You don’t want some generic looking business card that could look like it belongs to any business. You want something that is unique to your brand, so that customers can immediately recognise who the card is for without having to do read it.
You will get best results when working with a professional company such as 123Print, as they can create a truly eye-catching design for your business card that will really make you stand out.
Some things to think about when doing this:
1. Which colours best represent your brand or work best for your audience? For example, blue and purple give off vibes of calm and relaxation, whereas red and orange create an aura of energy and vitality
2. Would a specific shape aside from the traditional rectangle better represent who your brand is? For example, would a vertical business card help you stand out from the crowd?
3. What’s the best way to layout the card so that there’s no clutter and the business card is easy to read?
4. Which type of paper will it be printed on?
5. Are there any design trends that interest you that you want included on your new design?
Be Creative
You need to stand out from your competition when you are creating a business card. That’s why it’s such a good idea for you to get creative and think outside of the box. If your card stands out, then your business will stand out to the prospects when they are thinking about specific products or services.
Take the time to find something that represents you and your brand while also being creative enough to be memorable for your prospects. For example, maybe you want to add a loyalty card section to your card that customers can have stamped when they buy from you? Perhaps you want to go against the grain with a funky font or loud colour scheme?
Where Can I Buy Business Cards?
It doesn’t hurt to take the time to freshen up your business cards. There are many reasons as to why you should update your business card, but it’s always a worthwhile change to ensure that your cards always represent who you are as a person and a business.
Once you determine that it’s time to redesign your business card, head over to 123Print to browse our extensive range of full colour business cards. Choose your favourite from thousands of templates and edit it to perfection, or create your own design completely from scratch!
We offer several paper options such as standard, heavy, and recycled. You’ll find a fabulous array of designs from the bold to the understated, and vertical, horizontal and double-sided formats. With our 2-day shipping and 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can’t go wrong!