Make a Great First Impression with Custom Business Cards

You may not give your business cards a second thought, but perhaps they deserve more attention. Think of them as a miniature ad for your business, and they take on greater importance than just a piece of paper with your phone number and e-mail address.

A unique business card can make a big impression on potential customers. And compared to other marketing materials you might use for your company, business cards are one of the most inexpensive ways to advertise your services.

When designing your business card, first make a list of all the information that needs to be included, such as the name of your business, your name and title, and contact information including phone number, cell phone number, fax number and e-mail address. You'll also want to include your company's Web site address so potential customers can find out more about your business. If you run a retail business, list your hours, especially if you're open later than most competitors.

Your business card is an integral part of your brand or corporate identity strategy, and as such its design should reflect the nature of your business. If you're in a creative field, like advertising or hair styling, your card can be more artistic, even fun. But if you're dealing mostly with corporate types, your card should be more traditional. Your card should fit seamlessly into your other company collateral, such as letterhead and brochures.

Even though you can buy business card forms and print them yourself from your computer, using a printing company ensures that your cards will be high quality. Using a professional printer can also help you avoid rookie mistakes like using too many fonts, fonts that are too small to read easily and colors that make it difficult to read your card. Online printing companies like VistaPrint offer great prices as well as ease of use.

The site offers hundreds of design templates from which to choose, with prices starting at just $9.99 plus shipping costs. You can also search the designs by industry or style. The designs prompt you to fill in the blanks with all your pertinent information and show you exactly how your card will look. If you already have a business card designed, you can upload it and use that.

Turnaround time is quick, so you'll have your business cards in time for that big meeting. To view all the exciting business card designs, visit www.VistaPrint.com.

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