Business Cards. Do You Really Need Them?
Business cards…do you really need them? And, if so, what should you include on them? While these tiny little cards are just another marketing tactic used in business, but are they still relevant in today’s online world?
DO YOU NEED BUSINESS CARDS?
The short answer here, YES! You should be using business cards in your business. I realize this is an old school, in person marketing strategy, it’s obviously not an online form of marketing that clearly resonates with today’s digital era. Trust me when I tell you, this old school marketing tool is indeed still relevant & it works wonders! There are SO many ways you can use business cards, it’s one of the smartest & most creative ways to market your business.
These tiny little cards are a low cost way to market your business and for you to make sure that someone is really going to come back & connect with you.
Something that I’ve realized is that I always end up in a situation or at a place where people want to know more about my business…having a business card to give to them for reference is such a game changer in that moment.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO INCLUDE ON YOUR BUSINESS CARD?
I created my business cards on Canva. Yes, you read that right…the FREE, online app. If you have any of my Shop Brooke Jefferson templates then you are already familiar with this platform. If not, Canva is an incredible resource for you to be able to make graphics without having professional graphic design ability or background. The platform itself has so many ready to use templates available! It is where my Investment Guide, Style Guide, Prep Guide and any other template found inside of Shop Brooke Jefferson were created and hosted for you to edit inside of Canva.
My business cards were created on this incredible platform. There are a TON of different templates that you can use or you customize and make your own!
BUSINESS CARDS & BRANDING:
On the front of my business card, I am using my branding images, brand colors and my logo, a HUGE thank you & shout out to Molly B. Creative for creating my brand, my logo and my colors — you do a phenomenal job! Because of Molly’s incredible work, I LOVE and I’m so proud to hand out my business cards!!
You should also love & be proud of your branding, too. You should want to hand out your business cards, flyers, investment guides, etc. because you’re proud of it & it represents YOU! If you aren’t happy with your branding, take the time to nail it down before designing your business cards. You want to make sure you’re going to be happy with your existing branding for at least a year. Branding is going to evolve, you’re going to change and at some point in your business you’re going to evolve your branding (colors, logo, fonts, etc.).
If you want to dive deeper into branding and all that goes into it. there are several branding specific podcast episodes for you to listen to over on the Book More Clients Photography Podcast.
WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR THEM:
First off, my business cards are in full color front & back. On the front, there is an image of myself, my logo, my phone number, my email address, the area I serve (for me, that’s Southwest Oklahoma), my website and Instagram & Facebook icons with my usernames to each typed out.
You want to make sure you’re giving as much contact information as possible on the front of your business cards. Make sure that you’re giving what you’re comfortable with, one of the questions I get about business cards all the time is, “do I have to list my phone number?”…the answer is no, but you also need to realize that you might be losing out on a few clients who prefer to speak one-on-one with you. Sometimes, I do have clients or leads that will call me & we’ll discuss the vision & the session and then they’re like “yes, sign me up…here’s my email address”. So, it’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable giving out your phone number on your business card, but again the more contact information you have, the better.
SIDENOTE: Please don’t ever list your home address on your business cards. So, if you have a studio, I would not list your home address on your business cards. I would wait until they book with you & then send that information out through an email.
On the back side of my business cards, I’ve placed my logo again, 5 images that I’ve taken in the last 90 days. When I made the business card, I wanted to use the most recent of images of galleries that I could. I wanted to show images of sessions that I book. So, I have two images of my studio sessions that were cake smashes & one year portraits, one image of a lifestyle newborn session inside my studio, one photo of a maternity session and one photo of a family session outdoors. So, everything on this card shows you (and pretty much screams) that I serve families.
When you make your business cards, you need to make sure that your work, your most recent & best work, is included! People need to visually see whether or not they are attracted to your work, it’s the best representation of what you do.
We are photographers, specializing in photography. You’re trying to be the go-to photographer for your niche.
HOW DO THESE TINY LITTLE CARDS ACTUALLY BRING IN CLIENTS?
Business cards. Do you really need them? YES! But, how do they actually bring in clients?
Here’s where you are going to start really putting this in the hands of people. First of all, always have a handful of business cards in your purse, in your camera bag, in your car that way you’re never without. You need to have them on you at all times. If at any time, someone asks you about your business or could potentially be a client for you, I want you to pull out a business card & give it to that person. If you’re not putting them in the hands of others, then your business cards are obviously not going to work for you.
TIMES WHEN YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BUSINESS CARDS ON HAND:
- The grocery store/other stores (Hobby Lobby, local boutiques, etc.)
- Certain sessions in a more public space where there are going to be more people around
- Weddings (when I was photographing weddings — I was always handing out business cards)
HERE’S YOUR ACTION STEPS FOR TODAY:
- Business cards…do you really need them? YES. So, get some!
- Make sure all the correct information is on them.
- HAND THEM OUT TO PEOPLE.
BONUS TIP: At then end of the year, if you still have cards leftover, I like to include one or two of them in my clients’ end of the year gifts.
Do you want to dive deeper into business cards…do you really need them? Head on over to the Book More Clients Photography Podcast to listen now!
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