The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – which category does your marketing literature fall into?
When you’re out networking, or in a business meeting or at a conference and you exchange business cards with a contact, what’s your usual reaction? Do you ever think that you have a reaction? Because we all do, whether consciously or subconsciously, we judge people on their business cards. And something struck me only a couple of days ago that I had to share with you.
In general, the business cards I receive fall into one of three categories.
Absolutely Terrible – dated, offensive and does serious damage to the business image
Neutral - nothing offensive, nothing eye catching – leaves no impression
Excellent - the design has clearly been thought about and says something about the company.
So which category do your business cards fall into? Read on to find out more…
Absolutely Terrible. You’ll know when you’ve been handed a terrible card because you’ll recoil in horror when you receive it. You’ll be dumbfounded that such a credible person could undo all that hard work with a single piece of paper. The ‘giver’ of the card might apologise for it, but usually they won’t realise there’s anything wrong in what they’re doing. There’s often an inverse correlation between the value of the business/ charge out rates and the quality of design and print. In other words – the people who think nothing of billing £30k for a project will usually be the ones doling out those terrible free business cards. Cheap, cheap, cheap, they create a nasty taste in the mouth of the one on the receiving end of the cards.
Other crimes include using the same logo you’ve been using since your neighbour’s brother’s son knocked it up in 1986. Lose it. It didn’t look good then. It doesn’t look good now. Cards which use comic sans, Mistral or Brush Script MT are committing similar offences. Get rid – now.
What to do about it: bin them right away and talk to someone that can help you. Your business deserves more and you are seriously damaging your reputation.
Neutral. The card feels ok. It’s reasonably well printed. But it just leaves you feeling, well, empty. There’s nothing particularly offensive about the design or print. And yet at the same time there’s nothing to get excited about. Cards like this don’t leave an impression, which means they’ve failed to do their job.
Usually the whole card is typeset in Verdana, Arial or Times New Roman. All in one colour and there’s nothing to make the logo stand out from the rest (NB. Your ‘house font’ is never Arial, your ‘Logo’ is never your company name written in Verdana. One typeface does not for a logo make). Boring, boring, boring.
What to do about it: Get some new cards and a logo as soon as possible! Your business deserves it.
Excellent: From the moment someone hands me an excellent card I’m feeling reassured and happy. A bit like when you meet a stranger in a bar and realise they’re not married (always a bonus), a well designed card backs up that positive impression you’ve made from your conversation. Excellently designed cards show that your contact is serious about their business and the impression they’re going to make. They inspire you and build credibility.
What to do about it: Give yourself a well deserved pat on the back.
