How to Choose a Business Card Design
May 20, 2009 by Rita Marshall
Your business card design is 2×3 inches of written communication, graphic design and first impressions. Think carefully before you just throw some Avery pre-mades into the inkjet printer or spend hours coming up with something impractical that’ll blow everyone’s mind.
Business Card Design: Balancing Layout with Information
Layout plays an important part in simple, effective written communication. As I’ve said before, your reader’s eyeballs are your most precious resource — don’t abuse them or make them work any harder than they have to.
Don’t try to squeeze everything you’ve got on to one little business card! An image is great, but stick to just one. Include only your relevant contact info that fits easily on to the card. If you need to include taglines, a quote or anything else, consider using the other side of the business card.
Remember Function when Choosing a Business Card Design
- Stick to the traditional when it comes to the size of the card. Too big or too small sizes are unwieldy and don’t fit into standard business card holders.
- If you’re thinking of using a material other than paper, think carefully. I may love your metal business card, but if the nice airport security lady asks me if I want to keep it, I’ll probably say no. If you go with plastic, you won’t be able to scribble messages on the back.
- Business cards don’t really double as promotional items. If you have your company info printed on a clothespin or chocolate bar, you need to have a normal business card as well. Otherwise I’ll eat your contact info or use it to hang my laundry. Either way, I won’t remember you after.
The Most Important Advice on Business Card Design
KNOW YOUR LIMITS. My Quark Xpress experience qualified me to dummy up my business card. It did not, however, qualify me to draw a logo. I found a great graphic designer who created the Longbow logo for me in several formats, and I’ve used them faithfully for my website, letterhead and business cards.
But maybe you’re a pretty good drawer. Do you deftly sketch plates of cookies for bake sale posters and entertain kids with your Bugs Bunny doodles? That’s nice. Do NOT draw your own business card logo. People may complain that business cards are turning into meaningless pieces of paper (see next week’s post), but it’s still a powerful visual indication of how professional your business is. For the love of God, do NOT use Microsoft Word Art or Clip Art!
Before Your Business Card Hits the Printers’
I highly recommend picking a professional’s brain when it comes to your final design, even if it’s just a friend or a student who’s good at design. Also run it by family and friends — can they easily locate your information? Does it make their eyeballs hurt? If you get a yes to the first question and a no to the second, you’ve got a winner!
Leave a comment here!
What to Wear to Work: Creatives Edition
May 4, 2009 by Rita Marshall
photo by Cameron Gaut
There’s rarely a dress code when you’re a designer, writer, photographer or any other kind of creative professional. If you’re working at home, you can be decked out in pajama pants and a ratty hooded sweatshirt. If you’re partial to quirky clothing, people will cut you slack — by god, you’re a creative professional!
Once an interview or client is scheduled for the day, however, things change. You need to dress for a delicate balancing act that will convince the other person that yes, you are creative, and yes, you can meet deadlines.
What to Wear: Suggestions for Creatives
So you shouldn’t look like a banker about to foreclose or like you’ve just come back from Burning Man and the peyote isn’t out of your system just yet.The general consensus is to buy some flattering suits and separates and customize them with creative accessories. Here are some specific ideas:
- “Go “casual creative.” Explore with color or with volume.” EmilyStyle blog suggests wide leg trousers, a sharp neutral handbag and wedges for women.
- “Make your workplace wardrobe consistently stylish with dark denim trousers, fitted jackets, cool sweaters, a sweater dress belted at the waist, wrap dresses or comfy jersey styles and add a tweed pair of pants as well.” (StyleBakery)
More Suggestions on “Casual Creative” or “Creative Professional”
The Salesperson’s Guide may have a mundane name, but the website put a lot of thought into dressing creative professional, for both men and women. Their tips include:
- Try “normal flamboyant”– a skirt/top/cords combo instead of a dark suit
- Women can combine a classic suit with funky shoes, brooch or nail detailing
- Men can wear a suit with an unusual cut or suit lining
- Chunky rings
- Messenger bags
- Sneakers
- A printed tee-shirt under a suit jacket
Er, On Second Thought…
I’m actually not sure about the printed tee-shirts. I had a whole lot of clothes from my early 20s that still fit me, so I was wearing army surplus combat pants and ironic Smurfette tees way too far into my grown-up years. They’re mostly gone now, and I couldn’t ever see myself wearing Smurfette when meeting with a client.
What do you think? Designers, writers, photographers…how do you dress with creative flair AND professional assurance when you’re meeting with a client? If you’re in a firm, how does the office try to maintain that balance?
Leave a comment here!
Tell Your Story: How to Write a Business Biography
April 20, 2009 by Rita Marshall
A business biography is a great promotional tool for a business to have, right up there with business cards and a logo. Instead of scrambling for words when you’re asked to provide a written description of your business, a well thought-out business biography comes in handy as:
Business Biographies – What to Include
Your business biography needs to “tell and sell”. It should be a little story that both entertains your reader and informs them why your business is the best choice. To help you brainstorm what your story should include, answer the following:
- How long you’ve been in business
- Why you chose your particular business
- Where your business is located
- Unique services and products you offer
- Who your customers are, including unique or well-known clientele
- Customer compliments
- Awards and accolades received from your community or industry
- Expansion or additional services being offered
- The size and staff of your business
Read over your answers and see if you can pick out a story. You’ll probably find that your business has more than one story, so think of your audience and your business goals when deciding which one to tell, the way my local weekly newspaper did.
Business Biography — An Example
In this community profile I helped polish, here, the Mitchell Advocate explains why it is the best choice for local readers instead of free news websites or 24-hour cable news. The story of this business bio is of a close-knit, small staff dedicated to the close-knit, small town they live and work in. CNN or the Toronto Star’s free website simply can’t compete in terms of knowledge or dedication when it comes to telling you everything that’s happening in town.
The business story of Longbow explains how I combined my journalism background with years of working with customers, job candidates, news sources, agencies and medical patients to develop a simple and effective writing style. I tweak the story into different business biographies depending on the situation.
Different Styles for Different Needs
Why should a business biography be tweaked? Well, a short, sweet, and memorable business bio is perfect for concluding a press release, or a piece you’ve contributed to a local or trade publication. An engaging, longer corporate profile works the best for conference or event programmes, or if you’re giving a major speech or presentation.
If tweaking, or even writing, a business biography isn’t for you, hire a writer. One way to get more bang for your buck is to ask your writer what kind of discount you’ll get for different versions of the same piece. Recently, I wrote a piece for a client who has two slightly different client bases. While the piece would’ve worked well for both, some minor tweaking made an even better piece for one of her groups. She got a “two for the price of one” deal — I charged her for time spent writing the piece, but not for the few minutes I used to tweak it into an extra version.
Final Words on Your Business Biography
Whether short or long, always end your business biography with one or two ways potential clients can get in touch with you. Update it as necessary, and don’t leave it hidden in a drawer somewhere — now that you’ve got a great business bio, get out there and use it!
Giving people the information they need, simply and effectively, is how Longbow Business Solutions connects people to the businesses trying to reach out to them. Based in southwestern Ontario, Rita Marshall writes for print and web in a smooth, informative, easy-to-read style. The results? Readers and clients who learn more, do more, and ask for more. See for yourself at www.longbowbusiness.com. Rita can be contacted at 1-800-403-9832 or rmarshall@longbowbusiness.com
Graphic by Yoshi Aka
Quick, Easy and Effective: Make the Most of Your Email Signature
March 30, 2009 by Rita Marshall
When you end an email, you can either type a smiley face beside your name or you can use an automated email signature to promote yourself and your business. I think we both know which is the best option.
Here are some quick, easy and effective ways to make your email sig work for you.
Give (And Repeat) Contact Info
Your email sig should include your name, your title, your company’s name, your website, and how to get in touch with you. Getting in touch should include your email address. “Good idea,” some cheeky readers may say. “It’s not like you’ve just sent them an email with your address on it.”
But what if your email ends up getting forwarded a few times? Will someone find your services fascinating enough to dig through a forwarded email trying to find your email address? Never make ‘em look too hard for your contact info.
Prioritize and Keep It Short
A reader’s eyeballs are your most precious resource. Don’t abuse them with a 20 line email signature. Sure you’re on Skype, MSN, IM, Twitter and Facebook. You’ve got a land line, cell, and several email addresses.
Which are the quickest ways you’d like to be reached? One email address that you check diligently and one business phone number should be sufficient. Only add your physical address if clients often come there to work with you. A total email sig should not go over 8 lines.
Get Creative
• Succinctly describe your business services in a snappy tag line under your company name. It never hurts to keep reminding everyone of what you do.
• Offer a free report or promote a free service. Do you have 10 Tips for Great-Looking Websites? Do you offer a free home evaluation for anyone thinking of selling their property? Devote a line in your email sig and tell everyone about it.
• I’m on the fence about motivational or humorous quotes. Are you using the quote to illustrate your business style – tenacious, creative, energetic? If the line resonates strongly with you and you’ve got the room, go for it. If not, leave that valuable email real estate for contact info and a business description.
An Effective Finished Product
Now that you’ve got a tight and effective email sig, make sure to set your email settings so that it goes out on all your emails. If you have a line for free reports or new services, make sure to update it with fresh reports, offers, or news every so often. Get really fancy and you can set up different email sigs for different groups of recipients.
You’re effortlessly marketing with each email you send now, and not a smiley face in sight!
Photo by Carl Dwyer
For Personnel Reasons: Dilemmas and Advice on Business Relationships March 16, 2009
March 20, 2009 by Rita Marshall
Seeing is Believing, or Not Believing and Kicking You Out of a Business Meeting
Josh, a successful high-end real estate agent in his 20s, heads to a client’s house to discuss a multi-million-dollar deal. He is wearing a tracksuit (complete with stains), a headband and sunglasses. The client kicks him out of their meeting. Josh can’t understand what just happened to this business relationship. Can you?
This happened in an episode of one of my favourite guilty pleasures, the real estate reality show Million Dollar Listing (Bravo and HGTV). Two out of three of these upscale LA real estate agents try to demonstrate their uniqueness by being as “creative” or non-conformist with their appearance as possible. Josh believes he is so good at his job he can afford to be scruffy (and wear sweatpants). Chad instills client confidence by shaping his hair like a giant olive, and fussing with it constantly. Only Madison trusts a mostly professional wardrobe (it is LA) and his gleaming teeth to carry him through business dealings.
Are You Too Creative or Too Housebound to Dress Professionally?
It’s not just Beverly Hills real estate agents, though. Designers, writers, photographers and many other “creatives” sometimes also feel dressing professionally or conservatively dampens their overall brand. To be fair, when you want clients to think of you as wildly creative, looking like a banker doesn’t help. But do you know where to draw the line?
Sometimes small business owners who work from home with clients they never meet face to face don’t feel the need for a professional, business-like appearance. One copywriter brags on her website that she works in her pyjamas. Even if you had the best of intentions to dress professionally at home, the slide down to pyjama pants and sweatshirts is a slippery one. Are you able to turn it around and look your best when a client does request a face-to-face meeting?
Some Blunt Advice
For Amy Elizabeth Casson, president of Polished Image, generational difference also played a role in Josh’s clothing fiasco. Read her blunt advice to potential Josh copycats here. The truth is, your personal appearance does affect your business relationships.
Photo by Versalogic