This guest post is from my fellow personal branding colleague and friend, Hajj E. Flemings. Hajj is a brand strategist, blogger and author of “A Brand YU Life,” which you can go pick up at Amazon.com.
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Personal branding is a lifestyle, a 24 hour-a-day/7-day a week activity with many touch points, one of which is your business card. Does your business card (calling card) prompt people to call you? It should compel people to want to do business with you, it should communicate your message, your brand, who you are and what you do. Your business cards will go places you might not get to and stay longer than you do. In some cases business cards stay in files and folders for years before they are used.
Personal branding is about making a positive impression. You can tell a lot about a person by their business card. Listed below are a few points to consider with business cards.
1. Be Branded: Communicate your brand with your business cards. Your cards should be consistent with your online presence.
2. Establish an email address with your dot.com: Using free email accounts (i.e. yahoo and gmail) for business purposes, communicates that you are not serious about business. (i.e. www.hajjflemings.com)
3. Quality is Important: Do not use inkjet printed cards or cards printed with your home computer.
4. Give and Take: Never give a business card without getting one in return. Be prepared, take business cards everywhere you go.
5. Be Visible: Add your picture (remember you are the brand). Take professional pictures, it is worth the investment.
6. Be Creative: Think outside the box, personal branding is about distinguishing yourself in a positive way. Do something different, the world is filled with common business cards of common people. If you are stumped for ideas go to www.flickr.com and do a search for business cards. You will see more business cards than you know what to do with.
7. Create a Tagline: The tagline must communicate your brand.
Please remember to include your basic contact information. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met when I am networking who don’t have business cards, have cards without the proper information, or have a card that does not convey what they offer. My database tripled last year and business cards were an important part of that. Personal branding is about authenticity so the design should fit your personality and brand. Have fun and create an effective business card that people remember and want to use.
