The WOW Card

The business card. A simple piece of paper with some ink. Right? Well, the business card has a rather interesting history. According to Wikipedia, the first version of business cards appeared as the “Visiting Card” in 15th century China. Then the emergence of “Trade Cards” came about in 17th century England. These cards were used as advertising and as maps to direct people to merchant’s stores, in a time with no street addressing. They started out very plain with black text on a white card. As people became more creative, the cards became more stylized and transformed into works of art with elaborate coats of arms and colourful hand drawn imagery.

 

Today’s design and printing technology far surpasses anything seen in history. Yet, how often have you been handed someone’s business card that has truly given you that “wow” first impression? Certainly, few resemble works of art. In fact, when it comes to business cards, we are bombarded with mediocrity. I think corporately, laziness has set in and organizations have forgotten the impact of the business card. Marketing departments design elaborate brochures to capture customer’s attention but forget about the first impression left when a card is exchanged with a handshake. They never re-think the first point of contact image that is left in that initial face-to-face meeting with company representatives.

 

Take a look at your business card. Maybe it is time to bring some creativity, colour, and design into your card. It’s probably time for a complete make-over. One that will recast your first-impression image with new and old customers alike. Don’t underestimate the difference this can make in building strong relationships with new contacts. The cost of this makeover even with a high-end card is a few hundred dollars. The ROI is immeasurable.

 

Remember…you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Start your future connections by making a “wow” first impression.