This has really made me rethink the layout and content of my business cards. I am at the same point as Cassandra...Now to just finalize the logo. Whew almost there!

On the back of my card I have a brief definition of a VA. Beneath that I have a partial list of services that I provide. I usually give them out at networking events and business card exchanges. I find it helps especially when educating others about the VA industry. It keeps the conversation going.

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Monica West|www.prismvirtual.com
Prism Virtual Business Services

Oh, I like the brief definition of a VA idea. I just sent my cards to print yesterday but I will definitely do it next time. I wonder: how many of you made your business cards an odd size? My printer suggested that I do this, but personally, I didn't like it. I have two cards that are an odd size and it makes it hard to file them in my little card keeper. So I opted not to deviate. I kept it a standard size. But it is a two sided number, with a little text on the back and some color to stand out.

Thanks Jason for the great idea. One I needed since I am about to have some cards printed.

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Tracey R. Banks
www.VirtuallyEverythingVA.com

thanks for all of the great ideas. I have been noticing more people are advertising on their personal vehicles. Just putting your website on your back window would be great advertisement.

We have a local company in town that I am going to talk with them about making up some shirts to wear. Also, we have a local festival coming up and I want to be seen out and about with my t-shirts.

I have not done my business cards yet and so the calendar idea is a great suggestion. I will give it a lot of thought.

hope everyone is having a great weekend.

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Tamera
“Let me manage the daily tasks for you.”

Where do you get the business cards that fold? I have seen where someone said they are getting the folding cards and putting their services inside of it. I think its a great idea! I just don't know where to buy those at!

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Have a fantastic day! Dekota
Aspiring VA

Originally Posted by Ideal VA

Where do you get the business cards that fold? I have seen where someone said they are getting the folding cards and putting their services inside of it. I think its a great idea! I just don't know where to buy those at!

Any printing company will do this service for you. There will cost about twice the price of normal business cards though, since you're using twice the amount of card.

Alternatively, if you have a good quality colour printer, you could design your own and print them off on a good quality card (around 250gsm to 350 gsm) and then just take them down to your local printers to get chopped down to size. I would estimate that you'll get about 5 on one A4 sized sheet of card, which will mean about 8 chops. If you go to a good printer, they should charge no more than about $10 or $12 for the service. This is what I did first time around. It's certainly a lot cheaper than paying top wack for them and - so long as your printer is a good quality one - the quality of the finished product won't be that much different from if you go a professional printer to do them.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Jason

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Jae Alexander Linsey
Creative Design & Business Support

I love all these ideas - one hint about the car magnets though. If you leave them on for months at a time they will mess up your paint job. We used magnets on some of the trucks at my previous company. Peel them off after 6 months and there is an impression left....

Great information! i am working on redesigning mine

Where is the best place to get bus cards online? Where they are totally customizable

I have not actually tried these guys, but I have heard that they give pretty good quality http://www.cardsfor10bucks.com/

Vista Prints is pretty reasonable as well, you can get 150 cards for free, problem with the free ones is that they are not top quality. You also may come across the issue of your colors being off because they mass produce the printing and if you want purple, you may have blue by the end of the box.

I would check all the different printers in your area. Being that you want to be a business owener yourself, it is nice to give business back to your locals. You will find that after paying shipping costs with online sites, you may pay the same amount as you would for a better quality product through your local printer.

I got 500 high quality business cards from one of my networking members for $49. The difference in these cards and the vista cards were HUGE. I have another printer that I am working with that can get me the same quality printed cards for $10 -$15 cheaper the next time I order them. Shop around and ask around, if you find a card that you like, ask that person where they got it done.

Remember your card is going to make a huge impression, make it count! It is worth paying a few more dollars in the end. Also remember if you get one client it pays for 500 cards.

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Erika Glem
www.advadminsol.com Let my administrative solutions be to your advantage.

I agree with you Erika regarding what you said about getting business cards printed locally. It's good to support other local businesses, it's not only better for the environment but it also saves you on shipping costs.

Personally, I would not touch Vista Print with a barge-pole, when it comes to business cards (although I have had other stuff done by them). Their free business cards have their logo & website details printed on the back. So everyone knows you got your business cards done on the cheap. It sends out a very poor message, and gives the impression to others that you're not willing to invest in your business. I know you can pay extra to get the Vista Print details removed. But, frankly, if you're going to do that you might as well pay a little extra to get them done locally. You'll get a better quality card done as well.

Like I said earlier, I think that the cheapest way, by far, to get quality business cards is to invest in a good quality colour printer and print them yourself onto A4-sized 350gsm card, then take them down to your local printers for chopping down to size.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Jason.

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Jae Alexander Linsey
Creative Design & Business Support

Thank you both for your replies! That all makes perfect sense. It's just that I already tried to "support" my local printer and was not impressed with their quality. But I will look around close to home a little more and see what I can find.

Thanks Again,
Kirsten
SavvyBusinessSolutions

Ask around, find out who others are using. Every town has tons of printing companies. The best ones are the ones that actually work out of their home and advertise small business marketing. I have two different marketing businesses that work from their home. They have 2-3 printers that they trust and they find the best deal from me. If you come across a printer that you want them to check out, they will do that for you. This saves you time, you will get great quality, and you are supporting another business like yourself. They are also good referrals because they work with small businesses.

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Erika Glem
www.advadminsol.com Let my administrative solutions be to your advantage.

Originally Posted by forwardvision

Well, at this recent coaching session we were encouraged to use both sides of the card. On the front side you put all your contact details & on the reverse side you put something useful (such as a calendar for the current or upcoming year) that will encourage your clients to keep your card to always to hand. They will likely keep your card in their wallet or purse. Everytime they go into their wallet/purse they will see your card & thus they will be constantly reminded of you and your services. I've put a two-year calendar on my next batch of cards. They're twice the width of a standard business card & fold in half. I think it also gives a professional look to them as well.

I've heard conflicting advice on this and I'm inclined to disagree with this. (Of course, we all know what works best for us!). I feel like people will either have a need for your service or not; if they do, then they'll keep your card and connect with you. If they don't, then they're not going to get up with if regardless if you've given them something nifty or not.

Personally, I like cards that include the important info: name, phone, email and website - and lots of white, writable space (no glossy cards). Because I will write notes on the cards - where I met a person and how I might be able to help them.

As for standing out-- I got a card from someone once and his name was printed twice. The second print directly under the first. It was plain and simple/traditional otherwise. I was so curious about it, I asked and his response was to take the card away from me. He asked: What's my name? Of course, I was able to tell him. I'd just read it twice and had my curiosity piqued, instead of quickly scanning it. He smiled and said, "That's why." I thought that was brilliant.