There are many ways to let people know about your business or product. Business cards and flyers can be an inexpensive and effective way to advertise your business. They are portable, grab people's attention, and can be produced and distributed outside of the large and difficult systems of corporate advertising.
What Goes into a Design
The design of business cards and flyers should fit information concisely into a small space, tease the reader to want to know more and it should be pleasing to look at. You can accomplish this with three main pieces of the design.
Logo/Design elements: Giving your business or product name a unique look can make it easier for people to remember who you are. Logos and design elements should give a sense of the feeling of the company--is it a serious firm, a friendly in-home service or a creative venture? Each of these types of businesses carries a different set of looks that can let people know what you are about. For example, a playful dog walker would not want to use the same kind of heavy and rigid fonts that an attorney would use.
Color and Graphics: The colors and any pieces of art that you use will communicate much about your business. Colors should be complementary and not overwhelming. Graphics and images should be related to your business. For example, a photo of a dog may be adorable, but if you are a house painter, it may be confusing to people expecting to see images of painting supplies or painted houses.
Text: It is very important to use text properly, especially in the small space of a business card or flyer. Putting too much text in a small space can be overwhelming to read and may look cluttered. Keep the information to the basics--what your business is and how people can contact you. You may want to include a bit about what makes you more qualified than others or give a sense of your personality or sense of humor with a clever slogan.
Paper Stock: You do not want to ruin your design work by choosing a paper stock that does not feel professional. A UV gloss on your business cards will make them look nice and protect them from damage. A slightly heavier paper for your flyers will make them feel solid to the touch, allow them to stand up to wear and tear and look nice when they are on display.
Who Should Do the Designing
When it comes to designing your postcards and flyers, you have lots of options. Many printing houses have online stores where you can design yourself. These services allow you to choose from pre-designed templates or upload your own images and design the pieces yourself.
And of course, you can go into a printing studio or hire a freelancer to have a professional design something for you. There are all levels and prices of these services, allowing you to choose what works best for your budget.
Before starting your design, it can be helpful to collect samples of business cards and flyers that appeal to you to give yourself a starting place. Studying marketing materials that appeal to you can also give you hints as to write your own advertising copy or arrange pieces of design.
Distributing Your Materials
Because business cards and flyers are easily portable, you can distribute them almost anywhere.
Mailings: If you have contact information for people who may be interested in your services, you can mail your business card or flyer to them directly. Lots of junk mail gets tossed without getting a second look, so be sure that your material really catches the eye.
Public Advertising Space: Lots of coffee shops, restaurants, special events and even some large spaces like college campuses and some post offices have places where people can leave business information. If you determine where people who might be interested in your product or service spend time, you can leave your business cards or flyers there. Be sure to get permission from the owner of the property so that your marketing materials do not end up being thrown away.
Hand-to-Hand Distribution: If you attend an event like a conference or fair where potential buyers are gathered, you can simply hand out your business information. This also allows people to put a face and smile with the product.
Internet/Digital Marketing: You can create a digital copy of your business card or flyer and distribute it over email. You can also post to sites like Craigslist or other websites that allow users to post information about themselves.
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