For bloggers, we tend to have email signatures, Facebook pages, and Twitter timelines, but it’s also important to have business cards available when we meet offline.
It is important to have a business card to introduce yourself to readers or business partners, even if you are a new blogger or haven’t attended any conferences yet.
A statement I heard last week was that blogging is a business if you are serious about it.
A business card, then, is a necessity for being a business. If you don’t want to toss them into the fishbowl at the Mexican restaurant (would you like a lunch freebie? ), you can recycle them.
Business cards are particularly useful for the following situations:
Conferences:
During Type A last week, I gave out about 100 cards. Bloggers can remember you better by exchanging business cards at a blog conference. Be sure to give your business cards to all the brands you would like to work with.
Local networking events:
In addition to passing out your business cards at local networking events, you can look for brands to partner with or simply learn a bit (like at a seminar).
Mail with giveaway prize:
Your readers are probably not mailed prizes often, but you might need to do so at some point. Placing a card in your prize package adds a nice personal touch. Awww. That’s very sweet.
A surprise opportunity:
There is no way to know when you may run into someone you would like to connect with in the future.
There are cool moms at the park, business owners interested in offering blogger outreach, and people you just met who happen to be bloggers. Share your card with them!
Your business card can say many things, but what should it say? There is an important point to my first answer, so listen up: you should set blogging goals before starting a blog. Have you ever considered the goals “the experts” suggest you set? Yes, those are the ones. Decide what you want your business cards to look like before you design them. How many should you have? What do you want to write about? How can we help? There are no limitations. Be as specific as you can. The blog business card does have a number of items you MUST include despite the fact that I just said “it depends.”. Isn’t that obvious? It’s important that people understand who you are. If your full name is not used on your blog, you can still use your first name. So what if your name is not used on your blog? At least you will have a means of addressing yourself. Consider using a pseudonym or some other name. You have these cards, why do you even have them? For blogging, of course. If you want to provide an URL for your blog, here are a few suggestions: A person can contact you the easiest way if they have your email address. Don’t forget to fill out your email address! No one wants to search for you. Create a Gmail account or, even better, create a Gmail account using your domain name (if you own a domain) if you don’t have a bloggy email. You can even forward it to your primary email address if you like. Following the mandatory information, please include the following information on your b-card: The idea is a good one, but it is not absolutely necessary. We can often see a photograph of someone and recall a great conversation we had from our past. That makes you memorable. Pro: you can have too many pieces of information on that card, and it may clash with your blog’s colors (I doubt your picture matches your blog’s colors). Keep your card’s picture updated if you decide to use one. A picture that was taken five years ago or has a different color of hair is useless. Remember to include a photo of yourself on your blog, if you don’t put one. Your goals will determine what you should do. Business-oriented services (consulting, design, etc.) require a phone number, so if you offer them, you should provide it. You can redirect the Google Voice number to your personal number if you’re worried about privacy. The title of a business card is something bloggers wonder about a lot. You could simply keep the title “Owner” or “Founder” if you’re the owner of just one wonderful blog. It doesn’t matter who you are. You should consider it if you manage a community blog. As an example, if you provide business services you might want to list “Graphic Designer, Blogger.” Also, if you’re interested in freelance writing, you might want to list “Writer and Blogger” or “Writer.” Just don’t worry about including a title. The most important social media network for bloggers is Twitter, and I’ll get to the rest in a moment. People typically introduce themselves at conferences by using their real names AND their Twitter handles. Absolutely true. Blogging is all about identifying yourself. As such, it would be beneficial for your B-card to display your Twitter handle(s). Depending on the situation. It may be a good idea to put your Flickr information there if you’re a photographer with a lot of activity on Flickr. Facebook is another option if you have a lot of followers. Don’t put too much information on your business card, however. Instead, use your blog to connect with people. Your blog’s homepage should include all the social media buttons you use so readers can easily access all of your social media accounts. If you have space, you may want to include your city and state. But why? Brands sometimes hire bloggers that live in a specific region for a campaign. This makes it easy for your blog visitors to find out where you live since you make it easy for them to find it. I was recommended to have this on my business card by a few PR representatives I met at the last conference I attended. A QR code is a code that contains information. There is this little gem of awesome that can be scanned by smartphones. Scannable QR codes can take you to detailed information on the site once they have been scanned. There are many ways to get more information from QR codes. Would you like one? Perhaps not. What about after Bloggy B-Card Week? Maybe. On Wednesday and Thursday, I’ll write more about QR codes so stay tuned. Your business card may contain information about other blogs or publishing sites where you have contributed. Printing too many cards does make you sound important (in a good way), but be careful not to overdo it. This gig may change at any time (yours or theirs). If your blog is designed well, you will want your b-card to look good with it. Make sure your blog logo is identifiable. Include your blog’s signature colors, fonts, etc. if you haven’t done so already. Your blog’s tagline: What’s it about? In one sentence, please tell us about your blog. Those who are interested in what you have to say may visit your blog more often than someone saying Adventuroo.com. On Friday we will show some examples of how this can be done, but don’t overdo it with too much text.What To Put On a Blog Business Card
Name
Website URL
Email Address
Your Picture
Phone Number
Title
Twitter Handle
Other Social Links (Facebook, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon)
Location
QR codes
Contributor Gigs
Identifying Elements from Your Blog
Taglines and Stories
What If You Have More Than One Blog?
The tricky part is here, isn’t it? A separate business card and a personal card are absolutely fine, especially if one is more tailored to the business. However, if you have more than two blogs, it might not be a great idea to hand out multiple business cards.
One card can be incorporated into another for convenience. However, make sure you do not overload the card. You can choose simple colour schemes and write your blog names in the fonts of each blog if your design is too different.
To help them find all your blogs, you can use a QR code (more on that later this week).
Just Don’t Overdo It, Okay?
Taking a deep breath is a good idea. Here are ten items you could possibly include on your blog business card. You should put some of it on your cards, but not all of it. Think about your growth goals.
Follow them. Embedding everything someone needs to know on a piece of paper the size of a palm will make a greater impact than complexity.
Quick Links
