The success of a freelancer, whether one is a designer, programmer, copywriter, optimizer, translator, makeup artist, or anyone else, depends primarily on self-promotion. Many of us were taught as children that it is not good to brag about ourselves in front of others, but when it comes to freelancing, this is exactly what we need to do.
If you are a freelancer who wants to attract new customers, it is crucial to decide what method you will use to achieve that, and how your personal brand will look and don’t ignore the customer lifecycle management. The marketing of any high-quality freelancer must be innovative and interesting for the client, but at the same time, express the main essence of services provided. Most interactions in the modern world occur through the media and any other component of the digital world. For example, a client can contact a freelancer using social networks, skype lite, and other sources. But personal human relations remain one of the most necessary aspects of the business world, especially when the freelancer wants to build long-term cooperation with the customer.
Although it is the age of the Internet, every specialist needs freelance business cards for self-promotion. Brochures can be replaced by web sites, but only if they contain current data. Freelance business cards should be on hand when you meet people at various events or meetings, conferences.
Why are freelance business cards so important?
Today, business cards are a great tool to make a good impression on new customers. Direct marketing and personal contact cards remain the most effective means compared to companies that give priority to emails or paid advertising on the Internet. Do not forget that contact cards are an integral part in developing a strong brand, which marketers use to defeat other competitors. It is worth noting that you can offer your services or products wherever you are, and with a strong handshake, you can exchange personal contact cards with the next major client.
Contact cards are very important at various seminars, conferences, or just business meetings. You can share them with other participants by distributing information about your personal brand. Often, a business card is not just a piece of paper that contains information such as a phone number, email address, website address, social pages, and so on. Smart designers turn it into an impressive design that has its own logo, a special font, attractive color, reveals the quality of products, and talks about the services that a freelancer provides.
The vast majority of people form their first opinion about the freelancer based on the appearance of the card, that is why it plays such a big role in the life of every person who deals with freelance. For example, a customer will give privilege to a freelancer who offers an exquisite business card with specific information and beautiful design than a person with ordinary paper and text on it.
A correctly executed personal contact card shows the client a reputation of the freelancer and the level of quality of the products or services one provides. Also, it depicts a unique attribute of a freelancer’s business.
All these executors are inherently important for a person who has just decided to engage in freelance and does not have regular customers at all. Your card should show that you provide all the necessary information to those who want to contact you.
So, why a business card for the freelancer is important:
1) It is a great opportunity to advertise your goods and services.
2) It is a sign of prestige (not all freelancers have business cards).
3) This is an excuse to inform anyone (people that can become your client in the nearest future) about what your specialization is and what services you can provide for them.
4) Having a business card, a person will not forget your phone number even if they accidentally delete it from their contact list.
5) The person to whom you have given your business card can show it to friends and acquaintances who may be interested in your services.
From the previous facts, we can conclude that personal contact cards are a quietly important part of any freelancer who wants to gain new customers. Therefore, business cards will be indispensable for a freelancer and more useful than other ways of disseminating information about their services.
What must all freelance business cards have?
What’s a good business card supposed to be? The answer to this question will be almost the same as the list of why you need it:
1) The business card must be a good advertisement for your products and services.
2) The business card must look prestigious, not be too clumsy.
3) The business card must contain only the necessary contact information.
4) It should be a card that a person would like to show their own friends and acquaintances.
If you decide to order a business card, clearly indicate a few points to the designer:
1) How you position yourself (designer, programmer, copywriter, optimizer, translator, or any other freelance specialization).
2) Whether you want to see an unconventional business card, or vice versa – strict and classic.
3) What business card you want – colorful or black & white.
4) Where the text will be placed – on both sides or on one.
5) Also, tell if you have a logo or other personal elements that must be placed on the business card.
Sometimes, during the manufacturing of business cards, it is necessary to be limited only to the text. Perfect work only with fonts can look much more pleasant and attractive than graphics. Personal contact cards should mandatorily include name, title, website address, and the best way to get in touch with you.
What to avoid in business cards?
Do not make a card of unusual size – many people keep them in special pockets, to which too big ones will not fit. Most likely, such a contact card will go straight to the trash.
Also, do not choose too thin cardboard for the personal contact card, otherwise, it may quickly run out and get an unpresentable look. You will be ashamed to give such a card to the interlocutor. Moreover, it will form his or her opinion about you. However, it is not recommended to use pale inks or holographic foil embossing for printing, as it makes reading really difficult.
A carelessly and tastelessly decorated card will be the perfect anti-advertisement for you as a freelance specialist. If the style of design does not correspond to your sphere of activity, it will cause bewilderment rather than interest. In the group of “stylistic” mistakes can also be included the general “angularity” of design when the elements are not combined.
Moreover, massive logos and too motley background prevent the card from fulfilling its main function, namely, to be informative. Using a personal photo on a card is a bad tone, especially for media specialists. Perhaps, one exception to this rule is specialists for whom recognizability is crucial.
All kinds of experiments with fonts are rarely successful. It has the opposite result: ornate letters, too small kegel, and bright poisonous color – anti-set for stylish text design on the card.
Sometimes the desire to give maximum information about yourself makes the card spam, turning it into a ridiculous canvas of letters and numbers. In such a case, the data is often decorated carelessly – incorrectly specified phone number, a link to a personal site contains “https://”, the e-mail address includes a personal mailbox with a ridiculous login.
Qualitatively issued business cards are the face of the freelancer. It is capable of strengthening reputation, therefore, every freelancer should responsibly approach the design development of his personal business card.
Conclusion
Imagine the situation: you have met a person who wants to keep your contact details to be able to get in touch with you if necessary. If you do not own a freelance business card, a person will write down all your contacts, at best, on the phone. When a client needs your help, one will long and painfully remember where the contact details were saved. As a result, the person will not be able to get in touch with you. If you have freelance business cards, all these problems are solved immediately.
First, the card contains the most extensive information about a freelancer.
Secondly, it is usually stored in a specially designed accessory – cardholder or purse, the safety of which is monitored, and therefore, the risk of losing the card is minimal.
Obviously, the contact card is necessary to absolutely everyone who plans to make personal or professional acquaintances and contacts. Convenient and practical accessory not only makes the process of exchanging contact information more convenient, but it is also an integral part of the reputation of freelance specialists.
Author Bio:
Marie Barnes is a Marketing Communication Manager at LinksManagement, a link building agency. She is an enthusiastic blogger interested in writing about technology, social media, work, travel, lifestyle, and current affairs.
