Essential Information to Include on Your Business Card

by Laura Christianson

I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met at conferences who moan, “Ohhh, I forgot to get business cards made!”

They smack themselves upside the head for not having the foresight to bring along those tiny-yet-essential pieces of card stock to exchange with everyone they meet.

What info should you include on your business card?

Some people prescribe to the “less is better” method; others like the “more is better” method. Just remember, whatever information you print on your card, it has to be easy to read (please, no 6-point type!).

You don’t have to squish everything on one side of your card. It usually doesn’t cost much extra to get cards printed on both sides.

For the front of the card, I recommend:

Business name
Business tagline
Your name
Your title (or a descriptor of what you do)
Your professional-quality headshot
Primary website address
Key social networks (Facebook, Twitter)
Email address
Phone number(s)
Fax (if applicable)

And on the back…

The back of your card can include any of the above info, or:

Graphic logo that brands your business (I recommend hiring a graphic designer to create an eye-catching logo)
Images of your product(s)
Bulleted list of your primary services
Photo of you (make sure it’s professional-quality)
Inspiring thought
QR code

Card sizes and shapes

Print your business cards the standard size. From time to time, people give me over-sized or oddly-shaped cards, which I can’t fit in my business card pages without folding them. This is irritating, so I usually throw the oddball cards away.

Print the copy horizontally, instead of vertically. It’s okay to put a vertical image on the back of your card, but the writing on the front should go horizontally across the long side of the card. Again, for folks who organize their cards in business card pages, it’s much easier to access and read the information when it’s in standard format.

Laura’s super-secret strategy for organizing business cards

When I attend events, I bring along several sheets of Avery Business Card Pages. Each clear sheet (made to fit in a three-ring binder) holds twenty standard-sized business cards.

Whenever someone hands me their card, I write notes to myself on the back of the card to remind me of who the person is and where/when we met, and then I slip the card into the card page. When I get home, I add the full card sheets to a binder and label each sheet with the name of the conference.

Whenever I need to contact someone I met, their information is at my fingertips.

Laura, along with Susy Flory, will be teaching a Major Morning Session, Career Growth Track. These sessions will cover business strategies for all writers.

Laura Christianson helps everyone from pre-published writers to best-selling authors establish a vibrant online presence. She owns Blogging Bistro, LLC (www.bloggingbistro.com), a business that builds custom websites and provides brand coaching and marketing education. The author of several books and thousands of articles, Laura serves as marketing director for West Coast Christian Writers. When you can drag her away from her computer, you’ll most likely find Laura swimming laps, rollerblading, or bicycling. Laura and her husband live in the Seattle area and are the parents of two young-adult sons.