With the increasing popularity of online business networking sites such as LinkedIn, the importance of the humble business card has been brought into question with some people claiming that the business card is dead.

After all, LinkedIn and other similar sites hold more information than your standard business card and offer a great way to connect with new people outside without having to attend a networking event or show but here at Goodprint, we believe that the business card is far from dead and is vital in the world of business.

Business cards are still high in demand from printing companies across the world but how do you make sure yours can still compete in the days where digital communication has all but taken over? We’ve put together a short list of ways you can ensure yours can still stay on the top of the pile when everything is becoming digital?

• Design is still #1

You still need your business card to be memorable. This is particularly important if you’re preparing for a networking event where dozens of business cards will undoubtedly be exchanged so you need to make sure your card really stands out.

• Remember your social connections

As more and more people start using social networking sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn, you’ll find that these will be the first places people will research you and your company. Show you have nothing to hide by including your Twitter handle (e.g @goodprint), Facebook Page and even your LinkedIn URL on your card.

• Try a QR code

Many people have started to using mobile apps such as CardMunch to store business card information to their phones. Keep up with the trend by creating a QR code of your contact details and add it to your business card design. We even have templates available to help you generate your code.

If you incorporate all of these things into your latest business card design, your card is more likely to stand out at your latest networking events.

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Instagram is rapidly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms and it grows every day. Over 40 million photos are uploaded to the platform every day with more than 100 million active monthly users, from standard user accounts to celebrities and even businesses, us included.

As with any social network, it’s not easy to promote your brand on Instagram and it can seem rather daunting, but as it’s a more visual platform you are able to use your creativity to capture the attention of your audience and enhance brand awareness.

A lot of people are still unfamiliar with the platform so if you need some help getting started, here are a few top tips from the Goodprint team.

Set up your profile

Nice and easy to start off with. See if your brand name is available for your Instagram handle and make your profile as ‘on brand’ as possible. Use your company logo as your profile picture and add your company website to your description.

Promote your account on your site

To build your Instagram network effectively, you need to make sure people know you are there. One of the easiest ways to do this is by targeting your current fan base; add the Instagram buttons to your website and even share your most recent uploads on your blog through something like a monthly Instagram roundup.

Use your other social channels

Since the Facebook purchase of Instagram in April 2012, it’s now even easier to share your Instagram uploads on the platform so that they are seen by a larger network and so more people know that you are using Instagram. If you choose to share through Twitter as well, even though it’s not as visual the use of Hashtags in your post will cross over and your Instagram posts will become a part of more conversations across the two platforms.

Use Hashtags

Just like Twitter, using hashtags in your posts will include your uploads in a much larger conversation. There are lots of ways you can use hashtags to optimise your reach; you can use them in your username (although this option isn’t for everyone), include them in your photo descriptions, include them in comments and even use them to promote your latest offers and competitions. You’ll be surprised how popular #competitions is. Don’t over do it though otherwise you’ll risk looking like a spam account.

Engage with others

Instagram isn’t only about sharing your photos, it’s a social network so you should be using it as one. Interact with other users by liking and commenting on their photos and watch your following grow as you gradually appear in more newsfeeds.

Show your product

Ultimately, as a business one of your main objectives behind using social media is to reach out to new audiences and increase your sales. In order to do this, you really need to be showing your potential customers the quality of your product, how they can use it and how it can benefit them.

Introduce your employees

One of the problems that many people see with businesses on Social Media is that they can seem robotic and soulless. One way you can avoid this is by introducing your employees. Upload photographs of them or tag them in photo descriptions, this humanises your account and gives your followers a ‘behind the scenes’ insight to your business.

If you have some favourite Instagram shots you can order your Instagram photo prints and magnetic prints from Goodprint.

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Here at Goodprint, we see so many amazing flyers, leaflets and postcards with outstanding designs but at times we notice that there’s something missing – a call to action.

Well-designed print marketing such as postcards for Direct Mail are used to catch the attention of potential customers but, while designing these, you should always be asking yourself ‘what do you want the reader to do with this information’ otherwise you have essentially just sent them some pretty pictures.

Calls to action don’t need to be complicated, just something that’s clear, quick and simple to encourage readers to engage with your brand.

To help you make sure your calls to action have a stronger driving force we’ve put together a quick list of helpful tips to get you started.

• Visible and easy to read
Make sure your call to action is in a visible place in a large font and not in the corner of a leaflet because you’ll run the risk it will just be glanced over. Place it somewhere obvious and make sure it’s large enough to be noticed.You can also try using different colours to make it stand out more.

• Use specific instructions
Make it easy for the customer and tell them exactly what you want them to do whether it’s ‘like our Facebook page’, ‘go to our website for a special discount’ or ‘take this card in store to receive 30% off’.

• Have a clear benefit
Phrases like ‘Try it now’ can be too vague as they don’t give the reader a reason to engage with your brand. Something along the lines of ‘like us on Facebook for a free shot’ will be much more effective.

• Suit the benefit to your target market
For example, at a fashion event discounts and samples for clothes will have more uptake than those for sporting goods.

Remember, getting your call to action right the first time isn’t easy but if you do, the rewards can be incredible.

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This next edition to our Design Tips series is all about colour, the best colours to use and how you should use them.

Your choice of colour in any design says a lot about you, this is particularly relevant to business cards as they can create a subconscious opinion on you and your company almost immediately after cards are exchanged. If you’re not sure where to start, we have put together this short list of tips to give you a hand.

• Remember your brand
What colours do you use for your branding? You can really make an emphasis on your branding by having one colour as key for the background of your business card or even having a nice white card with your logo as a statement.

• Contrasting colours
Contrasting colours make great combinations and really jazz up your cards. Try matching colours from the opposite side of the colour wheel or visiting sites such as kuler.adobe.com for examples.

• Colour meanings
You’d be surprised what colours can really say about you so you should bear this in mind when choosing one for your business card. White may seem like the easy option and that’ s exactly what it is, a safe option rather than black which comes across as powerful and serious so it can really make an impact. Be daring.

• Type
It might sound like common sense but always choose colours that are easy to read. For example, you wouldn’t use pink type on a red background.

If you have any more great tips for colour use in business card design, leave us a comment below.

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Greetings Cards are popular all year round with the never ending cycle of birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. It can be hard to believe but they’re harder to design than you think which is why we’ve put together a list of our top tips for creating the perfect greetings card for any occasion, whether it’s for personal use or for business.

Look past the boundaries
The human eye will see things that aren’t actually there – so why not try to use this as an advantage to your design? Let words and images hang over the edge of your card!

Less is more
Remember if you think there is too much on your card, there is too much on your card! Decide on your message before you begin your design, that way you can plan what is important and what you want your audience to see first.

Images
A card design needs to include an image that’s eye-catching enough to capture someone’s attention, yet reflects the tone and emotion of the card’s message. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, so your image is likely to be the deciding factor of someone picking up your card and not others!

Remember your brand
Although greeting cards are often personal, they are also face-to-face time with potential clients, so be sure to include your brand identity into the card design. You might want to have your logo, company name or a thought provoking strapline on the back of the card, or even a call to action such as your website. Most people will flip the card over to check out the details, so it’s a great opportunity to get your name out there, especially as a designer!

If you have any other tips for creating a great greetings card, leave us a comment below.

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