Branding Your Business With Products From Vistaprint
Jan 18th, 2008 | By Kevin | Category: Direct Mail, How To, personalIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed with Feedburner. Thanks for visiting!
Each time I head out for another seminar, I place an order with Vistaprint for another couple boxes of business cards from Vistaprint. Over the years, we have come to rely on the quality and quick turn around. Once you place your first order, you are frequently offered discounts by email, making it impossible to find a local printing alternative for the same price.
In order to properly brand your business, I strongly suggest creating your own design instead of picking out one of the generic designs they offer. I cannot tell you how embarrassing it is giving your business card to someone that has the same design.
When designing your business card, I suggest you consider two other options.
First, you will want to include glossy finish on your business card front. I remember one time we forgot to include it, and regretted the decision. The glossy finish really sets off the background image and gives the card a much more professional feel.
Second, You will want to consider adding something to the back of the card. In our case, we use a customers testimonial. If you don’t have a testimonial, you may want to include a list of services. This will work like a mini-brochure.
While business cards are our main interest at Vistaprint, we have also started using them for other services including cheap address labels. Once again, we have opted to take advantage of their custom design options to make sure we are making the best branding impression with our customers.
For a small business looking for quick and inexpensive business printing, Vistaprint can’t be beat in our book.
Build your brand in 2008,
Kevin
I gotta tell you Kevin. I HATE glossy business cards.
Here’s why.
When I collect a card from you, I typically add a little information to it.
I put the date and the event (usually a Seminar!) so that I remember when and where we met.
I have read that it might be a good idea to collect a little more than that too - something from the conversation, if you had one, with the card’s owner.
Sometimes, I promise to send you something and this is the best way for me to remember by writing it on your card!
All of this is to complement your follow up messages.
One glossy side is OK. I really can’t write on an all-glossy card though!
I never make my cards glossy and I tend to do things that are off-size too.
I have a whole stack of cards in my desk drawer and the ones that aren’t the typical size/shape swiftly prompt a mental reminder every time I open the drawer.
For example, there is one with a spinal column on the top - from a chiropractor! I know it without even looking at the card.
I think in this day and age, it is too easy to get lumped into the crowd.
The mantra ‘differentiate or die’ (also a book title!) may be one to consider.
I understand your reasoning, I just can’t bring myself to do a glossy card, no matter how professional it makes me look.
I often see others make notes on the card I give and I’m glad I made that available to them.
I think also of the growing trend towards ‘reality TV’ which is an indicator to me that people like it ‘real’ - being TOO professsional can keep you a little distant, perhaps unreachable.
I want to be there for my clients and I’ll do whatever that takes.
It might just make me different…
Thanks for another thought-provoking post Kevin!
Pam Hoffman
http://seminarlist.blogspot.com
we have always used http://www.affordableaddresslabels.com for address labels , cause 1. we never receive a bunch of junk emails offers from them or postal junk mail and they care cheaper than vist print
Ya, the junk mails are a huge problem. I get so many of them that it makes me tired…
We use http:/www.dcp-print.com for our address labels and business cards. I guess they are smaller than Vista but are honest people and have good quality products.
I like the idea of having glossy on the front and not on the back. I write little notes on the back of a business card too when I meet people. However, I would not buy anything from the company that you’re endorsing. Internet wise they have a pretty bad reputation.
Another great place for business cards, address labels and much, much more is http://www.giggleprint.com. They offer 250 free business cards for only the cost of shipping. Granted you have their logo on the back, but if you go to their facebook page, they are offering 80% off of their premium biz card which makes them super cheap.
Definitely check them out.
I guess I get enough real spam, that i don’t look at the emails I get from Vistaprint as spam. Especially since they are offering some significant discounts.
Here’s a tip for those of you that hate getting emails, it is an autoresponder and does follow the CAN-SPAM act so if you don’t want any emails from Vistaprint, simply click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email. You should have alo had a checkbox on your order form that agreed to recieve product emails when you bought, if you don’t want the promo emails, simply don’t check the box when you order. It really is super easy, if you actually read and follow instructions. Personally, I would rather get the emails and drop them automatically into a folder in my email client. That way when i am ready to order again, I simply look at the latest promo and save money.
On our business cards, we are only using glossy on the front side, and have left the back blank during this round, since like you, we are adding notes to the back as well. We have a good history with Vistaprint and they have replaced cards that we didn’t like once we recieved them. Quality product and quality service.