If you sell your art or crafts online or at craft fairs/art shows then you may have considered whether you should have some business cards or not.

You may be wondering when and how you would use them.

Here are ten good reasons why getting some business cards could be of benefit to you and your business.

For some ideas of some of the information to include, I have an article – What to include on your business cards.

1 Giving one to people who ask about what you do

Do you wear the jewelry you make when out shopping? What if someone asked you where you got it from? Do you ever get chatting to someone on a bus or train and they ask what you do? Carry some of your business cards with you wherever you go and you will be ready to supply one to a potential future customer.

2 Including them with your parcels

When you send out your products you can slip a business card in the package – or even use it as a tag on the item! Many people include two business cards per parcel on the theory that when the customer wears or uses your wonderful creation their friends will be asking “Where did you get that?”.. and they can give them the spare business card!

3 Share with family and friendsBusiness Cards and Why you Need Them - 10 good reasons

Don’t be shy to let your family and friends know about your business. Obviously you don’t want to bore them silly about it, but they may well be interested and even enthusiastic to give you suggestions for new products etc. If they have a couple of your business cards they can help “spread the word” about your products 🙂

If you have a friend who also has a business then you could perhaps have a “reciprocal card” arrangement. He or she takes some of your cards, and you have some of theirs. Then when you meet someone who is interested in dogs you can hand them one of your friend’s dog grooming cards, and your friend will hand your silver jewelry card to anyone they compliments them on the stunning necklace that you made for their birthday.

4 Chance to pass on information

Your business card will have your important contact information on it. And it is much easier to hand someone a nice, readable, printed card than scrabbling around for an easily lost piece of paper on which to scribble your phone number. You can also add additional information on the back of your card.

5 At shows and fairs

If you sell your products are craft fairs, shows or art exhibitions then business cards are practically a must! There may be people who admire your products, and would like to purchase one, but do not have enough money on them at the time, or perhaps need to wait until payday, or check on a clothing size, or any of a myriad of other reasons for delaying. They can take your business card. If you sell online then they can visit your site or shop to purchase, or they can use the details to contact you. Make sure you have a pen to hand so you can write any additional information on the back of your card for their future reference.

6 Makes you look professional

Many people will assume that a business person has business cards. And a lot of your competitors certainly will have. A smart little business card in with a parcel, on a craft stall or handed out to a contact will help you look more like a professional business person and less like a “I just make these as a hobby”. And looking professional is reassuring to potential customers.

7 Showing off your products and branding

10 good reasons why you may need a business card as a craft seller

Once upon a time all business cards were white pieces of card with formally typed contact details on one side. Nowadays they come in all sorts of colours and variations. You really can use your card as part of your branding. Some companies such as moo.com offer business cards with assorted images on the back. You can order a pack of 50 cards, each of which can have a different image if you wish. I have these with pictures of my various graphics on the reverse. What a great way to show off your artwork, pictures of your products or even a variety of customer quotes.

Quite a lot of people now collect attractive business cards. I personally pin my favourites on my notice board, and put the rest in my “Smash books” (scrapbooks). Having them near to hand means I can easily check them when wanting to buy specific things. So having an attractive business card really can help keep your name in a customer’s mind.

8 Coupons and market research

If you sell on Etsy, or have your own website, then you could add a coupon code to your business cards as an extra little sweetener to bring in a new customer. You can also use this for a spot of market research. Manually add a coupon code to the cards that you give out at a particular show or event and you will be able to see how many people go on to order from you. Use different codes for different events or situations to enable you to compare which are the most effective at generating leads.

9 Notice boards and venues

Some “bricks and mortar” shops, community centres, libraries and similar may have notice boards for local businesses, where you can pin your business cards. You may be able to arrange something with a local physical business that benefits you both. So perhaps a friend who runs a hairdressers would be happy to display a small poster and have some business cards for your jewelry shop in return for you giving her some free pieces, a discount for her customers (coupon code again) or your mentioning her shop on your website etc. Or perhaps your local pub would be happy to pop your business card out for customers in return for a piece of your artwork to display.

10 Your own business cards will make you feel good!

I have seen a lot of Facebook and forum posts where new sellers are excitedly showing off their new business cards. You will feel more like a “proper business” when you have a smart card to flash around 🙂 I think it is far more likely that someone will succeed in business if they feel they are professional, don’t you?

 

What sort of information do you include on your business cards? I would love to hear your thoughts of how to make the most of these little ambassadors.

Business Cards and Why you Need Them as a Craft Seller
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