If you’ve never been to a blogging event, you might be thinking, “Why the bleep do I need blog business cards?”. That’s a good question, but I’m here to tell you blog cards are the trend du jour. Yup, those little rectangular pieces of cardboard still have their place in the digital world. My new blog business cards have just arrived and I’m pleased as punch!
Why you need blog cards
Can’t you just tell someone your URL or Twitter handle and be done with it? Sure, but then the person you’ve told has a) got to remember it, and b) take the time to use their computer or smart phone to follow/like/subscribe. Blog cards make it easy for them to do option b) later with all the vital info they need to re-connect with you online. After I returned from BlogWorld last year, I had great fun sitting down going through all the cards I’d collected and visiting the blogs and Twitter accounts of those I hoped to stay in contact with. It was like re-living the fun of the event all over again. 
When to use blog business cards
Handing out your blog cards isn’t just something you do at blogger events or conferences. They’re a great offline-marketing tool, and you can give them to anyone you think may be interested in your site!
What you need to include
Ultimately, it’s up to you as to what you feel is appropriate to include, but here are some of the more important details:
- Your name
- Your e-mail address
- Your blog’s URL
- Your blog’s logo
- Your blog’s tagline
- Your Twitter handle
- Your blog’s Facebook page URL
If you have more than 25 Facebook “likers” make sure you set up a short URL (eg: facebook.com/theblogstylist). You can set one up by going to facebook.com/username and following the instructions.
- Postal address
- Phone number
- A photo of yourself
- Your LinkedIn profile URL
- Your Google+ profile URL
- A QR code (I didn’t actually think of this until after my cards arrived. It was quite the forehead-slapping moment. Ah, well. Next time.)
- Any other online profile that you think is suitable for your contacts. For example, if you’re a decorating blogger, you might want to include your Pinterest profile URL (by the way, find me on Pinterest here)
Just like with your Facebook page URL, it’s much easier – and prettier (I’m all about the aesthetics!) to include a short Google+ URL. Unfortunately Google are yet to officially implement this feature, however sites such as gplus.to have provided a work-around. Just a friendly word of caution though: Because gplus.to isn’t officially affiliated with Google, there’s no guarantee that the link you create will point to your Google+ profile until the end of time. So if you don’t feel comfortable with that, I’d suggest setting up a redirect if you know how (for example: I could’ve set up theblogstylist.com/gplus).
How to design your blog business card
Here are the most important design tips I think are worth knowing:
- Keep your branding consistent. Use the same logo you have on your blog.
- Keep your fonts consistent. Use the same ones you use on your blog.
- Keep your colours consistent. Use the same colours you have on your blog. If you’re not sure exactly what colours your blog displays, use the Firefox browser, and install the ColorZilla Add-On. This nifty feature will let you click on any part of your blog and tell you the exact hex value that has been used. You can then use this six-character code in programs such as Photoshop to match the colours.
- Don’t include every link to every online profile you have. Pick and choose what’s the most important for your blog.
If you’re not busting with design skills, it’s A-O-K. You could easily find a designer on a site such as Elance, or use a pre-made template on a site such as Moo. I used Photoshop to design my own card. It was basically two images (the dark one for the front, the white one for the back). They were designed to the specifications as requested by Moo and simply uploaded to the site. Easy-peasy.
Why I love Moo
This is the first time I’ve used Moo, and I can confidently say I’ll use them again. Here’s why:
- Their site is easy to use. It’s also nice to look at
- You can pick from numerous templates if you aren’t going to design your own card
- Uploading your own designs is a piece of cake
- They make it easy for you to save any unfinished cards, which you can return to and finish later
- The cards come packaged beautifully in a black box you can pop in your handbag
- The cards were delivered quite quickly, especially considering they had to come all the way from the UK
Prior to shipping Moo decided some of my business cards didn’t meet their high standard, so they sent me a courtesy e-mail to let me know that they were going to re-print them, but that I could have the original set anyway. The cards you see above are the “unsatisfactory” ones, but to be completely honest, I think they look brilliant and have no idea what they’re on about! I love that they have that level of quality control though – that’s seriously awesome customer service.
UPDATE: One reader left a comment, sharing how she made her own blog cards which I think is a GREAT IDEA and I honestly wish I’d thought I mention something like that in this post. For most people, blogging is done for love – not money – so spending up on blog cards isn’t always an option. So, with that in mind put forth your creativity and make like Martha Stewart and have a go at making your own! The same basic design rules (consistency in colours, fonts and logos) still apply. But instead having them printed, try printing them at home. The upside to this is that it not only costs less, but that you can change your mind more often. (I tend to want to change colours a lot – so it looks like I’ll be stuck with these ones till I run out of cards. 
)
So, do you have blog cards? Thinking of getting them? Got any tips you want to share with me?
Advertising networks
Well, look at your with your flash business cards. I so want one this Saturday!
I have one with your name on it, Nikki!
Bree recently posted..Style Bloggers’ News: 15 must-click links (issue 6)
+1 on Nikki’s comment, I hope to.get to meet you both!
I handmake my own business cards and have been meaning to get a stamp made up to include email,Twitter and Facebook details… However in the meantime it’s just my site’s URL and tagline that I can fit and I hope that if that interests people, they’ll actually visit BusinessChic.com.au which has all those details. But a QR code would be heaps cool!!
Hope to meet you too!
And I love the idea of handmade cards! Though unfortunately my geek skills are far superior to my craft skills
And yeah… The QR idea popped into my head too late! D’oh!
Bree recently posted..Blog Business Cards: What You Need To Know
Hi,
I also have used Moo for my cards, I had to get some for my small business and then grabbed some template ones for my blog.
Just wanted to let people know the ‘green’ option that I chose for my business ones are not that good, they look cheap, the logo is sitting funny the colours are not right. However the others which are not the ‘green’ option, are excellent.
I also purchased the extra box for the cards, which is not needed, as you say, the box they come in are fantastic already.
Thanks for sharing that Claire – I’d considered the ‘green’ ones!
Bree recently posted..Blog Business Cards: What You Need To Know
I have been thinking about this for a while, I think I’ll check out moo. Great post. Thanks x
i have cards & I give them out a lot. I often leave them with the bill. I hand them out to friends, people who ask why I’m photographing a cup a coffee & it’s handy to have them for possible business ventures.
Laura recently posted..Weekend.er XVI Part 1
Great tip, Laura! Telling as many people about your blog as you can will definitely get you more traffic.
Bree recently posted..Blog Business Cards: What You Need To Know
Oh, this is wonderful! And such perfect timing; I don’t have business cards at the moment, but I’ve been meaning to get them. I recently sent out a package relating to the blog and realized it would be the appropriate moment for a business card so I threw one together in Photoshop and snagged some business card paper my dad happened to have around. They turned out well enough – very simple, but to the point – although everyone seems to enjoy Moo so I think they would be a better option long-term.
And I love your idea about making a redirect for Google +! I’ll definitely be doing that!
[...] Have you ever thought about business cards for your blog? Here’s what you need to know. [...]
Thank you for posting this information! I was just hanging out with my family at a free event in my city and ended up networking with quite a few people. After talking with a fellow mom for nearly an hour, I gave her my blog address but wished I had a nice business card to give her. This information is just what I need to get the ball rolling on designing and creating my blog business card!
BeautyMarkedMom recently posted..Beautiful Stranger
Wow, your business cards look gorgeous. I love them! Thanks for your blog business card tips – I need to add my blog to my makeup artistry cards…. any tips on how to add this to my existing card without making a mess of it?
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A belated thank-you for your comments, Casee Marie, BMM & Tammerly!
[...] cards. Can’t fault them for their great quality, great prices and quick delivery times.Blog Business Cards : What You Need To Know - Bree from The Blog Stylist has a highly detailed post on blog business cards and I nicked a few [...]
Twitter: inspiredwish
I’m just chatting with my graphic designer now about her new concept for my busines cards. The cards I had made a year ago didn’t include any social network details, or mention that I blog. I’m fixing that right now =)
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So glad you found it helpful Jeanie!
Twitter: creativepile
Great article! We love working on business cards! Especially when we see the final product come back from the printer. It feels like Christmas every time.
And as for the QR codes, They are getting super popular now that everyone has a smartphone. Most of our customers request us to include the QR code that provides the contact info when scanned.
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