Why business cards are essential for freelancers

Apologies if I’m stating the obvious here, but business cards should be one of the top priorities for anyone looking to go freelance.

It’s surprising how many students and graduates don’t have their own.

I’ll admit, I was late to get mine, and now I wish I’d had them sooner.

Aside from being a great way to quickly and easily give potential clients your contact details, they offer a few extra benefits.

They add professionalism

Nothing says ‘amateur’ like handing over a scrappy piece of paper with your contact details on.

Just as bad is spelling out your domain name or phone number whilst you wait awkwardly for the other person to key it into their phone.

Having your own card on hand to give to them speaks volumes for your professionalism and shows that you’re prepared.

They show off your design skills

Your cards are likely to be the first chance you get to show someone you know about design.

Handing over a crisp, well designed (and well printed) business card to someone who’s looking to hire a designer is guaranteed to work in your favour.

Just be sure to pay attention to the typography!

They’re easily passed around

Giving a card to a client, even if they’re a regular client, is a good idea.

You never know when they’ll pass your details onto a contact.

Whilst they could just give them your name, email address, phone number, etc, chances are they’ll likely be busy, and instead will opt to just pass your card on.

It might be a good idea to give your clients a few extra cards and ask them to pass them on to their contacts.

If they’re happy with your work, they’ll probably be happy to.

Why business cards are still important

As a freelancer, you never know when a potential job or client may pop up.

Recently I was discussing a print job with a local printer who asked for my contact details.

After handing over my card, she immediately expressed an interest in outsourcing work to me.

Without her even seeing my portfolio, I’d instantly bagged a new client on the strength of my card alone.

So don’t put it off. If you haven’t got your own business cards, get some now.