Originally posted on the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Under Pressure Blog.
Small things make a big impact, and nowhere is this more true than when we are discussing attorney and law firm business cards. From graphic design to layout and even paper stock, many lawyers take a lot of time thinking about their business cards and how they will look to the people who receive them. Although this is a good place to start, a great business card is more than just paper and words. A business card needs to be seen as a business-building device.
I recently reviewed 60+ business cards from lawyers in Colorado with the specific purpose of finding out who was really nailing this concept and who was not. My findings showed that the best business cards shared vital information, showed unforgettable branding, and incorporated a creative use of the business card as a marketing tool.
Business Cards as a Tool for Sharing Vital Law Firm Information
The first thing I must stress is that a card without the correct information is worse than no card at all. It does not matter how much time, money, or effort you have put into design and printing if there is no clear way for potential clients to contact you. Here are the most crucial pieces of information that I saw on my business card survey:
- Name
- Law firm name
- Position at law firm
- Address
- Phone (mobile, toll-free, and fax if applicable)
- Website
- Email address
- Logo
- Practice areas or legal services provided
Other pieces of information you could incorporate include items such as:
- Multiple offices or locations and driving directions
- Social media handles
- Languages you speak
- Whether you are an author, expert, or consultant in addition to being an attorney
- Established year of law firm (i.e. “serving clients since 1997”)
- Whether you serve clients in different industries (list industries)
- Two sentence biography
- How to hire you
- Significant awards
Of course, including all of this information on a tiny 2×3 inch card would be an overwhelming task for anyone.
The goal is to create an idea of the types of people who will receive your law firm’s business card and ensure that the information they would most engage with is included. For example, if you are primarily in estate planning, including your Instagram account handle might be wasting your space, but including bullet points to provide an overview of your services might help your potential clients feel comfortable trusting you with their business.
Using Attorney Business Cards as a “Snapshot” Marketing Space
Think of your business card as a physical “snapshot” of your brand. It is like a 30-second commercial that potential clients and colleagues can hold in their hand and keep on their desk to refer to later. So what is your commercial saying? Is it engaging? Does it reflect who you are and what you can do as a lawyer that is different or relevant to a person needing legal services?
Read the full article on the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Under Pressure Blog.
