In order to generate demand, one must make their business well known to the general public. This feat can be accomplished through complex marketing campaigns and social media outreaches, but one of the easiest way to inform people about some firm is through business cards. For years, professionals have been using these to provide their contact information and other necessary tools that will enable clients to reach them. Unfortunately, even though creating a well-rounded business card sounds like an effortless process, there are countless mistakes that can take place and undermine the end goal. One market that struggles with this enormously involves the law firms from around the country.
Being Selective Yet Rich
When attorney offices create business cards, there is a plethora of data that would be acceptable to include. For example, a prominent firm like Winters and Yonkers cannot simply indicate “personal injury attorney Tampa“. This is because people need to see information that provides the exact address, e-mail, phone numbers, and names of people who work there. Thus, simply saying something like the aforementioned would not present Winters and Yonkers positively and their cards would look cheap. On the other hand, attempting to include every single detail about the firm is just as dangerous. One must carefully consider what information should be incorporated as an overload of data is worse than a simple tagline like “personal injury attorney Tampa”.
Above and Beyond
Doing more than necessary is great when dealing with clients’ cases and will facilitate success. In the world of business cards, however, it guarantees the very opposite effect. Trying to go the extra mile and add flashy things can decentralize the focal point which, generally speaking, should be the name of the firm. Some law practices are known to include interesting pictures of the Constitution or popular law scales, but this is unnecessary. The rule of thumb with these projects is to get to the bottom line as fast as possible.
Knowing the Audience
For most average folks it may seem that attorneys are speaking a foreign language whenever they use their “legalese” jargon. To that end, it is very important to only utilize simplicity that will make the card readable by someone who has not spent four or more years in law school. Creating a business card that reads “Bar-certified specialists that facilitate fruitful arbitration” is something that can be replaced with a basic line like “we will help you get your settlement”. Not to mention that the example above is not even truly showing how complicated some of the lawyers’ terms are.
Going Beyond the Modern
A few companies have turned to shortened URLs that can enable one to look up the firm’s website by typing only a few letters. This is a great tool that some law firms have been experimenting with. Although minor changes of this nature are not going to star-struck anyone, trying to go beyond the basic modernization can be a waste of time. For example, creating a business card that has a scannable barcode may seem like a great idea. It stops being that as soon as the client realizes they now have to download additional apps just to load this business card to their phone. Ultimately, what should have been a unique way to introduce oneself to someone turns into a waste of time.
Details Matter
It all comes down to proper attention to details. Everything on a business card should be carefully considered. For instance, a law firm is undoubtedly more fit to use some type of cursive font than graffiti-style letters. Nevertheless, readability should always come first. It is nice to see people do exceptional things like handwriting their cards and then mass printing them, but only if their handwriting is not suffering from the doctor’s syndrome. Meaning, one should never sacrifice people’s ability to interpret the information for how appealing it may be to the human eye. Sadly, some attorneys still fail to yield to timeless concepts like simplicity!
Two Sides to Every Story
Yes, the popular saying indicates that there are two sides to every story. Well, in this case, there are two sides to every business card! People should learn not to leave the back side of the card blank as that wastes an incredibly important area. Unfortunately, many law firms are guilty of this sin. In case of a personal injury firm, the backside can be used to describe what are the exact injuries that the lawyers can help with. Furthermore, one can use the back side to list the core principles of the firm or showcase a photo that may be relatable to what they stand for. In the end, doing some beta testing and asking people about prototypes of the card may be a smart idea!