Experts agree. You've only got one chance to make a good first impression especially when the impression that you do make can quite literally make the difference between gaining that new client or losing them to your competition. In these tough economic times it is imperative to take any edge that you can to secure that best first impression.

In fact the persona you put across to that new client can be created through many different aspects of your meeting. Here we will discuss the thing that you first present to the client and what will leave a long term lasting impression with them; your business card. Today business cards are used as much as a direct marketing tool as they are a passing of your business contact information.

Your Options

Really it comes down to three different options when it comes to your business cards. All three business cards options have different advantages and very different disadvantages.

Print at Home Business Card Software You've most likely seen that at your favorite local office store. Business card creation software complete with clip art and the ability to print at home.

Advantages:

The most inexpensive option

Disadvantages:

Very unprofessional, hard to customize, can be difficult to setup, inability to establish brand (did I mention very unprofessional?)

Instant Online Business Cards

Several websites allow you to instantly create your business cards online. They offer several different looks and demos for you to see what has been created in the past. However, in most cases instantly creating your business cards online is the same thing as the print at home option. However these sites are owned by printing companies that don't necessarily care about the design as they are making their money off of the printing of the cards themselves.

Advantages:

Inexpensive (though more than print at home), paper quality is higher than you would find with print at home cards.

Disadvantages:

Still unprofessional as you get the same kind of designs as print at home, higher cost for the same design as print at home cards, harder to establish brand, have to print a higher number of these cards to get the ?free? design.

Custom Designed Business Cards

The most expensive option (though usually reasonable) custom business cards give you a plethora of options when it comes to the look, design, professional brandability and print options that can drive that impression and long term viability of your meeting. Not only does the design of your business card say a lot about you and your business, but the type of card, paper, and even the coating used on the cards themselves. One of the most popular options is a 4 / 4 (4 colors on each side of the card) dual UV (ultraviolet) coating with a custom front and back design.

Advantages:

Professional Appearance, brandable, custom, designed to impress

Disadvantages:

Slightly higher cost, may have to commit to a higher number of cards printed.

All in all Custom designed business cards are the best way to promote you or your business. Your cost for 1,000 business cards (Including a completely custom design) can be as low as $400, with reorders being as low as $100 since the design work is already completed. If growing your business is critical to you, start with a custom design business card and make that lasting first impression.