1. They are essential. Yes, business cards have been around forever, and everyone has one, but they still do the job. As long as you are able to make your cards stand out from the millions of others, and make them memorable to the customer, they will pay off for your business.

2. They are deceptively large. You may not realize it, but there is a lot of room on a business card to advertise your business. Most people neglect to use the back of their cards, and leave that area completely blank. But that is a tremendous waste of valuable marketing space. On your next business card printing project, include something on the back of your cards. Whether it is an image, a special offer, biographical information about your business, or any other type of advertising material, it will add to the value of your business cards.

3. They only tell customers what you want them to. What you put on your business cards is what your customers will get out of them. Usually, people make their business name the most prominent portion of their cards. But that is not always the best choice. You may want to include some kind of advertising message, and make that the most visible aspect of your card. That way, people will be much more likely to use your card instead of stuffing it into their wallet or purse and forgetting about it.

4. They do better in color. Full color business cards are much more powerful than black and white business cards. Many people feel that adding color to their cards is too expensive, but that really is not the case. Color is not tremendously expensive, and the benefit of using color far outweighs the extra costs. If you can afford to produce full color business cards, do it. If you can't, at least use two colors and avoid plain black and white cards.

5. They only need so much contact info. Obviously, your contact information must be displayed on your business cards. But be careful not to overdo it. You don't need to include your beeper number and your second cell phone number and email address that you haven't checked in three years. Only include your primary number, address, and email address. And if you have a website, include the URL for that, too. Leave it at that.

6. They only work if they are used. Once you have your business cards printed, make sure you use them consistently. Get them into the hands of as many customers as possible. Obviously, you want to focus on giving them to people who are likely to buy your product or service. But business cards are so cost effective that you really just want to hand them to as many people as possible.