#How-to on blog business cards

  Hey again! Here is my how-to guide on picking, creating, editing, and giving away business cards to promote your blog. Here are the basics and some of the questions I asked myself when I first started designing cards for my blog (I used vistaprint.com);


The questions I asked myself;

1. What do I want the face to look like?
2. What color do I prefer?
3. What do I want them to say?
4. Is there a bold statement on my blog I could incorporate into my cards?

The answers to them;

1. I know I'll want something bold with dynamic lines (Vistaprint actually had settings on the left side of the card page for that)
2. My blogs logo is pink, and it's one of my fave colors. I try to echo shades of pin throughout, so I could do something in that color scheme (They have a setting also on the left of the page for what color you want too. ;) )
3. I decided what was important for my blog to say just by thinking about the basics. They should say;

• The blogs name at the top
• The catchphrase at the bottom of the name (If you have a catchphrase)
• In the info area put the blogs address and social media accounts (I found that it's actually better to put just the facebook page rather than every single account their is. You can also add your twitter if you want.)
• That the card is advertising a blog (E.x. "Personal blog" or "Fashion blog" in the info area.)

   4. Is there something original about your blog? Or at least something that's been a part of your blog for long time and you don't think you have the intention of ever getting rid of? I went with a cursive logo font because I've had it for a long time (Keep in mind though that there are a lot of people that can't read cursive writing and fonts, so unless you absolutely feel you have to use it, try to avoid using cursive writing and instead use a fancy or interesting print.)

Basic tips to remember;

1. Find a template that explains your blog (E.x. If you have a blog about hair styling, find one that has hair styling related images on it (E.x. for this E.x. Scissors or salon settings. And be sure to mention what your blog is about on the info section of your card, making sure it coming before the address and social media.)
2. Don't use too much of one color (E.x. nothing but gray colors for a neon color blog)
3. Avoid using cursive font in important areas (E.x. Blog address and social media)
4. Don't use too many punctuation marks like "!" and "?" unless you have a kind of crazy blog  (And you don't need to use periods to end everything.) 
5. You do NOT have to make your blog business cards look exactly  like your blog. I mean making look like if you dragged your finger on it it might actually scroll down. You want it to "represent" your blog, not BE your blog.

Giving away your new biz cards!;

  Giving away cards is pretty easy. Here's what you do;

1. Hand them a card.
2. Say "This is for my blog! I think you'll like it." or  "This is a card for my blog! Have you ever read it?"
3. If they say no, they have never read it, say "I think you'll like it, I blog about "insert subject here"" or "I blog about "insert subject here""

   It's pretty simple. And if someone rejects your card or refuses to read your blog, do not sweat it. Not everyone likes the same thing, and as a good friend told me, "Sometimes haters are just confused admirers". Another way to advertise is by leaving cards somewhere. I don't mean leaving irrelevant cards like tow services and car insurance in JCPenny (That actually seems to happen a lot.) I mean putting them in places more subtle, but relevant. This is where you can start using some creativity. Don't get TOO creative though. Lol 

Here are some simple ways;

1.   Library books; Almost every beauty blogger goes to the library some inspo, find something new, or just to look around. Yes, we read. Lol What I usually do is before returning my books, I stick a card in a random page. No, I can't track whether or not it's actually working, but I have been saying a rather large spike in my views and plus ones the past few weeks. :) I actually printing all the info from the cards since I hadn't ordered them yet at the time on regular paper and cut them into long strips so they were more like book marks.

     2.   Keeping some in a business card holder in your room; I just started doing this and I have a  feeling I'll be sticking with it. You can buy multiple business card holders to put on your bedside table or anywhere you really want them. I chose a bedside or coffee table as a main place to put one because it's a conversation starter. It's really great when you have friends over. Here's an link for some really nice holders; http://www.ebay.com/itm/330992205938?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=540225422974&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

     3.  Lastly, ALWAYS carry cards with you. You may not know if you'll use them, or if you're going to leave one somewhere for someone to find, but always carry some with you. Here's a link for some really good cases;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Split-Leather-Business-Case-Wallet-ID-Credit-Card-Holder-Purse-for-20-Cards-/151375490518?var=&hash=item233eaeadd6:m:mI8FIVc-ulU5MLO_TqenQGg
They're thinner than the average wallet and the pictures of all the shades they have are pretty true to color. ;)

   Sorry this post ended up being so long. Lol I hope this helps with picking, creating, editing, and giving away business cards if you plan on getting into them as a form for blog advertising. Thanks for readind, and I'll be blogging more soon! ;)