In any industry, your branding and company image are absolutely the most critical part of your promotional strategy. This fact should be constantly in your mind when you look to ways to grow your business. However, branding doesn’t *always* have to mean big budget items. Business cards are one of the simplest yet most effective methods of communicating with customers. Construction business cards, as in any other industry, need to do more than just give your contact details. Because your business card is useful, it is much more likely to be kept by a potential customer than other forms of print advertising. If you can design your business card so that it builds confidence in your potentials by creating the right impression, you stand to gain a lot more business.

With all this in mind, you need to spend some time considering what it is about your construction company that you want to promote, and what your customers will see as important. This will vary depending on your local market, the type of work you do, and many other factors. However these are some quick ideas about broad themes that most in the construction industry might want to include in their business cards:

• Trust
• Ability
• Professionalism
• Quality
• Reliability

There are plenty of ways you can reflect these values in your construction business card. Use of color, font, and the option of including images will all help here but the physical quality of your card matters too. Investigate different types of card stock, and laminating or die cutting options. After you have decided on the values you want to portray, it’s time to talk to a designer or choose from a set of templates!

There are plenty of services online which allow you to pick from a pre-prepared template, and these are worth considering. You might find that the right design is already out there. However remember that sometimes talking to a live designer, who will be able to figure out exactly what you want and then create a unique product, can be worth the extra expense.

• Branding and colors

The colors you use have a profound effect on the message that you are giving to clients. You need to consider how the colors work together of course, but also what kind of emotion you are evoking with your business card color scheme. This is complicated by the fact that different cultures read different meaning into colors, but this guide is generally accepted for western culture.

Going back to our discussion about construction business cards, consider the message that you are trying to convey and choose the base and accent colors of your business cards carefully.

It’s also wise to look at how this color scheme will carry across to all of your signage and branding. To some extent, you will have to work within the constraints of the media you are printing on – for example, if you choose a black background for your business card you will need to choose logo and text in a color that will work well on your letterhead, or a design that will work in monochrome if you don’t choose to print letter head in color.

The media (card stock) and finish that you use for your construction business cards will also affect the impression your card makes. It’s generally wise to use a fairly heavy card stock. As well as lasting longer in a customer’s pocket or wallet, this will help create an impression of strength. Card stock above 200 grams per square meter (gsm) is considered quite heavy. Business cards can be printed and finished with a various laminate coverings, giving a gloss or satin surface. These might be more appropriate if you are targeting a high end market – rural or small construction workers might feel that a textured or unfinished card stock gives the look they want.

It may be tempting to go for a non-standard or larger size of business card than the norm – after all, bigger is better right? With this item that is probably not the case.  If your business card will not fit into a wallet or business card holder, it may be tucked away somewhere never to be seen again or it may just go straight into the trash.

The design of your card needs to reflect what your business does.  So a flowery card may be perfect for a florist or a garden designer but will not do for a personal trainer or a construction company.  If you choose a very plain, minimalist design be sure it clearly states what your business does to avoid confusion.

One often overlooked area of a business card is the reverse!  Rather than trying to pack too much information about your company or business on the face of the card, why not use the back for more details or bullet points.  Alternatively, just have your website url in bold print right across the reverse of the card.

Of course, you can have your business card designed so that it is not merely a communication tool conveying your name, address and telephone number.  Today there are a host of different ideas and materials used for business card design that can make you many times more memorable than your competitors.

Cards do not have to be made of card at all.  Plastics, metal and all sorts of other materials can be used.  Recently seen; a card inside a zip lock plastic bag for a swimming instructor, which would work equally well for a pool maintenance company or a sailing club. A divorce lawyer’s card with a perforation down the middle; a pooch salon with a dog tag card; a dentist’s card with teeth impressions; a debt recovery agent with a card featuring an x-ray of broken bones. This last one may be a bit extreme but would certainly get your attention.

Browsing a few business card websites can provide you with endless ideas for designs. As a rule, the more serious your business, the more business-like your card should be. If, on the other hand, you are in some type of entertainment business, your card can be as light-hearted as you wish. Above all you need to be happy with the card that you give out on a daily basis.

Advertising that costs:

• Newspaper advertising – if you are running a local business then advertising in your local newspapers is something you cannot ignore.  Try and make friends with your local paper’s editor and maybe offer discounts for readers of their paper. This is one area where networking can secure you great deals and discounts.
• The Yellow Pages – particularly useful for construction businesses as it is used by people that are not likely to use the internet every day.  A lot of people still use the Yellow Pages as a first port of call for information, particularly if they need urgent help.
• A website – every business, without exception, needs a website.  Investing in a competent site designer is an expense that you will have to pay if your business is going to be successful.
• TV and Radio advertising – this needs to be investigated and can be surprisingly cheap, but also extremely effective if you use local radio and smaller cable TV stations.

Free & Low-cost Advertising:

• Word of mouth – while this is one of the best and most effective forms of advertising, it is also one of the most difficult to exploit.  You might like to try some sort of free samples, a discount if a customer recommends a friend or an open day or event to get people talking about your business.
• Flyers – this can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it.  You can do it yourself on a small budget with a group of friends and family. Design the flyer yourself and use your own photocopier or get copies made in a copy shop.  For a more expensive option there are flyer distribution companies who will distribute your flyers to local businesses, door-to-door to homes or simply hand out in the local area.
• Business cards – there are online companies with websites where you can design your own construction business cards and get them delivered within a few days for just a few dollars. Never miss an opportunity to hand out or leave a business card with anybody who could possibly ever be interested in what your business can offer.

Advertising for any business depends on branding and starts with the selection of a name.  If you are just starting a business or you already have a small business that is not well-known put a great deal of thought into your business name.  A name should reflect what the business does and also be memorable. If you pass two hairdressers on your way home from work; one is called ‘Short Cuts’ and the other is ‘Bernice’s Lovely Hair Styling Salon’ which name are you likely to remember tomorrow when you want to call and make an appointment?

Your small business success depends completely on your advertising.  It does not matter how good your service, if nobody knows about it you will not have any customers.