Question for Freelancers (business cards)

dezinerite · 01-14-2009, 12:40 AM

To the freelancers in the forum - do you guys have business cards that you distribute during social events?

I would consider myself a freelancer and I want to get some business cards done but I'm not sure how to do it.

As strange as it may sound, I don't want to have a website address or a company name on the business card, I just want to have my name, the service I provide and my main contact details. Would that make sense?

I'm still an undergraduate so this particular card will only be temporary...but I'm just trying to find out if it's a normal thing to do, or if every business card should come with a company name...?

DebacleX · 01-17-2009, 06:02 PM

I have cards with just my name on them I hand out

I do it all the time, and whenever I can. Go to www.overnightprints.com to order/make them

Enter BC100 as a code to get $10 off

hivelocitydd · 01-18-2009, 12:02 AM

Hi..
I too have cards with my name and other details on it..
you can download some free templates if you need..

Thank You

dezinerite · 01-18-2009, 05:32 AM

Originally Posted by Jacob N

I have cards with just my name on them I hand out

I do it all the time, and whenever I can. Go to www.overnightprints.com to order/make them

Enter BC100 as a code to get $10 off

Thanks! Checking the site out right now. Didn't know that some people actually put their picture on business cards...yeah, that will ensure the person actually keeps your card.

neosource · 01-21-2009, 08:55 AM

You can just use your name and your title, eg. "John Smith - Graphic Designer" etc..

I just bought some cards from VistaPrint.com.au. You can get 250 free cards + $10 shipping.. Great if you don't need anything too fancy, choose from 20-30 background images, they have many more extras if you want gloss, double sided, etc etc..

williamjamesclark · 02-20-2009, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by dezinerite

some people actually put their picture on business cards...yeah, that will ensure the person actually keeps your card.

Hehe

I can just imagine someone saying "I'm sure I've seen you before" then pulling out one of your old business cards with a passport-like photo featuring a younger version of yourself with a silly hair cut.

It could be a very good way of a getting people to remember you. Especially if you leave them with a good first impression. I'm not sure I'd use a photo but perhaps that's because I have a face only a mother could love.

mav · 02-20-2009, 09:09 PM

i think its a great idea to get your name out there, however a website or portfolio of some sort will help you when a customer wants to see examples of your work without having to contact you directly.

one site that i've heard makes really nice cards is www.moo.com

max3908 · 02-23-2009, 09:30 PM

in fact most of my friends suggested this to me, but i really dont, i prefer sending mailers..

turnhardtoeasy · 03-14-2009, 02:04 PM

I think even i should try keeping cards...gr8 idea ....

RJ · 03-14-2009, 03:00 PM

Even a business card that has nothing more than your name, email address and an indication of what you do can be helpful. Hand them out liberally!

-Adam- · 03-17-2009, 11:02 AM

I have found vistaprint.com to be very helpful for business cards. They also offer free business cards and you just pay for the shipping + tax. The free designs I believe have like 42 different designs to choose from.

sourcez · 04-30-2009, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by -Adam-

I have found vistaprint.com to be very helpful for business cards. They also offer free business cards and you just pay for the shipping + tax. The free designs I believe have like 42 different designs to choose from.

I swear they send me like 8 emails a day (for the UK site) offering free stuff.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/business-development/550785-question-for-freelancers-business-cards.html

I'm getting some made up now, almost every day I have to write my number, email or something else down on a bit of paper I know they are going to lose!

Name, Number & Email. I tend to write what I do on the back of the card depending on the situation - a quote, rate or whatever.

nodws · 05-03-2009, 09:23 PM

I design my own and print them on uprinting.com or gotprint.com

AndyO · 05-04-2009, 06:07 AM

Remember Oceans 11 with Danny Oceans personal cards? (See here)

When I saw those I thought it was a great idea for those times you just want to swap details with someone.. It's a little more personal than just exchanging cellphones for you to punch your number in without it ever being seen again.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=550785

The cards I ordered from clickbusinesscards.com had no embossing, a similar striking font, centered, running 60% of the width of the card, with just my name on the front. On the back, centered on the bottom edge of the card in a light gray colour, is my phone number and email address. At first glance it looks like a plain card with no details until you look at the back/bottom.

I've had great results using these, my theory is that since it's so simplistic, it's easy to use to create an anchor, rather than some generic card full of whiz-bang graphics/text etc.

fripmix · 05-15-2009, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by sourcez

I tend to write what I do on the back of the card depending on the situation - a quote, rate or whatever.

Writing something on a business card before you hand it to someone also increases the chance that someone will keep it. The more personalized, the better.

dezinerite · 05-16-2009, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by fripmix

Writing something on a business card before you hand it to someone also increases the chance that someone will keep it. The more personalized, the better.

Writing something? Hmm...what about "call me". LOL.

????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=550785

Appreciating all the links, I think I'll just get mine done on one of these sites.

sourcez · 05-16-2009, 11:50 AM

If you just want single siders go vistaprint.

If you want something cool on it, or maybe saying (pre-made) take a look at moo.com.

angilina · 05-22-2009, 03:11 PM

If you are a freelancer then you will be doing work at some freelance site right?

Then now about you print your freelance profile's URL in the card. If you work at multiple freelance sites, then put all your profile URLs in the card.

People who will want to hire you, they can invite you via your freelance profile or the freelance UserName.

IF you just give your contact details, then after people contact you, how will you deal with them? You will then tell them about your freelance profile ?

gchick · 06-02-2009, 11:11 AM

business cards can definitely help you on your biz freelance or not...i was kinda disappointed when we attended a seminar and a lot of people were asking and exchanging cards, while i do not have one at that time, i could've gotten more contacts

kiore · 09-01-2009, 06:11 AM

When you go to a large meeting, conference or schmooze session you can end end up with quite a number of cards. One day I found I had a lot of cards I'd collected and for most of them I couldn't for the life of me remember who this person was or why I had their card.

The next time I had some cards made I decided to make them more memorable.

Mine has a nice head and shoulders photo filling the leftmost two thirds of the card. It's one of me looking businesslike but not formal. I'm wearing a tie standing in front of an anonymous looking building. To the right there are two blocks of text, each about 1/3 the height of the card with a large gap between them. At the top is my name and the three key things I do (two words each); at the bottom are my contact details: Email, website, phone and mobile.

Hopefully anyone looking at my card in their wallet will remember what it was we discussed ... I still won't have a clue who they are when I look at theirs.

-Ray- · 09-01-2009, 07:30 PM

I don't have any business cards or anything like that. I rely on freelance sites and word of mouth to find work. I don't like to consider my skills a job, i consider them more of a hobby, its something that I like to do.. for fun. Ive done websites for private companies that I have worked for in the past.

However, when I was 16 and needed some extra cash, I went over to the local circuit city and hung up a flyer. ( the manager let me), and I also put fliers on car windows advertising web design services. I think i got maybe 4-5 jobs for small things such as banners and images this way. I didnt care.. I was 16!!

But anyway, I dont see an issue with handing out your business card to friends and family or even complete strangers at a party. Lawyers get business this way all the time.. And who knows, you might just give one to that girl who calls you for a date.. lol (it could happen)
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=550785

Personally, I would just use your name for now.. Would you rather be known as "your temp company" when people see you or "your name" when people see you.

01-14-2009, 12:40 AM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
dezinerite www.bpdir.com Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,051 Follow @bpdir	Question for Freelancers (business cards) To the freelancers in the forum - do you guys have business cards that you distribute during social events? I would consider myself a freelancer and I want to get some business cards done but I'm not sure how to do it. As strange as it may sound, I don't want to have a website address or a company name on the business card, I just want to have my name, the service I provide and my main contact details. Would that make sense? I'm still an undergraduate so this particular card will only be temporary...but I'm just trying to find out if it's a normal thing to do, or if every business card should come with a company name...? __________________ Premium DoFollow Directory \| Seychelles Triathlon Federation \| Free Directory Since 2007!

01-17-2009, 06:02 PM	#2 (permalink)
DebacleX Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Newport, KY Posts: 1,445 Follow @debaclex	I have cards with just my name on them I hand out I do it all the time, and whenever I can. Go to www.overnightprints.com to order/make them Enter BC100 as a code to get $10 off __________________ www.politicalcartoon.info \| www.thebile.com

01-21-2009, 08:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
neosource New Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 21	You can just use your name and your title, eg. "John Smith - Graphic Designer" etc.. I just bought some cards from VistaPrint.com.au. You can get 250 free cards + $10 shipping.. Great if you don't need anything too fancy, choose from 20-30 background images, they have many more extras if you want gloss, double sided, etc etc.. __________________ Rapid PHP / MySQL / Ajax Web Development

02-20-2009, 09:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
mav NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York Posts: 213	i think its a great idea to get your name out there, however a website or portfolio of some sort will help you when a customer wants to see examples of your work without having to contact you directly. one site that i've heard makes really nice cards is www.moo.com __________________ To build a better world, start in your community Rep is appreciated :)

03-14-2009, 03:00 PM	#10 (permalink)
RJ NamePros Webmaster Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 12,930 Follow @DomainBuyer	Even a business card that has nothing more than your name, email address and an indication of what you do can be helpful. Hand them out liberally! __________________ @DomainBuyer facebook

01-18-2009, 12:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
hivelocitydd Account Closed Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 35	Hi.. I too have cards with my name and other details on it.. you can download some free templates if you need.. Thank You

02-23-2009, 09:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
max3908 New Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 16	in fact most of my friends suggested this to me, but i really dont, i prefer sending mailers..

03-14-2009, 02:04 PM	#9 (permalink)
turnhardtoeasy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: India Posts: 1,750 Follow @turnhardtoeasy	I think even i should try keeping cards...gr8 idea ....

03-17-2009, 11:02 AM	#11 (permalink)
-Adam- The Caffeine King! Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pensacola, Florida Posts: 1,657	I have found vistaprint.com to be very helpful for business cards. They also offer free business cards and you just pay for the shipping + tax. The free designs I believe have like 42 different designs to choose from. __________________ Creative Income - Thinking outside the financial box.

05-03-2009, 09:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
nodws Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: nodws.com Posts: 1,622 Follow @nodws	I design my own and print them on uprinting.com or gotprint.com __________________ SnackNames.com \| SnackDesign.com \| buckstabu.com \| adoolt.com \| yoAmoNY.com Developer For Hire! PHP/MySQL/Wordpress/Etc Graphic design, Corporate ID, Dev Ideas

05-04-2009, 06:07 AM	#14 (permalink)
AndyO NamePros Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 114	Remember Oceans 11 with Danny Oceans personal cards? (See here) When I saw those I thought it was a great idea for those times you just want to swap details with someone.. It's a little more personal than just exchanging cellphones for you to punch your number in without it ever being seen again. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=550785 The cards I ordered from clickbusinesscards.com had no embossing, a similar striking font, centered, running 60% of the width of the card, with just my name on the front. On the back, centered on the bottom edge of the card in a light gray colour, is my phone number and email address. At first glance it looks like a plain card with no details until you look at the back/bottom. I've had great results using these, my theory is that since it's so simplistic, it's easy to use to create an anchor, rather than some generic card full of whiz-bang graphics/text etc.

05-16-2009, 11:50 AM	#17 (permalink)
sourcez NamePros Regular Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Posts: 402	If you just want single siders go vistaprint. If you want something cool on it, or maybe saying (pre-made) take a look at moo.com. __________________ 3cc Internet \| Free Flash Graphics \| Share Your Screenshots

05-22-2009, 03:11 PM	#18 (permalink)
angilina NamePros Regular Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: www.a1newspapers.com Posts: 467	If you are a freelancer then you will be doing work at some freelance site right? Then now about you print your freelance profile's URL in the card. If you work at multiple freelance sites, then put all your profile URLs in the card. People who will want to hire you, they can invite you via your freelance profile or the freelance UserName. IF you just give your contact details, then after people contact you, how will you deal with them? You will then tell them about your freelance profile ? __________________ Freelance Jobs \| Make Money Online \| Legitimate Data Entry Jobs \| Data Entry at Home \| Make a Living Online \| Hire Online

06-02-2009, 11:11 AM	#19 (permalink)
gchick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Twitter world Posts: 1,561 Follow @sassygirlster	business cards can definitely help you on your biz freelance or not...i was kinda disappointed when we attended a seminar and a lot of people were asking and exchanging cards, while i do not have one at that time, i could've gotten more contacts __________________ 7th Media Design Studio Big Outsource - High Quality Staffs for Reasonable Rates

09-01-2009, 06:11 AM	#20 (permalink)
kiore NamePros Regular Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 283 Follow @Bruce_Clement	Photo cards When you go to a large meeting, conference or schmooze session you can end end up with quite a number of cards. One day I found I had a lot of cards I'd collected and for most of them I couldn't for the life of me remember who this person was or why I had their card. The next time I had some cards made I decided to make them more memorable. Mine has a nice head and shoulders photo filling the leftmost two thirds of the card. It's one of me looking businesslike but not formal. I'm wearing a tie standing in front of an anonymous looking building. To the right there are two blocks of text, each about 1/3 the height of the card with a large gap between them. At the top is my name and the three key things I do (two words each); at the bottom are my contact details: Email, website, phone and mobile. Hopefully anyone looking at my card in their wallet will remember what it was we discussed ... I still won't have a clue who they are when I look at theirs. __________________ Ramblings: Twitter \| Blog: Domaining .NZ \| Sales: Hot Domains \| Portfolio: Rare Domains

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

09-01-2009, 07:30 PM	#21 (permalink)
-Ray- Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,839	I don't have any business cards or anything like that. I rely on freelance sites and word of mouth to find work. I don't like to consider my skills a job, i consider them more of a hobby, its something that I like to do.. for fun. Ive done websites for private companies that I have worked for in the past. However, when I was 16 and needed some extra cash, I went over to the local circuit city and hung up a flyer. ( the manager let me), and I also put fliers on car windows advertising web design services. I think i got maybe 4-5 jobs for small things such as banners and images this way. I didnt care.. I was 16!! But anyway, I dont see an issue with handing out your business card to friends and family or even complete strangers at a party. Lawyers get business this way all the time.. And who knows, you might just give one to that girl who calls you for a date.. lol (it could happen) ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=550785 Personally, I would just use your name for now.. Would you rather be known as "your temp company" when people see you or "your name" when people see you. __________________ Poker News, articles, discussion LIKE THIS Its an iPod, a phone, and an internet communications device.

Question for Freelancers (business cards)

Photo cards