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MARKETING
Why Did You Make Your Voice Over
Business Card So Awful? What To Do ...


By Karen Souer
Voice Over Virtual Assistant

Since starting this business of mine several years ago, I’ve come across a lot of business cards. Many of them are great at getting their message across for that all-important first impression.

Then again, some aren't doing so well. For those folks with those cards, here's what I suggest:

1. Your business card needs to be readable.


This includes both the type of font you use, font size, and also importantly, font color.

Looking pretty or cool is far less important than simple readability.

I’ve encountered quite a few cards that either made me wish my contact lenses were a stronger prescription, or made me turn the card in all directions, trying to figure out what it says.

2. A little goes a long way.

When the reason your font is so tiny is because of the amount of text you put on there, you have a problem. This includes pictures and graphics.

Simple and clean always looks better than crowded and eye-overwhelming.

3. Put it all on there!


I’ve encountered cards without an email address! That one boggles my mind.

Yes the viewer can go to your website, and doubtless find it there, but in today’s four second attention span world, do you really want to chance them tossing you aside in favor of someone else?

4. Keep it professional.

If you have your own website (and if you don’t, why not?) why don’t you have an email address with your websiste as the mail to address?

Yahoo? Hotmail? For heaven’s sake, AOL? These brand you as just one of the pack. Your name is unique. Vast mass herds of email sheep are not unique like you.

Neither should the web link be your online casting profile.

Sites like WIX and about.me allow you to make a free, reasonably clean looking page with a minimum of effort. You can have a logo or photo, your contact info, and links to your demos, and create something a lot better looking than a link that goes through another site before it gets to you.

You want to lead seekers directly to you, not through someone else.

5. Are you in shape?

I know you want to stand out from the pack. But personally, when I’m putting cards in my holder or in my pocket, the last thing I want is one that’s an odd shape, sticks out, or is hard to fit in in some other way.

I’m not talking about card stock here, but short, long, large cards.

Plus, making cards smaller makes it hard to fit that all important contact information on there, and makes them much easier to lose.
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ABOUT KAREN
Karen Souer is an editor, proofer, and virtual assistant serving the voice over community. She writes from her unique perspective, having grown up in and around the business as the daughter of VO talent Bob Souer.


Email: karen@karensouer.com
Web:
www.voiceoverassistant.com

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Comments (1)
Martha Mellinger
7/2/2013 at 6:01 AM
Thank you Karen! Very helpful - succinct and practical pointers.
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