Should you invest in business cards? Well, the short answer is yes. It can’t hurt and it is always a good idea to market yourself as much as possible. Anyone will tell you that. But the real answer?
Nope. Not until you have some cash and you need write-offs.
Now, I’ll tell you this. I do use business cards–sometimes. But they haven’t really been all that useful for me. And I would not tell a newbie writer to go and get some. Not worth the cash when your gigs are few and far between. I will tell you that it is a good idea to do a “business card” type thing as a signature in every single e-mail you send to anyone–ever. I’ve gotten jobs that way. It is worth the time. Get a signature block (you can set it up so it adds to your e-mail in Outlook; as for other programs, I’m not sure….anyone?) that you like and use it. At the minimum, include the following:
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Name (first and last)
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Address (with zip and everything)
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Website (if you have one)
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Telephone number
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Contact e-mail
Don’t get cute. Skip quotes, crazy colors, fonts and such. Be professional and simple. It works.
And as for buying business cards–you’ll know when you need the write-off. Until then, the sig block works just fine!
Would you say the order you have above for the signature is the best order? I always worry about burrying my website addy (what with all those compelling samples to read and “Joe Wallaced” touches throughout) underneath my mailing address.
Actually, I do this:
Name
Addy
Telephone
Website
E-mail addy
I don’t worry too much about burying the website, as it is automatically set to hyperlink in my sig block. Good question! I’m sure everyone has their “thing”….