Your business card is like a tiny version of your resume. It tells people who you are, what you do, and how to get in touch with you as well. Depending on the color and quality of paper, it can even suggest the level of success you have achieved so far in your career. Once you’ve made all the decisions on what your cards should look like and what they need to say, the next decision comes during the buying process.
On the surface of things, ordering your business cards seems like one of the easier tasks you have on your to-do list, but like many things, making the right choices when it comes to purchasing business cards is more difficult than it appears, eg. what colors, how thick, how many die cut shapes do I need, etc. That even goes for how many business cards you should order.
How Many Business Cards Should I Order?
When it comes to ordering business cards, there are two facts that you need to keep in mind:
- If you order too few, you wind up paying more money per card and may run out.
- If you order too many, you could go overbudget. You might also need to change designs before your run out of your current batch of cards.
There are a number of things to consider before deciding on the right number of business cards for your situation. The goal is to strike a balance between the cost per card, how many you anticipate going through and how often you will need to change the cards.
How Often Do You Rebrand?
For those in more artistic fields, rebranding might happen as often as once or twice a year. On the other hand, for an attorney or accountant, this might never happen.
Did You Include Information That Could Get Outdated?
Consider whether or not you will be adding new services in the next year that you would want to list on your cards. Do you plan on changing phone numbers or addresses? Is your site in the middle of a huge redesign?
How Many Cards Do You Anticipate Needing?
Do you attend many conferences or chamber of commerce events? If so, chances are you will go through a lot of business cards in a short period of time. In addition to networking, if you have a job where you interact with clients or potential clients you will need more business cards than if you sit in your office all day.
Most professional are going to need at least 500 to 1,000 cards per year at a minimum. If you do network often, you may even need more, as a 1,000 cards can disappear quickly at a series of large events.
Decreasing the Expense of Business Cards
One thing to keep in mind is that the more cards you order at one time, the less expensive they are per card. This means if you fall into the category of professionals that are not going to be making any changes in their business or career in the next year, you should order more and not fewer cards to save the expense.
If on the other hand, you are in a transitional period in your career or business, or you just get tired of looking at the same business card design day in and day out, you should order a smaller amount, say 500 cards. Someone starting a new business should also order a larger amount of cards as you will want to be handing out as many as possible to build your client list.
When it comes to the question, ‘How many business cards should I order?’ the answer isn’t a one size fits all. Take some time to think about your daily business activities and what if any changes are coming up for you in the next year. Once you have a clear picture of that, you should know how many business cards are right for you. SilkCards has a number of quantity options to fit any business card needs.