Why business cards are useful for musicians
Why Musicians Should Use Business Cards
Business cards, we’ve all had them. Some of us swear by them, others say “neh” and we delete them. Whatever your type, I’m sure someone has given you one at some point. And you probably thought, “what the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Or maybe you said “sweet friend, I’ll call you right away.” Either way, it probably got you thinking. You may have thought, “wow, this person really comes prepared.” I seriously doubt you ever thought, “heh, look at this guy, what a dinosaur, he still uses business cards.”
In this article, we’ll look at some things you can do with business cards to stand out from the sea of ​​musicians and why business cards for musicians can still be used today.
Tangibility
Okay, it’s kind of interesting that in 2018 we’re still talking about them. I mean, we’re supposed to have floating skateboards, flying cars, self-buttoning shoes, and time travel should be a thing of the past. Sorry, Marty, we haven’t arrived yet.
As the world becomes increasingly digitized with things like SoundCloud, Spotify, and Facebook, it can seem like business cards for musicians are a bit outdated. But are they really? Well, we are human, so it is only natural that we like the human touch. Giving something that is tangible to another person has a much greater impact than another “like” or “follow” on social media. In 2016, paper books increased sales by 7%, while e-books decreased by 4%. A big contributor to this were coloring books for adults and children who prefer paper books over a Kindle or iPad. What does this suggest? I think it’s pretty clear. We don’t like everything in our lives to be digital. We like things that are textured and we can hold them in our hands. Digital can get too sterile at times.
It forces you to network
When you learn the knowledge of something for yourself, you take responsibility for it. Similarly, when you spend money on something, you are more inclined to use it. A Facebook page or a Twitter account costs nothing. So it’s a lot easier to give him the old adage of ‘oh, tomorrow, tomorrow’. It doesn’t feel very good to spend money on that New Years resolution exercise kit to just sit there gathering dust. But what happens when you actually use it and start to see results? You probably feel like a million dollars. Well, when you’ve spent money on some business cards, I bet you will feel pretty good when you start using them and you start meeting people. All the time it puts you in the right mindset to get it off your ass and get to those networking events or develop the courage to talk to that person who could make a difference.
What to put on them?
Its basic configuration should be quality paper (stock = paper type). A good 16 point paper or a 38 point triple layer paper works perfectly. Avoid basic, cookie-cutter designs or images. Make sure your business cards include the following:
- Your name
- Services provided
- Phone number
- SoundCloud, Spotify, Facebook or YouTube
- URL of your website
Don’t overwhelm people with every single social media account you have. Please provide the ones you use the most and that best exemplify
you.
Be creative
Your card is a reflection of your art to some extent. Then I should speak for you. Are you a simple and boring person? Then your business card should be simple and boring. Are you a simple but modern person? So your business card should talk about it. Try things like colorful backgrounds or follow the trends of modern art and try to incorporate that into your design. You also don’t have to stop there. Why not have some fun quotes or descriptions of your services? Don’t just stick with ‘guitarist’ or my favorite ‘pianist’. Make the line about who you is it so. Don’t overdo it.
Finally
Business cards are not the end of everything. When you have them, you won’t start booking exceptional gigs and getting more work (maybe you will). They are simply a way to have your information well located so that your potential customer is interested in what you have to offer. So that can lead them to your website or demo reels. An attractive business card is just the first step, the rest is up to you …
I ask you this
How many of you musicians still use business cards? What are your thoughts on them as we move increasingly towards digitization? Do people really care about tangibility? For my networked musicians, if there was a website that would help musicians eliminate the frustration of designing business cards and other promotions on paper, would they use it?