Business card info

[monkeh]

Hi everyone

 

Potentially stupid question but just wanted to get a couple of opinions on this - I'm a freelance SM and looking at getting business cards made up. What info bar my name, job title, mobile number & email address do I need? There's a couple of things I'm not sure if I'd need on there (e.g. home address and SMA membership) but any pointers would be greatly received!

 

Thanks

 

S

[mac.calder]

I would definitely not put in home address - if you have a business mailing address (ie a P.O. Box) then include that, but if it is the same as your residential address, don't. As for SMA membership, again, No. Just ensure there is space to write something on it.

[Bobbsy]

I have mixed feelings about the question of your home address. I share the same reluctance to publicise this on a business card but at the same time think the card needs to give both some idea of location (so a theatre in Glasgow knows you live on the Isle of Wight or whatever) and also because there will be times when potential employers need to send things by snail mail (copies of scripts, stage plots, pay cheques, that sort of thing!).

 

When in the UK I found one solution to this was to use a local business centre (in my case it was part of a self store facility) as a mail drop. They only charged me a few pounds a month for this and it let me have an address in the same town I lived in without divulging my private details.

 

Bob

[paulears]

Oddly, I would much prefer full address details - email contact and mobile only don't really work for me. I receive lots of mail (much junk of course) and also still send quite a lot of stuff in the post. Many of the email and mobile numbers in my phone don't work - people change service providers far too frequently, and mobile numbers very often just get changed - and do you know everyone you've ever given a business card to, so you can inform them (at your own cost!).

 

Real home numbers and addresses change far less. Obviously there are problems with security, but it's pretty easy to find people's home addresses. The purpose of a business card is to generate business - so having one that limits access seems strange to me. Somebody in another topic said that web sites that only list a mobile and email address are not professional sounding, and maybe even a bit dodgy - I reckon the same applies to business cards, and after all, you do choose who to give those to.

[nicemms]

Oddly, I would much prefer full address details - email contact and mobile only don't really work for me. I receive lots of mail (much junk of course) and also still send quite a lot of stuff in the post. Many of the email and mobile numbers in my phone don't work - people change service providers far too frequently, and mobile numbers very often just get changed - and do you know everyone you've ever given a business card to, so you can inform them (at your own cost!).

 

Real home numbers and addresses change far less. Obviously there are problems with security, but it's pretty easy to find people's home addresses. The purpose of a business card is to generate business - so having one that limits access seems strange to me. Somebody in another topic said that web sites that only list a mobile and email address are not professional sounding, and maybe even a bit dodgy - I reckon the same applies to business cards, and after all, you do choose who to give those to.

 

Many people like a full address with landline telephone number because it gives a bit more seurity if the person doesnt answer their calls etc.

[Bobbsy]

There's no doubt at all that everyone would prefer to have a full address and landline phone number. If you work out of an office, then this is no trouble but the problem arises for sole-trader freelancers. Assuming you work fairly regularly, a landline phone will either trip to answering machine to often to impress business callers....or be an annoyance for your spouse. Similarly, when considering giving your home address there's always a toss up between security and professionalism.

 

Obviously, there are ways around these problems (second phone lines transferred to a mobile for example, PO Box numbers for post) but these do have costs attached so there's no easy solution.

 

Bob

[Guest lightnix]

I'm not keen to hand out my home address willy nilly and even when I did give my landline number out, people always used to call my mobile first.

 

So for me it was e-mail address and mobile 'phone number only on the business card. If a relationship developed to the point where a CV was requested or work looked likely, then full contact details were sent by e-mail.

 

It's not just my home address - see?