Most lawyers have duplicates of many things – we’ve got courtroom attire and officewear, dress glasses and regular ones, different sets of shoes and for women, handbags. So why not have several business cards? Most marketing experts advise against this because different cards means that we dilute our brand. But I’ve found several uses for different business cards, as well as a source, Vista Print for printing them up quickly and cheaply (you can get them free if you’re willing to accept a vistaprint ad on the back or for around $10-$20 for 250 if not).
Here’s why I like having multiple business cards. First, many times, I’ll attend a trade show or a huge networking event where I need to drop 50 or 75 cards at a time. It seems wasteful to have to use my good business cards in these situations, so having cheaper extras on hand makes sense. Second, I practice under many hats. I’ve got an energy regulatory specialty, but I also handle some general civil litigation matters and appeals. And sometimes I attend events where I’m know for MyShingle or my Ocean Renewable trade association. So rather than jot all of this down on the back of my law firm cards, I have several cards for each of these purposes.
Sometimes too, I like to change the look of things. At the front of this post is the business card that I sent out with my holiday cards. It’s got a new tagline that I’m toying with – “Matters of First Impression and Last Resort” and the color and photo made it seem festive (though it looks a little “realtor-ish” also). I don’t know that I’ll use this card on a permanent basis, probably not – and if I don’t, I’ll just dump the extras at a future trade show.
This has been a good idea for me. I have one business card that omits my email address. I give this to prospective clients. I don’t want them “hiring me” by email that may never arrive or that may get deleted accidentally.