10 things to check before you click ‘buy’

There’s nothing worse than receiving your business cards or brochure material back from the printers only to discover an embarrassing typo that could have been easily avoided if you had taken the time to stop and check the design before hitting buy.

It’s possibly worse than when you accidently send an email to an important (angry) client without an attachment and receive a sarcastic email back or you accidently put a kiss on the end of a text to the plumber you’ve been corresponding with.

It renders the items purchased useless and wastes money in your marketing budget. That’s why we’ve come up with a quick guide of the most important things to check before confirming your purchase:

1. Spelling and grammar

We don’t want awkward spelling errors, do we? Spell check is your friend; use it wisely before you upload artwork.

2. Phone numbers

Ensure phone numbers are complete and check them three or even four times before hitting that buy button. You need to be reachable, that’s the point of a business card!

3. Email address

The same rule applies; you don’t want to be that person who hands out a business card with a dodgy email address which then keeps bouncing back.

4. Addresses

Snail mail isn’t dead yet and if your company still likes to send and receive letters ensure that the address is included in full and correct.

5. Company logo and name

This is probably the most important thing to have on your business card. If you forget the rest then at least they can look you up online!

6. Website

Talking of online, ensure your website is included in your contact details. Most people like to browse your site to get a feel for your company first before getting in contact.

7. Social media

It’s worth popping the logos for social media platforms you use on your business card so that potential customers can see what you get up to on there as well. People like to do lots of research before reaching any decisions so give them every opportunity with your business card.

8. That everything is up to date

Out of date titles, phone numbers, addresses and even logos don’t look good. But you’ve already checked these following the points above, right?

9. Everything is within the guidelines

There’s nothing worse than receiving your freshly printed business cards or a banner for an important trade event and realising that the printer has cropped half the image you placed in the top right hand corner. Ensure your design works within the measurements provided to avoid such devastating moments later (and the re print costs).

10. Names

You’d be surprised but people do sometimes type their names wrong without realising (considering you’ve been writing your name since the age of four it’s hard to understand how) and if you’re creating business cards on someone else’s behalf, please check – and check again – before hitting buy! We don’t want any arguments in the office.

It is essential that you check your business material thoroughly before signing off on the text. It could be the difference between wiggle room in a marketing/stationery budget or hastily scrawling your name and number on a scrap of paper at an important industry event.