What’s on your business card? Will the images and text on your business card really help people remember who you are and what you do once they get back home or back to the office?

The answer depends on whether or not the information on your business card helps the people you meet remember what you do and why they should contact you after they leave the event.

Let me give you an example. When I first created my Business Know-How business card, it included the Business Know-How logo, my name, contact information and the website URL. There was also a slogan in the middle of the card that read “Ideas to start run and grow your business.”

I thought that slogan was pretty explanatory, but apparently it wasn’t. Time and again, people would look at my card , then say something like, “But what does Business Know-How do?” Or, say something like, “So, you’re a business consultant.” They didn’t automatically assume (as I had thought they would) that the ideas for starting and growing their businesses were available to them on the website, or that the website was a vast hub of information and resources to help small and home businesses succeed.

Now, I could (and did) explain that to anyone who asked about Business Know-How. (And I also got smart, and started listing my business name as BusinessKnowHow.com when I signed up for conferences, instead of Business Know-How.) But knowing how easy it is to forget what people you meet at a networking event said they do, I changed the slogan on the card. Now the card includes the logo, a line that says Small Business Center, followed by two lines in smaller type that says Practical Advice, Tools and Resources To Start, Run and Grow Your Business. That’s followed by the website URL.

The result? Now, instead of asking if I’m a consultant, people look at the card, nod their head and say something about Small Business Center and then say they’ll take a look at the site on the Internet when they get home.

Take a good look at your business card to be sure it helps people remember you, too. To be sure, ask strangers to look at your card and tell you what they think you do when, why or how they should contact you, If the answers they give don’t match your expectations it’s time to change your business card to make it more effective at getting people who receive it to take the action you want them to take.

More: How to Make Your Business Cards UNFORGETTABLE

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