What Should a Business Card Have on It? (It Depends on Your Situation)

When I first started ordering business cards for our company, I assumed there was a single, perfect template. I’d look at a dozen examples online, find the most common elements, and slap them on a card. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, after five years of managing these relationships and processing 60-80 orders annually for a 150-person company, I’ve learned the hard way that the "perfect" business card doesn’t exist. What you need depends entirely on who you are, who you’re giving it to, and what you want to happen next.

The bottom line is, asking "what should a business card have on it?" is like asking "what should I pack for a trip?" The answer is different for a beach vacation, a business conference, and a hiking expedition. Let me break down the most common scenarios I’ve seen, so you can find the right fit.

The Three Main Scenarios (And Which One You're In)

From my perspective, business card needs usually fall into one of three buckets. Getting this right upfront saves you from ordering a generic card that doesn’t do its job.

Scenario A: The Networker / Business Developer

This is for salespeople, consultants, freelancers, or anyone whose primary job is to generate new connections. Your card is a direct marketing tool. Its only job is to make the next step—a call, a website visit, a meeting—as easy as possible.

What should be on it:

• Your Name & Title: This is obvious, but make your value proposition clear. "Jane Doe, Senior Account Executive" is okay. "Jane Doe, Helping Manufacturers Reduce Supply Chain Costs" is better.
• Direct Contact Method: A phone number you answer. An email address you check. If you give out a generic office line or a front desk email, you’ve already lost.
• Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): This is the game-changer most people miss. A simple line like "Let's schedule a 15-minute intro call" or "Download our free ROI calculator at..." gives the recipient a reason to act now.
• QR Code: Link directly to your LinkedIn profile, a specific landing page, or your calendar booking link. It removes friction.
• Minimal Company Branding: Your personal brand is front and center here. The company logo should be present but not dominant.

What to skip: A generic company address (unless you want drop-ins), a long list of services, or a design so corporate it hides your personality.

Scenario B: The Corporate Representative / Internal Employee

This covers most employees in established companies—engineers, HR, IT, mid-level managers. Your card is less about direct sales and more about establishing legitimacy, providing correct information, and fitting within a brand system. I order most of our cards in this category.

What should be on it:

• Full Corporate Identity: Standard company logo, brand colors, and official typography. Consistency matters here more than individuality.
• Official Contact Channels: Your desk phone, corporate email, and the company’s main physical address or website. These should be 100% accurate. I once had to reprint 500 cards because a department’s floor number was wrong—a $400 mistake because someone "figured it was basically the same as the last order."
• Your Department: This helps route inquiries correctly. "John Smith, IT Support" tells someone exactly who they’ve reached.
• Professional Credentials: If relevant to your industry (P.E., CPA, PMP), include them. They’re trust signals.

What to skip: Personal social media handles (use LinkedIn if it’s strictly professional), overly clever taglines that clash with corporate tone, or direct cell numbers unless it’s standard for your role.

Scenario C: The Creative / Entrepreneur

This is for designers, artists, small boutique owners, and startup founders. Your card is a physical sample of your work and taste. It’s often the first tangible piece of your brand someone holds.

What should be on it:

• The Design is the Message: Paper stock, texture, color, cut, and finish are all part of the content. A letterpress card for a calligrapher or a uniquely die-cut card for a web designer is the pitch.
• Portfolio Link: Your website or Instagram handle is more important than your address. Make it prominent.
• Core Service or Product: Be specific. "Photographer" is vague. "Commercial Food & Beverage Photographer" tells your story.
• One Primary Contact: Usually an email or a social handle. Keep it simple.

What to skip: Cluttering a beautiful design with every possible communication method. Let the card’s feel do the talking. Also, avoid cheap, flimsy paper—it undermines your entire value proposition. The total cost of a poor-quality card isn’t just the print price; it’s the lost opportunity.

How to Choose Your Scenario (And Avoid My Mistakes)

So, which one are you? Here’s a quick way to figure it out. Ask yourself: What is the single most important thing I want to happen after I hand someone this card?

• If the answer is "They contact me directly to talk business," you’re a Scenario A (Networker).
• If the answer is "They have the correct info to reach me or my company through official channels," you’re Scenario B (Corporate).
• If the answer is "They remember my style and visit my work online," you’re Scenario C (Creative).

I learned this through reverse validation. We ordered sleek, minimalist cards for our sales team (leaning toward Scenario C), thinking it looked premium. They were beautiful. They were also useless because they lacked a clear call-to-action and the sales team’s direct lines were in tiny print. The cards didn’t generate leads. We only believed in the scenario-based approach after ignoring it and seeing the negative consequence.

One more piece of advice from the procurement side: always think in terms of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). The cheapest online quote for 500 cards might not be the cheapest if it involves unclear shipping fees, no physical proof, or paper that feels like a diner napkin. For corporate orders (Scenario B), I now almost always use a reliable online printer that guarantees turnaround times. The value isn’t just the price—it’s the certainty. For a creative (Scenario C), the TCO calculation includes the card’s impact on winning a project. A $200 print run that helps land a $10,000 client is a no-brainer.

Finally, remember the practicalities. According to USPS (usps.com), a standard mail piece (like a letter-sized mailer with a card) has size limits. Keep your card at or under 3.5" x 5" if you want people to be able to easily slip it into a standard envelope for mailing. Most traditional cards are 3.5" x 2", which works fine.

Personally, I’m somewhat skeptical of overloading a card with information. If you’ve ever gotten a card with two phone numbers, three email addresses, four social icons, and a map on the back, you know how overwhelming it feels. Put another way: your business card is a handshake, not a biography. Make it easy, make it clear, and make it fit the situation you’re actually in.