Business Cards and Why They're Still Relevant

About a year ago, a local vendor came in to discuss his new and improved furniture line. After the meeting was over, we started chatting about the use of social media and its extremely large presence in the world. And then he said the oddest thing - "soon business cards will be obsolete". Obsolete? Really? He then told me a story about how he had just gone to a conference in Vegas and met two European gentlemen he wanted to network with. He pulled out his business cards, they pulled out their smart phones...they wanted to connect virtually instantly (via LinkedIn). They no longer carry business cards. Well that's slightly embarrassing, I guess. Apparently America is still one step behind the current trend...

So what does this mean? The days of shaking hands and exchanging cards in a face to face fashion are going away? Soon everything will be virtual and digital and smart. Well, not necessarily. "Exchanging contact details is still not high tech to everyone. There are still a good number of people who prefer the business card over modern marketing means" - Martha Killian (http://ezinearticles.com/).

Martha's article discusses the advantages of having a strong card to represent your business. As she mentions, not everyone is tech savvy and there are many who still prefer the old-fashioned Rolodex. It's also not as archaic as some may have you believe. Going to local events with your business card stack refreshed allows you to introduce yourself and pull out your info...icebreaker solved. You can check out this article from Amazing Webzine for more ideas.

As we continue to work outside the office, the importance of branding yourself and your company via the old rectangular cardboard-like paper is still as relevant as ever. Having all your networking capabilities on your card will allow you to connect in the virtual world. But first, maintaining that first impression with a simple card will continue to help your business grow in the real world.

So! Time for new business cards?

Check out Vista Print for great prices.

You can be Zazzled

And you can be sustainable from 123print

Happy Designing!

Kendal