Coming back from my third time at the Consumer Electronics Show, I started to wonder whether physical business cards were still relevant.
If I had already been in contact with this person via e-mail in the past and each of us have our appropriate contact information in our e-mail signatures, is it still necessary to exchange business cards when we meet one another in person? Do we follow through with this tradition of etiquette?
Entering the Digital Age
As you may already know, I had a batch of business cards created for my freelance writing business, even though the vast majority of my communication is done online. In fact, I haven’t met many of clients in person at all, relying largely on Twitter, instant messengers, and e-mail exchanges. For a business like mine, business cards aren’t quite as necessary, but I am glad that I do have some when the right situation arises.
If I am meeting someone for the first time and there is a possibility that we may work with one another in the future, I may be inclined to share business cards with this person. This way, we each have a physical reminder and we can proceed to work with one another at some point.
Follow-Up and Follow-Through
If this is my intention, I try my best to send a follow-up email a day or two after the trade show (or whatever event) where we met, re-introducing myself and letting him or her know that I am available for such-and-such a service.
Yes, it is very easy to refer potential clients to my digital business card, but the tradition of “paper” business cards still very much exists and they are still very much relevant. I have long since abandoned the fax machine, but paper business cards are still a very valuable tool for the purposes of networking and exchanging contact information.
What do you think? Do you still exchange physical business cards?
Yes they are very much relevant. Besides, you can spam Wal-Mart parking lots with them.
And get bad word of mouth from spamming a Wal-Mart. I do my best when I get anything on my car to tell everyone I meet about the jerk who put something on my car. Like we don’t get enough spam email and junk snail mail that we have to put up with crap on our cars that we didn’t ask for.
Business cards are just another part of one’s identity. Getting someone’s business card is tangible proof of some kind of relationship between you and that person. Generally, that person /wants/ you to have their business card for some reason. In order to reciprocate, it’s important for you to have a business card, as well.
A QRcode or other computer-readable code on a business card can really help contacts digest your information digitally easier. Also, setting up a Contact Me page on your web site with hCard microformats can make that even easier. E.g., you give your business card to someone, they scan the QRcode with their phone or computer, they go to your web site, they get your contact info, and that info is automatically put in their contacts. Slick, eh?
Business cards are also important for writing notes about the person you met. If I meet someone outside of a booth at CES, I write where I met them and perhaps a note about them to myself on the back of the card. That way, when I’m sorting the tens of business cards I collect in a week, I can jog my memory and recall to whom I was speaking. This can help someone a lot, especially in the crazy party atmosphere of CES parties.
I like having business cards. It seems like a classier, more personal way to do business than simply telling someone to e-mail me.
That and if you make a really good looking one, they’re great for more than just business…
I am currently working on something unique! It will be out soon. I can keep you posted on this
Having just come back from CES as well, I think physical business cards are just as important as ever for people like us. They are necessary for admission to some events, are needed if you want to enter random drawings at parties, etc. and also most importantly, the best way to get in touch with new clients.
The humble business card is still very relevant in today’s digital world.
Twitter, FB, IM, and e-mails are so impersonal and when we meet a business associate offline, we need something tangile to exchange.