Business Cards - Your views?

Hello everyone,

I noticed that there are not many discussions under this section of the Forum, so I thought that I would give my view of using business cards as a method of offline marketing/advertising.

I have got two types of "business cards" ; Company Business Cards & Personal Network Cards.

I have found that using my Networking Cards at "social events" is a lot more effective than handing out one of my company cards.

This is because people have a tendency to make new business contacts, than to make new clients without a proper introduction first.

What are your views on the matter?

Best Regards,
Michael James Swan
Twitter: @mike_swan

 

I agree I think people are starting to like personal cards more, as it shows you have more of persoanl connection then an business. Plus you will always be here but your business can change.

 

Our Business card

 

A nice looking business card, with a nice little slogan too

I think that personal cards are better these days... I cannot count the number of "business" cards that I have been given over the past few weeks.

I now carry three types of personal cards.. One is general networking, the other is website business related and the new one that is soon to be delivered is for my Recruitment Agency..

Oh, and WebsiteMagick, can you PM me .. Need design for Recruitment Agency site,.
Thanks

 

I like the design of Website Magick's card. There are some innovative ideas that depart from the traditional business card. One is placing a QR code on the card. I have also seen cards that are transparent(except for the print, of course). One would need to consider the ROI in factoring in the design. Unless you have the marketing budget of Visa, or MasterCard, you probably wouldn't want to go to the length of placing a hologram on your business cards.
I heard of someone throwing their business cards out into the crowd at a soccer game whenever the home team made a score. Not sure how effective it was, but, it's an illustration of thinking outside the box.

 

Thanks guys,

Glad you like our card. I created that in about ten minutes right before leaving for a business trip.

 

What about using online business cards, I think this is a nice combination of the two. The better part is that when you send an online business card, your details can be downloaded directly into the contacts on most smart phones.

Anyone using online business cards?

 

Business cards are a really good marketing material. But even that aside, it's a sign of professionalism.

 

Business cards are very old and imperative way of marketing .

 

Perhaps in India, but in the US exchanging Business cards is like shaking hands.

 

Ok ,
For shaking hands But Business cards working in US .

 

I'm sorry,

I think I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying that business cards were outdated,

 

I think business card is timeless offline marketing technique, and its considered one of the best and effective.

 

I never really made a big deal of business cards. I recently saw a commercial (vistaprint i think it was) about business cards. They made such a big deal about the actual look and feel of the card as if a nice looking business card is the main factor in making sales. I think it is just a matter of preference. Some people like to be fancy and flashy and some people like to be casual and cool. I really dont think that the business card makes much of a difference to most people. In business people are much more concerned as to how you can really help grow their business. Not whether you have fancy looking business card or not.

 

Personally, a thicker card (even with a simple design) shows you care more about your business than some cheap flimsy card.

 

If they are selling cards, then they really should make it seem like the most important thing. I wouldn't trust them if they understated it because if they are meant to be selling me by designing my cards then I wouldn't be comfortable with a company that doesn't consider it important. Also, the grade of the card is still somewhat important since it represents your business, just like an employee, and as we know, if there is a weak employee visible to others then it doesn't look too good for the company. I agree that business cards nowadays don't mean nearly what they did before the digital age though, but I still consider them important. My business cards alone have gotten me a lot of clients over the years and on the same note, I've seen a lot of others' cards as well and they do often speak loads of the type of company they represent.

 

In my opinion, a business card is and will always be a critical and effective marketing tool.

For instance, let's say you meet the owner of a new business in your area. After engaging in a thorough conversation about his/her business and the services provided, you ask for their contact information. However, he/she doesn't have a business card; instead, he/she pulls out a crumbled piece of paper from a pant pocket and proceeds to write down the business number, email and address. Once completed, he/she hand it to you, flashes a big smile and says, "hope to hear from you soon".

What would you think? Would you make any attempt to get back in touch to discuss future arrangements?

My point being, first impression is everything. In the above situation, I see unprofessionalism, which is a major issue for anyone pursuing further engagement. For me, that would be a white flag and a tell-tale sign that maybe I shouldn't even bother.

 

I have played with the idea of creating a personal card to network with people. I've met a lot of people at a variety of events and I've exchanged phones with many of them but I think handing out a card can be more effective because people will see me as someone more professional.

I'll definitely do that.

 

I think Personal/Business cards are of limited use and I suspect that the recipients of most cards either bin them or lose them.

However if someone asks you for your card because they want to contact you then they come into their own and as someone has already said look far more professional than a crumpled piece of paper.

Generally speaking though their effectiveness is over hyped.

 

I'm a big fan of business cards. I think they are still a useful tool for promoting yourself and your business. It's even better if you hand them out face to face. You need to form a personal connection with potential clients. If you're just leaving them for people to pick up you are likely going to be disappointed in the outcome. A personal touch is definitely needed in addition to the business card.