« Why is Direct Marketing spending increasing? | Home | Top 5 Ways to Get Your Direct Mail Noticed »
Printed Business Cards on the Path to Extinction?
By Cynthia Fedor | February 10, 2010
With the rapid introduction of mobile applications (like BUMP and DUB) which foster the digital exchange of contact information, are traditional business cards on the verge of becoming obsolete?
I recently came across a few articles that challenged the relevance of printed cards in the age of virtual business cards, online networking sites and mobile applications that make it so easy to exchange information.
Those arguing against the traditional printed business card format made some great points:
- Platforms like LinkedIn allow users to access a more robust profile that may include a description of the contact’s skill set, past affiliations, links to other social networking sites and websites, etc. in addition to basic contact information.
- Many digital applications allow users to instantly sync collected contact information across platforms and programs, i.e. – on smartphones, in CRM systems, within email contacts, social sites, etc.
- Utilizing digital applications to store and manage data makes it easier to update contact information over time. In many cases, changes that contacts make to their own information will be shared with anyone that has access to the contact’s profile.
Here’s what they failed to consider:
- Currently, there is no standard that is shared across the various mobile applications and platforms available. So, how one app organizes data may differ from another, making it a bit more cumbersome to digitally exchange information.
- Not everybody uses mobile or digital applications for exchanging business cards or sharing contact information.
- Business cards are great for leaving behind, for one or for many.
- Physical business cards give an individual and/or business the opportunity to express their style and provide insight to their thought process. As Daria Steigman pointed out in her blog on the subject, “The paper, logo, design, and readability give me clues to a company’s personality and whether they have thought about that first impression.”
- Artists, photographers, design agencies, architects, etc. can feature visual elements on business cards that will help to better tell their story and differentiate them from competitors. To my knowledge, many digital applications do not allow the user to include photos or visual examples of work when exchanging contact information.
Business cards and the exchange of contact information will continue to evolve as more digital applications become available. However, there’s a fat chance that they’ll ever go away for good.
PS – Just for fun, read how Hugh MacLeod made a name for himself by drawing cartoons on the back of business cards.
February 11th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for the shout out. I’d one more argument for business cards: they also tell me whether the person I’m just meeting wants to know me or just mine my data. The ones who ask for a card before they talk to you: bad form, but good for weeding them out.
Best,
Daria
February 18th, 2010 at 7:03 am
I suspect that business cards may some day go mostly away, but I hope not. Business cards are not just a method of exchanging information, they are a peek inside the company’s personality, and should be designed as such. A business that puts little to no effort in creating a business card tells me a lot about the company. Good stuff, Cynthia.
February 18th, 2010 at 7:37 am
One more note in favor of business cards, I think that they also show a level of seriousness about a person’s business. “Free” or DIY business cards may be a flag that the person you are talking to does not have much experience or resources.
Not that this is an automatic deal-killer, a person’s ideas are more important than their marketing collateral.
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by quantumdigital: Are business cards becoming obsolete? http://Ez.com/l5b7 #businesscards #marketing…