Do we still need business cards?

Are Business Cards still necessary?

I had a call from one of our team the other day because we are doing some rework on graphical look and feel. It’s gonna be great.

 Those of course eventually get turned into all sorts of products including Business Cards.

She was asking me what I wanted on mine and what I thought should be on it when it came to various social networking things.

I got to thinking last night – Do we even need business cards anymore? What do we really use them for?

Part of what got me going was the discussion with this team member when I remarked – you know the virtual addresses are more important than the physical addresses. In other words, for my work, knowing where my office is located is pretty irrelevant. But where I hang out digitally is important.

Do we still “snail mail” things? Sure but rarely. If someone needs my “regular mail” address, I can email it to them on request.

But my email is real important. As are my other social networking types of sites.

Now understand that some of our staff at Leadership Network is at the “home office” in Dallas where we host lots of events. So the physical address is of some importance. But most of our team is disbursed around the country, so each card has a different address. But do people really need to know where I live or get my snail mail? Or is a simple email, phone number and digital coordinate with all my other spaces enough?

Cynthia Ware over at The Digital Sanctuary got me thinking about this a few days ago. Her solution is a digital card. Read her posthttp://thedigitalsanctuary.org/2010/01/01/launch-2010-with-a-digital-business-card/

I know the iPhone fans have the “bump” app to exchange info. Ten years ago the Palm users could “beam” cards to each other.

It feels like biz cards may have reached their end.

Yes, they are good in a meeting to remind us of the other folks names that were in the meeting. Occasionally we write a note on one for someone but there are other tools for that.

What do you think? Do we need these things anymore?

Please comment.

Dave Travis

Managing Director

Leadership Network

Comments

[Chris Blackstone]

Yes things like business cards, letters, are still important and even necessary. By going completely digital you exclude people who don't have access to online resources and you unnecessarily create a barrier to communication. Business cards and letters convey an intentionality that digital resources can't.

I could get rid of my digital connections in a heart beat. But the thought of losing the ability to write letters or moving everything from the tangible to the digital is depressing to me. And before you call me a Luddite, I'm 33, employed at an interactive agency, and I've been designing web sites for 15 years.

Here's something else to think about in the rush to digital. What happens in 100 years when someone wants to write the biography of a famous Christian from 2010? Past great men of God like Whitefield left letters which give us unique insight into their thoughts, plans, and decisions. Since everything has gone digital, we lose those valuable resources and it makes it increasingly difficult to write biographies because we lose the primary source of unfiltered personal letters.

[Dave Travis]

Chris, great comments. I agree on the letters and notes part for sure. I use them every day. My main point is the business card itself. That hard piece of paper that seems to change every year.
Keep up the great work wherever you are!
Dave

[Dan Smith]

Not yet, at least not for small-timers like myself. If I can give a small card to introduce my contact information, even just my blog and email, maybe phone, then it gives me more of a foot in the door than I would have had. For me, the card is still important.

[Alex]

As a pastor, I still go through a couple boxes of cards per year. One goes out to every first time visitor with a hand-written letter. I also have a map and worship times on the back, so it makes a great "invite card" as well.

Not to mention, it's still necessary if I want free parking at any metro-area hospital.

Besides, even if I had a digital card, wouldn't I still have to have a paper one, just to give people the address?

[Dawn Nicole Baldwin]

Interesting question, Dave. I had gone a few years without needing to hand out a single business card and late last year there seemed to be an overwhelming need for them... But with different information.

You're right about the physical address not being that important, but email, blog, web and twitter are.

I also tried digital cards but found most people still want to be handed something, regardless of how tech-savvy they may be. [Might just be me though]

Look forward to seeing your new look!

[cynthia]

Dave, oddly, I keep every paper business card I get.

I have binders full of them. I'm fascinated by the variety of graphics, creativity, presentation ideas, etc. That's one thing I can't get on the internet... the ability to put everyone's cards in the same place where I can touch them.

For me I always want both.

[Dave Travis]

A few responses to the great comments above.

1. It's really interesting that this post has generated so much comment. Some folks LOVE their cards.

2. To the pastor above, very good points. When I was a pastor I did need some paper esp when visiting folks in hospital or homes. Just not sure the biz card is best tool for that. I had some gummed index card pads with my name only on them for writing quick notes like "Sorry you were sleeping and under sedation. I am praying for you."

3. And I do believe in invite cards (that are biz card sizes) for churches, special events, sermon series, etc. Those are great tools.

4. And I used to keep biz cards in binders to remember people. But then I got outlook and put them in their and trashed them. Call me unsentimental or just tired of having too many things in my office!

I think biz cards we will always have with us.

What ways could we improve them? I would be interested in the various commenters opinions.

[Linda Stoll]

Yes - we still need those business cards! Not everyone is plugged in ... and those cards end up tucked in wallets, shoved in desk drawers, tacked up on bulletin boards, handed to a friend, or put up on the fridge under an old magnet.

But sooner or later, someone will look for that card and you will, most likely get a call or an email.

Like an updated blog or a good website, a well-designed card speaks volumes about who we are ... it's an old-fashioned link that will probably never go out of date.