Preparing to attend Conversion Conference West in two weeks, I am doing all the usual stuff; get a hotel, plan which session to attend, queue up some blog posts for the days I’ll be gone, etc. Then I realized that I don’t have any business cards and I started thinking, “Do I need business cards?”
Are Business Cards Dying?
My first reaction was “Of course I need business cards.” That’s how you do business. But then I started to think of how I use the business cards I receive.
- I put them in my pocket or notebook.
- I add them on LinkedIn/Twitter when I get back and then the card goes in a drawers somewhere.
- I pull one out once in a while to get contact info.
- I forget who the person was 2 months later and throw their card away.
This guy would argue that your business card is crap:
So Should I Still Have Business Cards?
I’m really a bit torn here, so I’d appreciate your comments. If you support business cards, give me links to a good printer who can turn the job over in a week. If you don’t use business cards I’m interested in hearing what alternatives you might suggest (like Pokens).
PS If you decide business cards are obsolete, you could make them into modified ninja throwing stars like the kid in this video. (Warning: Awesomeness may overload your brain!)
About Robert
I don’t believe business cards are becoming obsolete but I do believe the resume is. If you are recruiting someone now you can see their experience on Linkedin (pseudo resume) before even talking to the person. That’s powerful.
I’ve seen a similar shift with resumes. Just shows how insufficient a one- or two-page document is to convey years of experience and knowledge.