Today we have a post from PR Engineer Rachel Kerstetter sharing some thoughts on business cards.
When I first started at Sonnhalter, the day that I was issued my own business cards was a good day. It was exciting to have new cards with my shiny new title, but a comment made by a fellow PR professional lead me to wonder if business cards still matter.
Last fall, I was volunteering at an event for students and was placed at a table with another PR professional. At the end of the lunch, I gave the students my card and encouraged them to connect with me on LinkedIn. The other professional said, “I never bring cards anywhere with me since anyone can just find me on LinkedIn anyway.”
Her comments got me thinking about my business cards and wondering if they were still valuable. My observations and experiences over the past year have brought me to the conclusion that business cards are still relevant.
Business cards:
- Enforce your branding, with your logo, corporate colors, tagline and job title.
- Make you easy to find by spelling out your contact information, and in my case, my long last name.
- Stick around. Often your card will find its way into someone’s pocket, and at the end of the day your card will end up being added to their existing business card collection.
- Get shared. How many times have you been asked for another card because someone gave away the only one you had given them? How many times has a friend or colleague handed you someone’s card and recommended you check them out?
One small piece of cardstock can go pretty far in beginning professional relationships.