• Survey
  • Book Becky to speak
  • The book: Small Town Rules
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Do we even still need business cards

By Becky McCray

Are business cards dead? 

Business Cards by Chris Brogan

Every so often, the “business cards are dead” meme goes around. High tech business people are more likely to exchange Twitter addresses than business cards. (@beckymccray, by the way.)

Some people use cards that just say “Google me” or only have their name. The implication is that you can find them so easily through a simple search, that they don’t need to give you any contact details. (See an example from Rex Hammock, plus a link to his “real” business card.)

At conferences, we’re seeing technology solutions that automatically exchange contact info, like the cute Poken devices or the “bump” application for some smart phones. These things come and go. Remember when Palm Pilots used to be the cool tech solution? They’ve all but disappeared.

However
In the non-tech savvy world, business cards are very much alive. Here are three ways I’m still using business cards:

  • My liquor store business cards with drink recipes are popular with customers. 
  • In my consulting business, I find that most people in Northwest Oklahoma still say, “Do you have a card?” Out here, no one asks for my Twitter name.
  • At conferences full of tech geeks, I still go through a few. I am very selective about handing them out.

Our friend Des Walsh re-examined the design of his business cards, and the discussion is well worth following. And we went through some ideas for great business cards of our own, too.

If we need a moral to this story, it’s this:

  • Order new cards, not too many, and keep them current.

How about you? Are you using business cards? Where do you tend to hand them out?

Photo (cc) by Chris Brogan.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Downtown is your town’s core: How to make your case - February 22, 2021
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020

February 4, 2010 Filed Under: marketing

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Gladys Strickland says

    February 5, 2010 at 12:59 am

    I’m in Memphis, and at a Social Media breakfast last fall, the subject of which online identities to put on biz cards, and where to put them came up. Never did the idea of getting rid of the cards get mentioned – I think too many people still use them, even if only to use the info to put in their contact list.

    I need new cards, and like you said, I plan to get a few so I can update as needed without losing a lot of money.

  2. Wes Masters says

    February 5, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    I work for a company that’s completely online. Business cards are still relevant, but the thing I’ve noticed is how fast people connect on LinkedIn. Within hours of meeting people at a conference or networking meeting, I’ll get and send out invites to connect. Maybe that’s a new form of business card?

  3. Jennifer Moline, PsPrint says

    February 5, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    LOVE the drink recipe card. I think business cards can’t die out because when you network, you A) might not remember someone’s name or how to spell it and therefore won’t be able to find the person on LinkedIn and B) you simply might not remember every person you meet at a conference. Even if you do jot the person’s info in your phone/PDA, you might not remember that you put it there. A business card is an eye-catching, tangible item.

    http://blog.psprint.com/marketing/personal-business-cards/

  4. Ken Burgin says

    February 5, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    Make the cards quirky and noticeable eg choose 10 favourite photos and put them on the back of the wonderful cards from http://www.moo.com

  5. Joanne Steele says

    February 8, 2010 at 3:40 am

    Got back from the California Cultural and Heritage Tourism Conference last week with a wad of business cards. Luckily I took time to write notes on the back of each.
    Interesting thing for me was how few people at a tourism conference had anything BUT business cards. I’m reordering more right away!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2021 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in