Traditional business cards are going to be a thing of the past. No one wants to keep piles of accumulated business cards about local businesses or estranged friends. Not only is it a waste of shelf space, but it’s also hard to sort them out or use the search function to find that friend of a friend.
E-business cards come in all sorts of varieties these days. They play music, link directly to your website and services, and even market themselves. Businesses have an array of templates and technologies to choose from. But I am talking about electronic business cards for you and me. Options include SMSing your contact information, twittering your information, emailing it (then and there) from your smart phone, or sending a linkedin invite. I liked this website called mydropcard.com which allows you to send contact information to someone by texting their email address to a particular number. The website instantly sends your information to that person and makes a log in their address book. Obviously, we have many options to keep in touch these days rather than exchange that piece of paper that may get left behind at the corner table once your discussion is over.
Think of the benefits – all contact information can be retrieved at a later time, people can link to your website or blog right from your e-business card, they can map your business location instantly, and address books will automatically pick up all this information!
I’m not saying that traditional business cards will seize to exist. But eventually, 10 years from now, do you really think one would care to carry around those cards in their wallets? Well, for those who still want to invest in hard copy business cards – be creative and eco-friendly. Use business cards made from recycled cereal boxes, photo business cards, differently shaped cards, anything that will bring you the attention you deserve! Look at some interesting ideas here.
The question is would you print yourself 500 new business cards or resort to technology to distribute your contact information?
I think that's really a cool way to explore your business. The more you do this the more you get interaction with the world. Nice post and thanks for the info. But do that charge something. I would surely check that later on but would like hear more from your end. I mean how useful and what are the conversion rates if you have ever tried it before..
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@ Ashish - Did you mean, "Do they charge something?" If you are referring to dropcard, then I recommend reading their FAQ (http://mydropcard.com/faq.php). To my knowledge their basic service is free, but they have a premium and elite service too. Check it out!
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