What is the point of business cards?
Back before the days of LinkedIn and smartphones, business cards were the only way to exchange information at a networking event. Aside from its practical purpose, the business card has also provided a way to show off your style — from the font and color scheme to the paper stock.
While business cards can still serve these functions, there are now countless digital alternatives to keeping track of contacts and displaying your brand. Many wonder if the old-fashioned physical card is retro, still relevant, or simply a waste of paper.
We asked members of the Forbes Agency Council about the role of business cards in the modern world. Here's what they had to say.
Images courtesy of FAC members.
1. Business Cards Can Be Replaced By Instant Information Exchange Via Mobile Phone
I have not handed out a business card in over two years. Why? If I want a contact's information to sell our services, I will ask for their email and immediately send them a message. Now I have their information and they have mine. It also creates a reminder when they get back to the office in their inbox. Business cards can often be tossed, dropped, lost or just not referenced again. - Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
2. If You Have The Name And Company, You Can Find Them On LinkedIn
I haven’t owned a business card in five years. I'm still shaking hands and meeting people, but all it takes is a few clicks to find an executive on LinkedIn and add them to your network. Gone are the days of searching for someone’s business card you met at a conference six months ago. All you need is a name, company and LinkedIn to revisit a connection. LinkedIn is your digital Rolodex of business cards. - David Shadpour, Social Native
3. Interactive Video Cards Can Provide Richer Information
Film a short, 10-second video clip about your company and your key differentiators, and include interactive buttons to click through and download your contact info. If you both have iPhones, you can just beam the video over, or download the video file into a little portable memory stick. They come in all shapes and sizes these days, and can even look like an old-fashioned business card. - Jaymie Scotto Cutaia, Jaymie Scotto & Associates
4. Cards Should Only Be Given Out When It Makes Sense
I appreciate business cards in situations they make sense, but most of the time they go in the trash. I hate being given a business card because of a formality. It is one more thing to clutter up my pockets. You can find most anyone online now, so if I need you, I will find you. The one exception is to get a private email address. - Adam Draper, Gladiator Law Marketing
5. Have A Business Card Handy For Old-School Audiences
With the development of digital media, it is much easier to follow someone on a social media platform and remain connected. Some prefer this, rather than having a business card gather dust or find itself in the trash. However, traditional methods should not be overlooked: I believe business cards should always be handy, especially for audiences that tend to keep it old school and aren't on the social media wave. - Alex Quin, UADV
6. Business Cards Are A Supplement To Digital Connections
Business cards continue to be used today because we are much more likely to keep something that's tangible. However, I do believe that business cards are not enough to stay connected. Today, you need to connect through LinkedIn, have your own website with an online portfolio, and of course, follow each other on social media. - Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
7. Business Cards Should Be Collected, Then Digitized
Business cards aren't a thing of the past, but saving them is. Collect a business card, but take immediate notes. Back at the office, scan the card. There are a lot of scanner apps. Input the info gathered and let it prompt a useful and valuable followup. Connect on LinkedIn, sure, but do more. For example, follow up a week later by following the person on Twitter, and send an email shortly after about something you talked about. - Dan Golden, Be Found Online
8. Cards Are Still The Quickest Way To Exchange Information
Business cards still hold a purpose, which is quickly exchanging information at events, conferences and other networking opportunities. However, a business card alone isn’t enough - there should always be a followup via email or social media. However, for the initial connection, a business card is still the easiest and best way to exchange contact information. - Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
9. Business Cards Serve As A Physical Reminder Of Someone
Are business cards as useful as they once were? No. But they still have a place in this world. You can meet someone face to face and connect on social media, but odds are, you are instantly lost amongst the thousands of other "friends" or "followers." A business card is a physical reminder of who you are. It can also spark a memory of the time and place you met, separating you from others. - Aidan Cole, nTuitive.social
10. Business Cards Are Meaningful And Personal
Perhaps I'm an old-school, new-generation millennial, but I still love exchanging business cards. Are they absolutely necessary? No (hello, LinkedIn). Do they still provide value? Yes. Like a physical paperback compared to an e-reader, there is something still meaningful and personal in giving and receiving cards when meeting people. - Jeff Tan, Dentsu Aegis Network
11. For In-Person Networking, Cards Are More Professional And Last Longer
Business cards can still make a powerful impression on prospective clients. I don't believe email is too informal, but business cards are far more professional to bring to a face-to-face meeting. An email can be lost in a sea of spam and contact folders; a business card will remain in a client's wallet for years. Plus, if you're networking or giving an elevator pitch, it always helps to have the card. - Kristopher Jones, LSEO.com
12. Creative Cards Get Shared
A business card is, in many cases, the first tangible impression of your business, and it's much more personal than an email or a LinkedIn invitation. Beyond that, business cards that are creative and stand out aren't only sticky and memorable, but they get shared with more and more people, continuing to promote your business and brand. - Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
13. Business Cards Show Your Brand And Style
I am a tactile person, and the look and feel (paper thickness!) of a business card speaks volumes about the person and the company. For someone in PR, I think they are critical to show your brand and elevate your look among competitors. I have my business cards handprinted on a letterpress and always get a comment whenever I hand one out. - Duree Ross, Durée & Company.com
14. The Quality Of Your Card Reflects The Quality Of Your Business
When I receive a business card, I create an opinion about the company as soon as the card touches my hand. Is it thin and flimsy? Is it thick cardstock? Was it printed? Was it embossed? Is it a traditional business card size? To me, having a quality business card equates to having a successful business. - Chris Ake, Grand Apps
15. Cards Can Help Employees Feel Important
Technology doesn't always mean leaving behind something traditional. We once tried integrating QR codes into business cards; no one used them and it was time-consuming. Cards give people a sense of importance and an easy way to connect. It's not only a way to share information with a colleague, but it's a signature kind of tool for your employees to feel like part of your organization. - Martha Madero Gonzalez, GROU Crecimiento Digital
16. Cards Reinforce A Connection Through Redundancy
Redundancy is how humans communicate. We use multiple physical "media" (e.g., hands, eyes, facial expressions, words, volume) to make our point, which is why there is real value in the physical act of connection through exchanging cards - although it's wise to reinforce that with a more permanent way of managing contacts. When is LinkedIn going to offer instant transfer of contact information? - Benny Thomas, Barrie D'Rozario DiLorenzo
A reader writes:
I’ve had a couple of jobs since I graduated college and in some of those jobs I’ve gotten business cards as part of the job. I worked part-time in retail and not gotten business cards, though I noticed that the managers (full-time, salaried employees) did have the company branded business cards. I worked for a university (full-time, salaried) and got the university branded business cards. In my current full time, salaried job I’m also getting company branded business cards.
Is there an unspoken policy/tradition on providing employees company branded business cards? Is it a company specific policy on who gets a company branded business card? Are companies obligated to provide business cards to their employees? And, if not, should the employee make their own business cards?
Whether or not you get business cards will vary by company and role. Some companies give them to everyone. Some companies give them only to senior people, or only to people whose roles put them in positions where they need them (like salespeople, or other employees who frequently meet with others outside the company). It’s less common, although not unheard of, for part-time retail positions, especially if you’re not at the management level. Some companies don’t do them at all anymore.
There’s no obligation to provide cards, although there are some jobs where it would be really strange not to have them.
Business cards are definitely less popular than they used to be, although there are still plenty of jobs that rely on them. And a lot of people who gets cards never really use them, particularly if they’re not in outside-meeting-heavy jobs and don’t do much networking where cards are exchanged.
As for making your own cards … if you have a work need for them, the first thing to do is to ask your company and explain why you need them. If it’s less of a work need and more just something you’d like to have, you can make your own. They shouldn’t be company-branded (nothing should be company-branded that your company hasn’t signed off on) but you can certainly make your own cards with your contact info and what you do.