Recently, I was meeting with a new client, a lawyer by trade. As we were reviewing his needs, he said he didn’t think he needed business cards. I cringed, I gotta’ be honest, I like my paper – and not just because it is part of my lively-hood. 
So, I walked away and really thought about it. We don’t order cards by the 1000’s anymore, we just don’t use them and so much is done via phone/zoom/remote, do we need them? Am I really going to recommend NOT ordering them? Umm.
Leah and I bantered, I did some googling… what is happening to business cards and where do they fit in this era of smart phones?
The verdict: We’re not giving up our paper business cards. We are adapting to new tech and ordering less. What does this mean?
Business cards continue to be a core piece of your brand. I look at my desk, and it’s littered with cards, that’s where I store my top-of-mind contacts. If it goes in my phone – it’s probably gone forever, my contacts are OUT OF CONTROL (I bet yours are too!). That said, I do need them in my phone, because we don’t remember phone numbers anymore.
So, how do we keep cards current and relevant? We are adding QR Codes. What? Really?! Yes, QR codes. But, NOT links to our websites or contact pages, we are adding QR codes that allow our smart phones to automatically add the contact to our phone, these are called vcards. And they are really cool. Try the one’s above to add Leah or I to your phone.
Great, right!?
So where is the industry headed? Digital business cards are all over the internet. Time will tell how and where we go, but I believe the best option currently depends on your business and is mostly likely a blend of old and new.
