Are business cards still a thing?
Are business cards still a thing?
Author
Discussion

22

Original Poster:

2,624 posts

155 months

Friday 10th October
quotequote all
Do people still have business cards? To dish out/swap at a function, or what about a QR code or a NFC chip on a single card? If I do have some made, do I go posh or generic?

Been invited to an event hosted by the DWP, I'm not sure how we got picked up as it's mostly aimed at big business. We're a small B2C company and genuinely don't need more work, although people attending this event could potentially be the kind of people who are our customers (rather than the companies they represent). That's not my motivation for going - just really if anyone is curious/asks.

I'm going partly as I have something else to do near where it is, plus it gets me out of the office for a day - and a free lunch!

DeadShed

8,637 posts

157 months

Friday 10th October
quotequote all
I’ve always been on the buyer end, so never had them to hand out, but definitely still got them fairly recently (3 years ago when I was last working in IT). Some people didn’t have any and tried to give me their details by telling me to look on their website, which instantly got forgotten. Go for a physical card IMO, then it sits in someone’s pocket or bag, but put a QR code on with a vCard so people don’t have to type it in to their phones. Purely electronic gets forgotten, but the vCard removes a barrier.

Jamescrs

5,545 posts

83 months

Saturday
quotequote all
Certainly up until 3 years ago I used to receive quite a few and had them all bundled together with an elastic band in my desk, I rarely if ever gave any out though I did have them. A change of role means I have no use for them now and where I can avoid networking events.

Simpo Two

89,820 posts

283 months

Saturday
quotequote all
I'm retired but still use business cards sometimes and certainly collect them from people I might want to contact in the future. If you haven't got a card you don't exist and will disappear into the mists of time and Google. Even if you're the sort of person who needs an app to take a dump, there's nothing to lose by having business cards too.

Geoffcapes

1,003 posts

182 months

IMHO business cards are like websites for some people and businesses.

You don't need them, but everyone has them.

So for a relatively small cost it worth having a few. Just in case....

Terminator X

18,412 posts

222 months

I still have them and hand them out. I am old school in everything I do though wink

TX.

Ry.Clarke

410 posts

44 months

I think they are still relevant to some, I will be honest though being on the young side of life I place them promptly in the bin

sleepezy

2,038 posts

252 months

Not in my line of work (management consultancy) within the UK - but up until recently I travelled a lot and they are still used extensively in the US and Asia. I had a discussion on a Virgin flight to Seattle a few years ago where all the Americans were aghast at all the Brits not using cards in the UK, there was a very clear delineation.

Nowadays I just remember the individuals name and follow up via LinkedIn

blueg33

42,691 posts

242 months

I had a meeting with an investor from Poland last week. I was surprised when he gave me a business card. Its the first i've been given in 6 years or so

Hoofy

78,898 posts

300 months

I've been at a handful of non-work events this year and not had a business card to hand when I've been asked. I really ought to get some more. I'll do a QR code to my website in the meantime.

MOMACC

534 posts

55 months

They only end up in the bin.
Tend to connect on LinkedIn there and then and follow up if needed.

CSR Performance

21 posts

6 months

Absolutely.

Essential for networking events and trade shows if that's part of your remit.

There is an argument for going digital with it, but I find that once the details are exchanged, the contact is very quickly forgotten. A business card might sit in a pocket or a bag for a few days, but almost certainly will be found at some point reminding whoever is in possession of it to get in touch. I have folders with business cards in that I've collected over more years than I care to admit, but flicking through them instantly reminds me of the person in question, the name their business and the sector they are in. I don't find that happens with digital contacts. Also if you are doing a trade show or similar, you can leave them on a desk/table and potential clients can pick one up, even if you are busy with someone else. We always have a QR code to scan, but the uptake is much lower.

Also important if you are dealing with the Far East where cards are still an important and respected part of business culture.

As with many of these things, they may be irrelevant to many, but they are still important in the right circles.

Granadier

955 posts

45 months

Have cards to a small extent been replaced by giving out branded pens, keyrings and other such merch at conferences? That doesn't link back to an individual person (as a card does), but it does provide a physical reminder of the company

the cueball

1,589 posts

73 months

I recently mixed things up with pail nimbus and Silian Rail font...

river_rat

723 posts

221 months

the cueball said:
I recently mixed things up with pail nimbus and Silian Rail font...
smile

Love that scene.

Terminator X

18,412 posts

222 months

the cueball said:
I recently mixed things up with pail nimbus and Silian Rail font...


TX.

Hoofy

78,898 posts

300 months

CSR Performance said:
A business card might sit in a pocket or a bag for a few days, but almost certainly will be found at some point reminding whoever is in possession of it to get in touch.
I think that's the positive thing about business cards. If you tell someone your website or whatever, it will be forgotten very quickly, possibly before they even get home. OTOH they get a reminder when they find your business card 2 weeks later in the bottom of their bag so you get another chance and they might visit your website based on that whereas with just a chat, if they don't make a point of doing so then you've missed your chance and that's the end based on that initial interaction.

It's a bit like magazines - ISTR research done and it was found that magazines had a life of around a month, so you've got more chance of someone encoutering an ad in a magazine than say a newspaper.

Anyway, until I get my business cards sorted out, I've created a QR code that I can show someone I'm speaking to!

pacenotes

379 posts

162 months

Digital cards don't work, I have thousands of contacts in my phone I can't remember which 'David' I met.

While some paper cards end in the bin most are put in a drawer and when needed are picked out and emailed.

rallye101

2,471 posts

215 months

I've got some, was handed a q code thing the other day,then told to take a pic and hand it back.

Pretended to take a pic and wished them well

Simpo Two

89,820 posts

283 months

Yesterday (15:24)
quotequote all
Granadier said:
Have cards to a small extent been replaced by giving out branded pens, keyrings and other such merch at conferences? That doesn't link back to an individual person (as a card does), but it does provide a physical reminder of the company
Different things, but both useful. I used blockpads to rent prospects' desk space in a useful way.