I recently had new business cards printed. Inspired by a Guess garment tag, I opted to create it with a non-traditional size and with a corner cut off. I also built it with three colors, including a metallic ink.
This was not a cheap card. In the end, with 1,000 cards to distribute to the business contacts I make, I paid $497 for these. My vendor was James Gance of Imagination Arts in Denver, Colorado, a printing broker.
Since my last batch of cards expired, I avoided getting new cards printed because I felt that the ubiquity of the iPhone and Blackberry and the accessibility of LinkedIn on those devices, plus the ability to swap contact information easily between devices, made the traditional business card obsolete.
When I met other business people and potential clients in public, and I would be asked for my card, I would just tell them we needed to connect on LinkedIn.
I found that not everyone was on LinkedIn, and that I don't always look up people on LinkedIn for finding contacts. It is an incredible resource, however, and I will not downplay its benefits.
I resorted to printing a new business card (in the above picture), but only putting my web address, blog address, email and phone on it. If you go to my website, you can connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me on Twitter, connect with me on Facebook, and see my videos on YouTube. My business card is still a strong option and works in conjunction with LinkedIn now.
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I agree the Internet is leading to the decline for the need for business card printing however, until the the majority of users take up a digital solution that will allow for you to pass your contact details to any one you meet the traditional business card will still be a very popular business promotion tool.
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