Social Cardstock

• Jul 21st, 2010
• Posted by Jason
• Posted in Business Cards, Design, IRL, Social Media

On the bus, heading home from work, I initiated a conversation with a stranger, and we chatted for a good half hour. When we parted ways, he pulled a business card from his wallet, and passed it my way; I accepted of course. The card was comprehensive enough, providing basic business information, but it wasn’t social media friendly; there were no Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn URLs. From a person who had a lot to say, I was a little surprised. The website domain wasn’t listed either, but the email address gave that away.

Although the iPhone Bump app is a good way to exchange contact info social media style, traditional business cards remain the norm, and I don’t see them disappearing anytime soon. In fact, a recent Mashable article explored 12 clever social media friendly business cards:

Including social links on your card not only showcases your progressive approach to doing business, but it also gives your business contacts more choices in how they communicate with you.

We all know that making a good first impression matters, and the man I spoke with made a good one. But the company was missing out on an opportunity to connect with me online via their Twitter handle, which I discovered later. Regardless, the experience reminded me that offline exchanges are as important as those online. And when it comes to business, whether in the realm of social media or not, connecting the two whenever possible is paramount.