Are Business Cards Dying?

Think of how many emails you send in a day and compare that to the number of letters you put in the mail.  How many of you now do a majority of your banking online?  Twenty years ago, those numbers might have looked a little different.

Truth is certain technological advances come along that obsolete a method of communication and information sharing.  Have business cards been targeted next?

There are obvious benefits, other than sharing contact information, to exchanging a business card with an individual.  It allows you the opportunity to express your company’s personality.  Think back to the most creative business card you’ve received.  What stood out about it?  Was it the color, font, or maybe shape of the card?  Regardless, it made you remember the card and gave you an inside look at the personality of the company.

Business cards also represent authenticity among the business world.  Presenting a card with your name and company logo is basically providing your acquaintance with a stamp of approval from you and your organization.

However, in a world where you can download an app on your phone to do just about anything, the business referral networks were not left unnoticed.  In fact, Bump Technologies has created an innovative program that is available for iPhones, iPads, and Android-based phones that allows users to exchange information by simply “bumping” their phones together.

It might sound like another Google April Fool’s joke, but Bump is very real and being used by many.  The sensors in the “bumped” phones literally “feel” the bump.  Then, it sends the information into the Cloud, uses an algorithm to pair it up with the other phone and sends a confirmation request back to you.  Visit bu.mp for more info.

These tech-based methods of information exchange, along with others like LinkedIn, are gaining momentum because they are seen as cost effective, convenient and modern.

Your preferred method, whether it’s a business card or an electronic exchange, says something about you.  What do you want to say?

Do you prefer the benefits of presenting a traditional business card or the convenience and modern approach of electronic exchange?