Is Your Business Card Socially Active?

When I attend events, it’s inevitable that I’ll acquire business cards. If I’m lucky, I’ve remembered to bring my own. As a social media strategist, I don’t always appreciate the business card, but I understand its purpose. Though I love seeing the creative designs employed, I wish there was an easier way to collect info at a social event — that didn’t involve paper. However, if you’re going to be handing out little pieces of paper with your information shouldn’t you use the opportunity to promote yourself?

At a recent mixer for event professionals, I collected a bunch of different business cards from a variety of very talented industry professionals. While the cards served to showcase their speciality — be it photography, flowers, or event production — very few of them provided their social media profiles. Some showed social media icons, but didn’t provide specific information, like their handles.

I thought it would be surprising that they weren’t on social media at all, so when I visited their websites I was relieved to see they were socially active. So why are social media profiles worth promoting on a website, but not a business card?

For most event professionals, work is a visual affair. You don’t convince people to hire you for their special event based on words. Rather, it’s a photo that captures their attention. A bright, beautiful bouquet. A luxurious four-course meal. A decadent dessert. As such, it’s likely you’re employing visual social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to showcase your photos.

Consider the following:

• 90% of adults own a smartphone.
• The most popular (free) mobile apps include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and YouTube.
• 71% of people use mobile to access social media.
• 34% of cell internet users go online mostly using their phones.

Chances are, most of the people you’ll be networking with at events will have a smartphone in their pocket or purse. And it’s more likely that they’ll be connecting with you through social media than by visiting your website.

So, why is it again that you’re not putting your social media information on your business card?

Photo credit: via PaperPleaseStudio on Etsy