Facebook vs Business Cards

The business card is not dead, nor dying.  In fact the printed business card is a dynamic and evolving branding tool for business that is being redesigned and reprinted much more frequently today by brands of all sizes.

The sworn competitor to the printed business card is often stated to be the online social or professional networks such as Twitter or Facebook.

We all know that there isn't really any war between printed business cards and online networking tools, so I won't preach to you about the pros and cons of either, which we've all read before. What I do have to add however, are some nifty thoughts to galvanize the relationship between your printed business cards and online networking tools.

The link between your branded business cards, and your co-branded online profile is very important, because the plain fact is that most people do actually use these networking sites. Go ahead and print your profle address on your business cards. Often printing your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account on your business card will entice your prospect to check you out more than visiting your own branded domain. This is because browsing Twitter feels like home, and stalking Facebook is a part of the daily schedule. The visiting prospect feels familiar with the site they use regularly, and doesnt need to take too much of a detour to check out your online profile.

If you're worred about watering down your brand by placing other brands on your business card, get over it! The world's biggest brands are happy to co-brand because it works. If printing a Facebook logo or Twitter address on your business card means more prospects connecting with your brand, then make it work for your brand.

If anything, adding a profile link on your "static" business cards hints that your brand is active and growing, because your brand is linking to a forum that is constantly updating. It is true in most cases that your brand's Facebook will update more regularly than your website.