We all have them, we order boxes of them at a time, we hand them out to anyone who will take one; and, more than likely, we have stacks of other’s business cards in our “I will get to these someday” pile. With this in mind, we are going to look at some options and ideas when it comes to the business of business cards.
There are many options when it comes to your business cards. Many of us experience that pang of guilt when we think about the many trees that have been cut down and turned into our business cards, and though we have yet to completely phase out the necessity for actual paper cards, we can perhaps begin to head in that direction. Here are a few ideas to check out:
1) Check out Contxts. This option allows you to send your contact information to another’s cell phone with only one line of text. Very simple and easy to set up. My only issue with it is that it does not play with other contact managers or with Gmail. As a result, the receiver will still need to physically add your information to their contact list. In a pinch, however, this is a great tool. Especially when you are in between business cards, or you simply forgot to replenish your supply.
2) You can make your own QR Code with all of your contact information coded into it. How cool is this! This can be done via your computer or smart phone. I was given a demonstration of this by a friend who has a Droid phone. She downloaded QR Droid, opened “contact”, chose herself from her contact list, and created the code. She could then email it to herself to use on her marketing materials or to email to others. Make them for you associates and friends on your contact list as well! They will very much appreciate it!
3) This is all well and good, but what about that Mt. Everest of business cards you are building upon your desk? I know, the whole idea of entering them into your contact list is a rather time consuming, perhaps even mind numbing, process. I took on this project, and accomplished it, last January! I wish I would have known about a business called Cards 2 Lists. Owned by Daniel Rubenstein(314-550-0950), all you need do is hand over or mail your business cards to him and he will soon email you an Excel or .csv file that can be easily imported into your contacts or newsletter lists. Daniel makes sure to look your lists over and check it at least twice before sending it your way so it’s a good clean list. Great idea for your staff after a trade show!
4) Another option is to download a card reader app for your smart phone. One that gets great reviews from both iPhone and Droid users is World Card. The cost is only $5.99, which is much less expensive than a business card scanner, and you can carry it wherever you go.
If you have any other ideas to share, please do. Remember, we all need to help each other out!
