Business Cards vs. Social Media

Posted by jake on 11th March, 2010 ·

Social Media and the Sunset of Outbound Marketing

When was the last time you spent money on a box of business cards. I haven’t in years. Although I have a secret closet that is stacked high with cards from a half a dozen different ventures. I remember a mentor of mine 20 some years ago that asked “Do you want to be part of a sunset industry or a sunrise industry?”.

Social Media is how to reach people now. Web2.0 is new, business cards, old. Twitter is new, email is old. Yellow pages are old a billboard site on the web is new. What continually amazes me is how people get stuck somewhere back there. Wherever back there is. The contrast is amazing, My dog just barked because someone disturbed my writing to advertise by putting a door hanger for new windows on my house. God knows I need them but that’s not how I’m going to buy them. And yet some business must think that works and maybe it does work I don’t know. On the other hand my son said to stop emailing him, he informed me that all his communication was now going to be on Face book. I think it’s cause he’s hooked on Mafia Wars.

I do know a few months ago I was making phone calls to try and sell internet services, go figure and:,

1. Every decision maker I reached said “the internet people” were calling them all day like mosquitoes buzzing around their heads and/or

2. They would b*it*ch at me at how much they were spending on yellow pages. And how they’d like to do things (not good) to the person who talked

them INTO buying the ad. (by the way Old not New way of doing business).

But when the light bulb went off that if you reading this are interested in making more money, and getting more customers for your local business you’d find me because I had enough “know how” to be there when you did a search. So if you are reading this let’s talk, meet, exchange, collaborate, interact, or just wave. And that’s the wave of the future.

But back to the business cards vs. social media. It’s hard to believe that a serious business person would run around at a networking event, meet-up, convention, event or chance meeting tossing business cards out without a meaningful conversation that led that person to the conclusion that they could honestly help the person they were talking with. And best of course if the person actually asks for the card. Then you know you have something genuine. But do at least be thought leader and lead the person to the promised land by asking “are you on twitter?” and if not say “oh no problem it’s easy to set up an account – takes 3 minutes and I’m “twitter.com/joe – IT’S ON MY CARD.

But not to be cruel or brutal to “card carriers” and the millions that still have the box of cards close by I can see where they have their place. My son who worked at a call center said he was amazed that thousands of folks he called every month (he was in the service department for appliances) did not even own a computer. So Mister appliance fixer or plumber how else are you going to leave a message? So keep your cards and if you have the “cheapo’s” go get some real business cards. Put everything, including the kitchen sink (pun intended) on both sides of them and be sure they have your smiling face on them. Make sure they are glossy and all the rest. Just realize they are a part of sunset industry.

I guess what I’m trying to say is even though your are a visionary for even reading this (and you are) don’t shot the horse until the car is running well. I know, I know there’s folks that just read that and said “huh” cause my wife always makes me translate my analogies. So here it is, Local Business owner keep doing what is working but start work in the realm of social media with at least setting up your facebook, twitter, and youtube channel in the next few weeks.

You should see establishing yourself in Social Media and effective SEO as a married couple that just joined your business and who need to learn and grow to flourish. The stats are it takes about 2 full years to really be in full swing in this sunrise industry and believe me if you haven’t started half of your competition has and it is going to be a matter of who has the most compelling reason to call you. Keep the old horse well fed but embrace the new and know like the story of John Henry he will eventually fall over dead.

Chris Brogan said in a recent post, “In the new way, you and I should only exchange cards if we’re looking to do future business. Otherwise? We roughly know how to reach each other, don’t we? Save a card. Save the planet. Rewire the way humans do business.”