What to do with your Business Cards

What to do with your Business Cards you collate in business networking

Have you ever ended up with a pot of business cards? And you mean to do something great with them like generating more business or engaging in a referral program, but what really happens is nothing.

 

Here’s some tips on how to set up a systematic approach on what to do with the pile of business cards you have in the drawer.

 

You can create an e-mail list- you may want to choose a platform such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or your auto-responder software. Then you can email your monthly e-newsletter, or a link to your latest blog.

 

You may be able to use your administration staff or a technology app to enter details of the business card into your system. For instance, with an app like CamCard you take a photo of a business card and it will read the card; identify names, find numbers and e-mails and enter this information for you.

 

You could invite the person to your social media profile, ie. LinkedIn and then follow up by writing them a personal message. Bring them to where you are more active such as they can perhaps see your Facebook posts.

 

Have a goal of how you intend to manage the business cards. Perhaps you could target trying to meet two people per week with a view to them becoming a referral business partner. Document your results.

 

Keep your objective with the business card to a primary objective only. Do not bombard them with too many things that you want from them. Keep it to one agenda item such as meeting in person to network.

 

Make sure you write a procedure with a checklist of what to do with each card. Then make time to action the collection of business cards and their conversion into your system. Measure if you are getting results. Successful outcomes will make it easier to do something constructive with each new business card you acquire. If you find it’s not netting you the results you want, tweak your goal or primary objective.

 

The use of business cards has declined in the past decade so it is a valid question to ask, “Will people have business cards for much longer?” Perhaps not, though with such powerful social media platforms, you can nearly always find the person online.