Business Cards - is there any point?

Are business cards a thing of the past?

I'd like to think not.

What with social media sites such as LinkedIn, there really is no need to print and distribute business cards surely? I think there is still a place for physical business cards and they're perfect for those random opportunities where you just happen to meet someone in a pub or sandwich place. Have you ever tried searching your name on LinkedIn and seeing how many other people share the same name? Or perhaps like me you have a name commonly misspelled - things like this mean you miss out on potential contacts and potential opportunities in terms of internships and jobs. 

My blog, thankfully, is starting to pick up and get a lot of digital footfall and I'd like for it to have more so putting your blog domain on a business card is a good way of getting it out there. If you talk to someone about it, chances are they'll
forget what it is called next time they're online and may end up looking at someone else's if you have a similar name to someone else - for example, marketingundergraduate instead of marketingundergrad. 

There are loads of ways companies have updated on the traditional business card - the shape, the scent (yes, scratch and sniff), the paper finish etc. Some people even use USB business cards - useful and informative. While wacky card designs allow you to stand out, there is obviously a certain amount of discretion required in certain industries and situations. 

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Doing things such as a play on your profession, a picture of yourself, different shapes and novel designs can help your business card stand out and push it into the modern world. Providing humour and making you memorable is key. 

I recently made an order for some samples from Moo which I received the other day. Mine are pretty plain for now - I am aiming to attach them to my CV when it comes time to job hunting and *hopefully* the interviews as it will be expensive printing out a whole portfolio when some/most of my work can be found on my blog here. I am currently looking into designing a business card that stands out a little more - I am liking the idea of using a picture of yourself, if someone is interviewing 60+ people they may like to put a face to a name. 

It's like the old saying goes - it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know. So why not make the most of networking and stand out in your generation by using a business card.