The business card is a simple way to pass your contact details on to potential customers or business partners. It has all the relevant information, so when you are at networking events, you can stay in touch with people afterwards. The problem is that business cards are a bit dull. At a networking event, people will leave with a stack of business cards, and yours just gets lost in the pile. By coming up with something more inventive, you can make yourself stand out more, so people remember you.
These are some of the best alternatives to business cards to try next time you are at a networking event.
NFC Business Cards
NFC, also known as near field communication, is the same tech that makes contactless cards work. An NFC business card can be placed near a smartphone and it will automatically load up your website or whatever other page you want it to. This is a great way to show that your business is keeping up with the times and it also makes it much easier for people to get straight through to your site because they don’t have to manually type it in themselves. You’ve got some great design opportunities with NFC business cards too because you don’t need to worry about including the contact details. This means you can create something more stylish or use inventive shapes.
Water Bottles
With the recent drive to avoid single-use plastics, more and more people are buying reusable water bottles. They’re a very useful item, and they make a great alternative to a business card. You can get some great branded water bottles from sites like anthembranding.com and put your contact details and business logo on them. Handing these out at events is much better than a boring business card. Every time people use the water bottle, they’ve got your details right there, so they’re far more likely to get in touch. You’ve also given them something useful for free, which creates a positive impression of your business from the outset.
Lego Figures
This is a great fun idea that started with Lego itself but has now been adopted by companies all over the world. The management team at Lego had custom figures made of themselves, with their contact details on, and they would hand them out as business cards. There are sites where you can get your own customized Lego pieces so you can do the same. Maybe you want a figure that resembles you or you might have a company mascot of some kind. This is a fun way to give out contact details, especially for companies that market themselves to children. You can also get other Lego pieces customized if you want to build branded displays for marketing events, for example.
Boring business cards can let you down at networking events. They get lost or go straight in the bin. But if you start using something more interesting, you make a much bigger impression on people.
