Social Media Photographers Business Cards Pick a card, any card!  Think that sounds like the start of a great magic trick?  You would be right but this one doesn’t involve sleight of hand or rabbits in hats.  But it does involve a set of beautifully crafted, magical cards that can help you build your brand and grow your Instagram audience.

 But first, I have a confession to make.  As much as I love social media and online marketing (I even built my business around it) its a shame when small business owners and employees narrowly focus on online marketing at the expense of real world, face to face, nice to meet you, thank you coming into my store, café, office relationship building.  Social media is amazing, but true human connections can transform your business.

Traditionally the humble business card was the go-to connection tool.  But we’ve moved a bit beyond that, haven’t we?  Yes and No.  Yes, the traditional way business cards were used holds little relevance in the face of Smartphones, Linkedin and almighty Google.  The days of having old-school cards that you spread around at networking events hoping you would be as contagious as the common cold are long gone.  But there are beautiful, inventive and creative alternatives that are still perfectly low-tech and all about the human connection.

Social Media Photographers Moo Business Cards I absolutely love the business card range from Moo (my picks are the square and mini cards).  Yes, the shape makes them a bit different but the fun part comes with the “printfinity” option.  This allows you to have a different image (or a repeating set of images) on each card.    It’s like turning your business cards into an amazing collector set.  At Social Media Photographers we use the cards as conversation starters or connection enhancers by having a range of our exclusive photographs on each card and only our Instagram address as a contact point.

Handing out “business cards” suddenly becomes fun and interactive for the recipient as they flip through and choose an image that speaks to them.  And for us, we love the discussions that come from the simple exchange of the cards.  We have also seen a direct impact on the online connections with our Instagram followers steadily increasing since we introduced these cards into our networking.  But what’s most important about our increased follower count is that it is made up of real people that we have a real, authentic connection with that support our brand.  And we will take that over chasing anonymous "likers" and followers any day.

Social Media Photographers Moo Business Cards But I’m not just a business owner- I am also a customer.  If I discover a business I like- I want to follow them on social media.  But I am human and prone to distraction and poor memory so if my phone is not readily available or the businesses social media details are not visible, I will often forget to follow them.  And for the business, that is a missed connection and a lost opportunity.  And with the viral nature of social media (my friends like what I like and their friends and their friends, etc) so that really translates to MANY missed connections and lost opportunities.  But, if the business had cards like the square Instagram cards, then I would quickly snap one up, connect on social media, pin the card to my office wall and keep that business top of mind for ages.

Social Media Photographers Moo Business Cards Just like we challenge, coach and inspire our clients to improve their social media presence, we also encourage them to enhance the offline, face to face customer experience as well.   Discovering new ways to re-purpose the humble business card is just one way to create a more engaging atmosphere.

4 Tips to Make Your Business Card Work Harder for You

• Make your business card a keeper – make it different.  How can you add more value than just your contact details?
• Tangible, traditional marketing is still relevant.  Business cards are an inexpensive investment in print media.  Look for ways that you can use your cards to support or enhance your online and social media offerings.
• Include high quality images on your cards.  This can include a professional profile photo or images related to your business or service offering.  Humans are hard wired to respond to images!
• Refresh your cards regularly.  If your business cards haven’t had an update in the last year maybe it’s time finish off the box and give them a makeover.  A full re-brand isn’t required- just take the opportunity to creatively challenge your existing design.

Do you have a business card design that you love?  Or do you think the traditional business cards have gone the way of the dinosaur?  Share your feedback in the comments below.

* We love the Moo range of products and are happy to share them with you.  This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something via one of these links we may receive a small commission that in no way affects the price you pay. Full disclosure policy here.