You want to achieve something more when you share your contact details, right?

Perhaps you want to be better remembered or you want people to welcome your business more. Now why not embrace social media to achieve these goals? Let’s look at the benefits of sharing social media profiles on your business card.

Supports Your Personal Brand

A social media enabled business card provides a personal experience to those who receive your card. You make it easy for them to find extra information about you, your professionals skills and company. This helps you to differentiate yourself professionally and support your personal brand.

Take for example the business card you would receive when we would meet for my work as independent contractor. It provide links to the subscription pages of this website, my Twitter account and Linkedin profile. All are direct invitations for you to connect with me online. The back of the card is a larger version of my avatar, making it easier for you to recognize my online identity and personal brand.

Make a Better Connection

Now picture the moment you normally give your business card to someone.

You usually just met that person face to face for the first time, right? By giving your card, you support your efforts to make a connection with him/her during that first meeting.

What if your card triggered the person you just met to also connect with you on social media networks after your meeting?

You get an awesome opportunity to fast track your business relationship.

Give So Much More Than a Card

If you take a closer look at social interaction in business, you see you can only ‘cook’ (do business) successfully with the right ingredients. Whether it is a prospect, your new boss or co-worker, you build successful business relations using the following ingredients:

1. Trust
2. Value

Social Media allows you to give a transparent view of your business activities (helps build trust) and articulate the value you provide. It also allows you to show your sincere interest in the person you just met and give so much more than just a card. It directly enhances your chance of success in business.

Easily Continue Your Conversation Online

Once connected you have a fantastic opportunity to follow up on your first conversation. In the ‘old days’, you just had e-mail or a telephone. Now you have Tweets, Facebook Status Updates, FriendFeed, just to name a few. If your business card enhances the initial connection you make with someone, social media allows you to continue your conversations and build on possible opportunities.

Your Next Business Card?

It makes sense to enable your traditional business card for social media. However, you also have some great alternatives for that small piece of paper. Take Pokens (I like to give them away to potential customers) or Dutch solution My name is E for example. These technologies allow you to create an online business card and share it in real live, all with a single touch via a small device or even your mobile phone.

What you might find however, is that not everyone is ready to adopt to this type of technology just yet. Perhaps if all mobile phone manufactures conform to a single standard for contact exchange. Until that day, we will probably use a combination of traditional cards and this type of technology. Just make sure your card is social media enabled (and you use FSC certified paper), more people will remember you. Guaranteed!

Something to think about when getting new business cards

• What is your business’ social media strategy
• What is the most important information for the person that receives your card
• What do you want people to do when they get home with your card

Do you use social media in your business?

The astounding growth of social media sites such Twitter and Facebook is amazing. It’s also fun and allows you to stay connected with more people than you ever imagined. Does your business card invite people to connect with you? Why not? Love to read your thoughts or ideas on the whole subject! Please share them in the comments area below.

The Secret of a Social Media Enabled Business Card

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Every child is an artist. Your challenge is to remain an artist after you grow up.

As you mature, your mind develops certain viewpoints. It becomes harder to open your mind to new ideas, let alone think out of the box. Keeping your mind in a playful state helps you to open up to creative thinking.

So how do you keep a playful frame of mind?

Get Inspired by Kids

Children are constantly developing their view of the world and remind you there are always different ways to look at things.

For example, take the result of the creative play the kids made in our yard. They called it ‘how our earth works’, see for yourself:

Their explanation was that everything revolves around love, isn’t that a fantastic view?

Change Your Viewpoint

While making the drawing, one of the kids asked her mother, ‘Mom, what is the deepest part of our earth?’.

‘The deepest part of our earth, would be the centre of it,’ her mother replied.

‘No, the deepest part of the earth is where the moles live!’ the youngest of the two shouted in all her enthusiasm.

Again another great example of a different viewpoint. Very often you must change your view to get fresh ideas and see possible solutions.

Challenge Yourself

In life and business we face many challenges. To overcome them, why don’t you take the view of a child into account? Next time you are working on a concept or problem, ask yourself these questions:

• What would the perspective of a kid be, on the concept or problem you are currently working on?
• How do you make what you are doing more fun?
• Can you approach what you are doing like a game?
• How would you make it easier so that a kid understands it too?

When you challenge yourself to think more like a kid, you regain the creative power that comes with a playful frame of mind. And you hopefully have some great fun in the process!

How do you stimulate your creative thinking?

How to Have Fun and Stimulate Your Creative Thinking

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