Getting Back to Basics With Offline Networking

In many ways, the Internet is the networking arena for the 21st century. From websites to social media, email marketing and pay per click, it seems the place for marketing is on the net. At the heart of the online campaign is the simple tweet or email. But if companies think they can get away with just networking online they are making quite a drastic mistake. For many businesses they are seduced by the web and placed in a false sense of security. Without a powerful offline networking approach - campaigns are likely to just collapse. I think it is time to get back to basics and keep our offline networking tools well-tuned too. These tools are advancing too - and one of those is business card printing.
Plastic business cards, one of the most cost effective tools, can enhance your brand, contacts, communications, and referrals and lead to the next prospective sale months after meeting your lead. And where a tweet has a shelf life of about ten minutes or less, that's definitely something to think about.
Getting back to basics
There is always a need for face to face contacts; business to business negotiations and referrals, and especially directly with the prospective customer. No email or tweet can take the place of the trust initiated by human contact. In order for an organisation or individual to promote themselves, their brand or products and services, there will always be a need for human contact. So what is the key to enhancing your brand offline and generating the next lead? I believe one of the most powerful tools in the hands of today's businessmen is so easily taken for granted - the simple plastic business card.
Why Plastic business cards?
They have been around for a long time. They allow the businessman to make a pitch and leave essential contact information behind with a prospective client, thus ensuring all the effort he has made does not disappear as soon as he leaves the building. When networking, the manager knows he can leave all the relevant information he needs with a new contact by offering his professionally made brand tool.
The point is more about how long that card will survive. Cardboard business cards tend to get bent and deteriorate. Very soon they will be lying at the bottom of a waste paper basket. A plastic business card is more durable. It will not bend or tear (unless you go out of your way to really snap it) and, with the advancement in business card printing, designs can be really attractive and modern - which means it is likely to remain in the memory for longer and remain in a place where it can be seen for a greater period.

Posted in: Offline Networking