Get Your Business Cards Ready For BlogPaws 2014

Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

Because you do so much business online and everything and everyone is “digital” you may not have thought about the fact that business cards remain relevant even in this digital world. You should start now to get your business cards ready for BlogPaws 2014. You will meet so many people there and without a business card in your hand to pass along (not to random people, but to those with whom you’ve made a connection) how will they remember you once the conference is over?

We’d like to think we are so memorable that once the conference is over that our new friends will remember the name of our website or Facebook page and connect with us, but BlogPaws conferences are a whirlwind of excitement and chances are it’s not possible to remember everyone you meet.

Traditional business cards — and you can get them made rather inexpensively — retain their value and staying power once a conference is over. Traditional business cards are also ideal places for jotting notes about the person you’ve just met (ie, lady with the ferret in a pink sweater) as a way to jog your memory once you either go back to your room or head home from the conference.

There are digital methods by which you can trade business card information; an app like Bump comes immediately to mind. With this app, as long as the person you’ve met has it on his or her smart phone as well, you can “bump” phones and contact information automatically transfers. It’s a nifty technology but not everyone you meet at BlogPaws will be utilizing it. You certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity to connect with a pet loving friend simply because you, or he or she, doesn’t have that particular app on their phone, right?

Also, to be taken seriously as a professional pet blogger you need to present yourself in a professional way and that means making the investment not only to attend conferences but in the materials you hand out to other professionals that you meet. You certainly don’t want to hand a prospective brand business partner your contact information on the back of a napkin or a torn-out sheet of notebook paper, do you?

What should you have on your business card? Here are some of my thoughts:

• Your business name, if you have one; your name if you don’t.
• Your logo if you have one
• A picture of you and/or your pet. Having a picture on your business card is an ideal way for a conference attendee to remember you once you’ve parted ways. Let’s face it, many of us in the pet blogging world are known as being (insert pet name here) mom.
• A link to your website or blog
• Links to your social media pages — Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
• Your business tagline if you have one
• Your pet specialty or niche if that isn’t readily apparent from your business/blog name
• Your phone number — not all people want to give out their phone numbers, so that is a personal decision.
• Make certain your business card is of the highest quality you can afford. A couple of good sites to check out for business cards are: Moo or Vista Print. There are likely individuals in the BlogPaws Community that offer design services who could help with cards if necessary

Remember, business card etiquette states that you don’t simply walk up to a complete stranger and press your business card into his or her hand. Exchange business cards once you’ve made a connection with someone — they say that people want to do business with people they “know, like and trust” and they will remember you better if you’ve had a conversation with them.

Do you have your business cards ready? Do you have a strategy for giving out, or receiving, business cards? We’d love to hear about them!

(Photo: Shutterstock Cat With Sticky Notes)