Two years ago when I first started work on my own I thought about getting business cards. I have a stack of cards from every job I’ve held in the past, and for the most part, even those were given to people who never called or contacted me. They were formal, official looking things. The corporate badge and ID. Most identify me as Randal T. Murray. With the new freelance me I wasn’t sure I wanted to maintain the stiff, formal approach any more. Even so, in the end I relented and had a set of traditional, conventional (although colorful) cards made. I use them infrequently, but I have an answer when someone asks, “Do you have a business card?” Frankly, if you answer “no” to that question, you leave the asker with the impression that you’re not serious about your business. It’s a necessary expense.
I recently picked up two new sets of cards. They’re both different, unusual, and do things that ordinary cards fail at. First, they both have non-standard shapes, which helps to set them off from a stack of others’ cards. And even more important, they make use of the Internet in interesting ways. And they are cards that anyone can create and order online without a designer and for a reasonable price.
Moo
My first new set was the Moo MiniCards. I’m very impressed with them. For $19.99 USD plus shipping you can get 100 cards and each one of them can use a different image on one side. Think of them as a tiny portfolio. I selected to have mine made more simply. The back is black with text in white lettering asking my simple business question, “Who Writes For You?” On the other side I used the black and white Writing Assignments logo, my name, URL, email address and Twitter handle. No phone number, no address.
The online order process was very simple, fun even, and the cards arrived quickly. I am extremely impressed with the presentation. The cards came in a beautiful box, something I might actually carry in my pocket. The quality is excellent. They’re in interesting choice and a good companion card you can slip into other mail and communications, too.
Meet-Meme
Meet-Meme is a very different type of card. It’s actually a “trading card,” more like a baseball card of a collectable card game (think “Magic” or “Pokemon”). These cards aren’t intended to be used just for standard business situations. They’re made to be traded. In this sense, they’re ideal for networking events, especially if you can arrange for everyone at the event to get their own cards. Each card includes its own QR code, which leads to a special page on the Meet-Meme site. Here’s mine: http://mtme.me/739456.
The Meet-Meme cards are shipped in boxes just like playing cards and are on heavy, coated stock. These cards are best ordered in small quantities, just enough for a single event or so, then reordered for future events with updated “stats.”
Both the Moo and Meet-Meme cards are very different from traditional cards. I’ve ordered a lot of printing over the years and one of my basic rules is to order as many as possible, looking for the price breaks. I typically say, “The first 100 will cost you $50, but for a nickel more, you can have 5,000.” But with these new cards you have a great argument for ordering a small quantity of quality cards and keeping the information fresh. I like that.
Note: I received the Moo cards as part of a “Klout Perk” , but I paid shipping. I was given the Meet-Meme cards by the manufacturer, after my friend Jim Raffel saw me tweeting about the Moo cards and recommended them.
Summary:
Moo - Simple online setup and ordering, surprisingly elegant presentation.
Meet-Meme - Great for networking, not necessarily getting business. Fun, short term (don’t order too many at a time), update frequently. Plan an event and have everyone get/trade.
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