Maximising Networking Potential And Business Card Maintenance

As one of the simplest and lowest cost forms of marketing, business cards represent a physical and low-tech way to advertise and communicate with other like-minded individuals (in the sense that they are involved in the same line of work as yourself). They are an extremely powerful networking tool and no matter what industry you’re based in, networking skills are extremely useful.

In the videogame blogosphere they don’t help generate more business in the form of view counts or repeat readers, not without handing thousands upon thousands of them out. Instead they are used to build network links. They can be used to maintain relationships created through introductions made at events through being used as reference for contact details. When the recipient thinks back to the time they were given the card and feel they should contact the owner, they use it like this. They can be used to trigger further communication as it is often good practice to contact people whose cards you have received. Aesthetically they can add to the image of an enterprise (in this case, a website). An attractive and/or innovative business card is sure to be remembered and possibly talked about.

Such links are used ‘behind the curtain’ in the form of something that aren’t quite favours but are perhaps better described as professional and mutually beneficial courtesies (for example, if two individuals respect the work of each-other it might be beneficial to plug each others’ material when appropriate). Of course business cards are completely useless if you lack people skills or social tact. They also help start and build friendships which could become useful, as it’s human nature to place the interests of a friend above those of a complete stranger. But I won’t go into that.

I like to think I have a fair amount of social sensibility and I get along with most people without trouble. Which is why I make an effort to keep cards on me on the occasions I am lucky enough to be able to attend videogame-related marketing/public relations/community events.

However, NG‘s recent rebranding to NZ has given me a problem as I still have a stack of Negative Gamer cards. With this in mind I felt it prudent to make some amendments to them whilst maintaining an aura of quality and professionalism:

As you can see I have expertly employed the skills I picked up whilst studying Graphic and Product Design at GSCE in high school by altering the Negative Gamer card with a 69p bottle of ‘liquid paper’ from Paper Mate (none of that brand name Tippex stuff. I’m not a rich king).

Front, Back.