Using an Email Address as a Business Card

Using an Email Address as a Business Card

The advent of the business card was in France during the monarchy of Louie XIV. The first cards used were actual playing cards with signatures, promissory notes and other comments and were called “Visiting Cards”. This transpired into the current business card through several different juxtaposes of form and content. (http://www.belightsoft.com/products/composer/historyfr.php)

Now with the invention of the internet and the digital revolution the newest style of business card is the email address.

Many have their username reflect a personality trait that they have, or think they have, or wish they had. This is somewhat like the tattoo’s that emboss many individuals in today’s society.

More important though is the use of the email address as an actual Business Card to replace the typewritten, embossed, engraved, colored, two-sided and picturesque cards that are commonplace in addition to the more austere single color, or lack of color(white), and black colored font.

Note the email address of the professional that represents a business.

Jane.Doe@mycompany.com
JohnSmith@ourcompany.com
CJones@thecompany.com
ClarkL@company.com

There is a lot of information available in that email address.

There is the name.

Note that the first two contain the full name and one of them puts a period between the first and last names so there is no doubt about the separation.

There is a last name in all of the above that provides a good starting point even if the remainder of the name is shortened to an initial.

There is the company.

The domain name should provide the link to the company’s web site. This will provide information about the company. It will provide an address, a phone number, a fax number and maybe a staff directory. It will also provide information about the company, what it is and what it does. It has established credibility.

The email address has provided you just as much, and more, information than will a beautifully developed, printed business card. It is also more useful because you don’t have to worry about filing the business card and remembering the person’s name or the company name because you have an address book in your email program with search capabilities and folder differentiation to take care of things like that for you.

More important is that you now do not have to type the email address of that person into the email that you are sending as you will be able to copy and paste or type in a couple of initials and be offered a list of available email addresses that meet that criteria from which to choose.

There is also the other side to the “business email address”.

JanesStore@gmail.com
TheBaker@hotmail.com
and the list goes on.

These type email addresses are fine for personal mail as they engender the relationship of the sender to their audience. However, it does absolutely nothing from a business standpoint.

You don’t have a valid name for the person. You don’t have a company web site address from the domain name. You don’t have the information afforded by access to that company web site. You will just have to wait until the arrival of that infamous paper business card to proceed.

Remember that first appearance. Now it is your email address before it is yourself or your business card.

Plus, every business card that you don’t use saves a twig!