Some say that business cards are passé in the corporate world. The research and personal experiences show that business cards are striving again.
Regardless what some may think, business cards are most definitely not over. Online networking is certainly taking over the business scene, but cards still hold their important role in contact exchange, branding, marketing and sales. They are adapting to new ways of communication with cloud systems, QR codes, design and ways in which we do business. With over 84% people who still hand out cards on their first encounter with a client, we can claim that cards will not be dead for a long time.
1. Physical nature of business cards
Physical nature of the business card certainly helps in advocating its value. The physical exchange creates a connection that cannot measure up to any business social network. It‘s a universal ritual that will stay timeless in the business world. Business card is a presentation of who you are and what you do, many businessmen say that this evokes the feeling of trust. Business cards symbolize a gift, a handshake between two people, without any screens involved. It’s a human, person-to-person connection. No matter how much the technology is striving, most of the biggest deals are closed on a personal meeting. This is simply the human nature.
2. Extension of your brand
Nowadays, business cards are not only used to exchange contacts. They are a show off of your brand. It’s the very first thing that a person you meet will see of your company. So you should impress them beyond expectations. Look at some tips here. If your card is a knockout, the client will create a positive image about your brand and he will almost feel sorry to throw it away. Think about receiving a business card that made you laugh because of the copy, or one that felt nice under your thumbs. You would think: This is interesting, these people are a creative bunch! Engaging a client this way may very well lead to a conversation and then who knows…
3. Direct marketing tool
All the digital media, from banners, e-mail, mobile to social media, are an irreplaceable tools today for attracting leads and raise brand awareness. However, digital tools can’t help you when you bump into prospective clients at the airport, parties, conferences, seminars. If you don’t have a business card on you in these moments, you are probably losing an opportunity to engage properly with a new customer, client or partner. Regardless of the industry you work in, make sure that you always have at least a dozen of business cards to share.
4. Extension of memory
We’ll tell you a story. . Recently, our team went to a conference. Our plan was to reach out to as many potential partners as possible, exchange contacts and create a list of companies and professionals we would contact afterwards. Some of the people we talked to didn’t have a business hard to hand out, and believe you me, we couldn’t remember any of them once we started to create the list. Some of them even invited us to check their LinkedIn profile on the spot. Those we added immediately we managed to track down afterwards. But, in situations where the wifi wasn’t working blissfully or we had to storm off to another lecture, the contacts just disappeared from our memory. Business cards on conferences are an absolute must!
5. Business cards stats
Nothing speaks louder than statistics. So, here are some numbers. Each day 27,397,260 business cards are printed out, according to the research that The Design Inspiration published. For every 2,000 business cards distributed, sales is estimated to increase by 2.5%. This information takes into count that 88% of handed out business cards are thrown away within a week. These are some great numbers that make you think twice before deciding whether or not to print business cards. According to the research, the most common mistakes made with business cards are not having a clear design, unclear information layout, poor quality paper or cards with strange formats (that can’t be fit in a pocket).
Do you think business cards are dead?
