With the ever-increasing modernisation of the business world, entrepreneurs are opting to digitalise their companies as much as possible. From marketing to sales, it has become commonplace to move many aspects of your business to an online platform.
However, despite this, there are still certain areas of a company that should remain tangible in the physical world. One such example is the business card.
The Importance of Business Cards
Whether you are a fledgeling enterprise or well-established within your industry, business cards still have a part to play in your networking, communications and brand exposure strategies – and we can prove it, too.
To illustrate their importance – and to show why they are still relevant – we've compiled nine reasons that should be critical considerations when it comes to the art of your carte de visite.
Here they are:
1. It's an Easy Way to Give Out Your Contact Information
Rather than having a potential client or fellow professional pull out their mobile phone, open their contact app, and input your information, you could instead hand them a business card – with all of this information ready to go.
With a single piece of cardstock containing everything needed to get in touch with you – including your phone number, email address, mailing address, and website – your newfound connection can easily access your details wherever they are and whenever they need to.
2. Offering a Business Card is More Personal Than Sharing Your information Digitally
In addition to being a much easier way to pass along your contact information, a business card is far more personal. This is because to give someone your card, you have to be engaged in a face-to-face conversation with them.
By taking the time to create a personal connection with the person taking your contact details, you are cementing the possibility that they will use it to reach out to you in the near future.
3. Business Cards Show That You Are Well-Prepared
Having your business cards on-hand is a sure sign to both potential clients and fellow professionals that you always come prepared.
It adds weight and credibility to your position and suggests that you are organised enough – and take yourself seriously enough – to have cards prepared and made, and that you are always on the lookout for a potential opportunity to better your business.
4. You Can Make an Impressive First Impression
Producing a business card upon request creates a very positive first impression. Indeed, this notion holds particularly true if you are in the early stages of your business, as you are still in the process of growing your network. By ensuring that all the potential ways you can be reached are clearly labelled on the business card, you are emitting a sense of professionalism that will draw others to you.
5. You Have an Opportunity to be Memorable
Handing out a business card is also an opportunity to make yourself stand out, especially if your card design is a step beyond the average. Depending on your line of work (and thus, what is and is not perceived to be 'acceptable' to your client base), you can be more memorable by altering various design aspects, such as the card's shape, the weight of the cardstock used, its colours, (legible) fonts, and even its dimensions.
6. It's a Low-Cost Business Tactic
Of all the large-scale offline marketing strategies that you and your business may decide to adopt, having a stack of business cards readily available for distribution will likely be among the cheapest of these expenses. Also, by having a card, an in-person meeting is much more likely to solidify a relationship with a prospect.
7. It Helps Develop Business Brand Marketing
As previously mentioned, a business card can be customised to stand out. Thus, you can utilise your card as an extension of your branding when converging such aspects as colour, fonts, and levels of simplicity or complexity.
Even when investing more heavily in your business card (to make it stand out even further and adhere to your company's niche marketing plan), the card itself is still a marketing tactic with an impressively high return of investment.
8. Business Cards Help Make You Easier to Refer
Obtaining referrals from clients that you already trust and work well with is a great way to attract further business, and this is all the more likely to occur when you have a business card that you can ask clients to pass on.
This is because when your company's name is mentioned as a possible solution, the person receiving the referral may forget or overlook it. However, when presented with a physical card that makes it simple to get in touch with you, it makes it easier than having to Google your business or find you on social media in order to initiate contact.
9. It's a Great Way to Help You and Your Business Network
At industry conferences and events, handing out business cards is the ultimate way to network, as every single person you give your card to could be a possible client in the future – and even act as a gateway to other clients.
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Although technologies evolve, practices change, and trends come and go, the importance of business cards won't diminish any time soon. As the reasons above demonstrate, a business card that you can share with potential clients and other professionals only serves to strengthen your image.
As mentioned, this holds whether you are at the head of a developing business, or one that has already been established for decades; either way, in-person contact exchanges will always be superior to their digital counterpart, even in today's business age.
What other benefits are there to handing out business cards in 2020 and beyond? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.