It’s 2020, and in the middle of the digital age, it’s perhaps difficult to imagine why a business card still has a place in society. For the longest time, they’ve been instrumental in helping businesspeople network with one another.
However, much of this takes place online now. From LinkedIn to Zoom, we’re networking through the web more so than ever before. What’s more, businesses have much more to juggle than just handing out business cards. Search engine optimization, raw materials inventory management, outsourcing and delegating tasks – the list goes on.
However, there’s an obvious and reasoned argument for business cards to remain essential in the modern age. Why are we still using them?
The Personal Touch
There is still something powerful and personal about receiving a business card. Email and online marketing can feel impersonal, cold, and calculated. If someone gives you a card, they are doing so with genuine intent. Handing out business cards isn’t something you can automate.
What’s more, people tend to keep the best cards around. They are handy to refer to in your wallet or bag. There’s no need to go rifling through apps to find details, meaning they are still amazingly convenient.
Get Creative
Business cards are fantastic for making creative statements. Creating first impressions can be hard when you’re trying to sell a business or a service. Therefore, an original business card, such as one which might be an odd shape or which might be holographic, for example, is likely to leave a lasting impression.
Business cards which stand out don’t do so in sheer audacity but in the creativity of their marketing. Many businesspeople will find cardholders and handlers intriguing as they are continuing to use what is seen as a relatively outdated mode of networking. There’s a certain appeal!
It’s Cost-Effective
There is much to be said for business cards being cost-effective. There are printing costs, but cards will last longer than online marketing. Emails will disappear once someone swipes away or deletes them.
Business cards stick around. The best designs are rarely going to be thrown away, and as they are handily designed and cut, they are easy to keep to hand. There are still going to be plenty of people who prefer the physical networking card to the digital alternative, meaning it is certainly not money wasted.
What is the Future for Business Cards?
There are a number of exciting possibilities opening up for business cards in future. For example, many businesses are developing cards which you can scan to create AR imagery from a smartphone. More and more print and design companies are daring to offer intriguing new cuts and designs – such as in unique shapes and colours, too.
While much marketing in the modern age has gone online, there is still a place for physical business cards. Business owners will likely continue to use physical promotion alongside digital means. After all – if they still bring in business, why scrap them at all?
