With all of the talk about the importance of properly marketing your product or service, it's important not to overlook the most valuable commodity of all: yourself. As much as that beautiful-looking flyer attracts the right type of attention for your product, a business card is designed to do the same for both your professional image and your career as a whole.
But do business cards still have a place in a digital world? In an era where finding someone is easier than ever thanks to tools like social media, do people still need to go through designing, printing, and handing out a business card? The answer is one that might surprise you.
Business Cards: By the Numbers
Just going off of statistics, it's easy to see that the answer to the question "are business cards still an important tool in a digital world?" is a resounding YES. According to one study, there are about 10 billion(!) business cards printed in the United States each year - or roughly 27 million each day.
But diving deeper, it's clear that business cards perform a function that goes far beyond just handing out contact information. They actually serve an important role in your business at large, too. For every 2,000 business cards that you pass out, you can expect your sales to increase by an average of 2.5%. Business cards do everything from show someone you're serious to increase personal brand recognition and awareness.
One of the major strengths of print marketing and the use of business card is that they're physical. They're something tangible that people can hold in their hand and, most importantly, share with friends and other family members. In an era where people are getting bombarded by more digital messages than ever and emails can be deleted in seconds (and people can be muted on social networking sites like Twitter), never underestimate how essential this simple fact really is.
The Power of the First Impression
Just because business cards still serve a purpose does not mean that all business cards are created equally. There are a number of design tips that you can use to make the RIGHT kind of first impression the next time you hand out your card to a customer or at that next big networking event.
StatisticBrain estimates that prospective clients will hold onto a color-filled business card a full ten times longer than they will a standard white card. Color also increases the impact of engagement on a person's ability to follow simple directions; this is an advantage too powerful to ignore.
Approximately seventy-two percent of people say that they judge the company or brand that a person works for based on the quality of their business card. Likewise, thirty-nine percent of those who responded to a survey said that they would choose NOT to do business with someone if they had a "cheap-looking" business card.
Business cards are still essential in a digital world, and that means you need to devote the time to doing them well.
