It’s no surprise that many businesses transitioned into the digital landscape for 2020 due to the pandemic. Business owners had to evolve their own companies to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances. This certainly forced them to lose both long-time and future clients without the proper means to send and share their information fast enough. One simple way to battle this problem coming into the new year? Business cards.
In the era of several advancements in technology and social media, networking has become easier than ever. Businesses set up their own pages and let the consumers flock to them. This is not always the case, however. Actively exchanging information with potential clients is still the best path towards making a business flourish. Whether in physical or digital business cards, it is still a relevant tool in a company’s arsenal.
Physical Business Cards
Countless business people own the opinion that traditional business cards have become outdated. With all the digital alternatives available, it seems counterintuitive to invest in these relics. What many of them fail to see, however, is that these physical cards are actually timeless, effective ways to market a business.
Making It Personal
Physical business cards exude a genuine sense of professionalism that their digital counterparts tend to lack. Nothing gives off formality and respectability than handing over a square card stock with designs and letters embossed by hot foil stamp machines. This is sure to leave a powerful, lasting impression when establishing connections.
It’s also important to consider that not everyone prefers to go on social media. Keeping a physical business card handy for more old-fashioned audiences could essentially help to expand a business’s client list.
Keeping It in Style
These types of business cards offer a great avenue for promoting a particular business’s branding. Just because the act of exchanging cards can seem dated, the designs to be put on them shouldn’t have to be the same way. There is always enough room to get creative, especially with the help of multiple design applications.
Minimalism, interesting typography, photo-centric, or even going three-dimensional are innovative ideas to advertise a business. Every intentional detail can elevate the sophistication of a simple card that will make it all the more memorable. The more creative cards are sure to be passed around, which is free marketing in itself.
Digital Business Cards
On the other side of the spectrum, digital business cards have recently been on the rise, especially with people having the option to work from home. The main advantage that these business cards have over the more traditional ones is shareability. Given the vastness of the digital space, it can easily be communicated through email, messaging apps, social media, and texting. Businesses are sure to reach a wider audience by going digital.
Hands-Off
Given the pandemic’s current circumstances, digital business cards offer a safer way of exchanging information. Its contactless characteristic eliminates the need for physical interactions, which significantly reduces the risks of transmitting viruses. This is all the more crucial, especially with the realities that COVID-19 introduced.
Virtual events and online meetings have also become the new normal for professionals seeking to create connections. Having the option to send out a link or a QR code to one of the attendees will easily redirect them to a particular business or person’s contact information—convenience and efficiency all in one.
Limitless and Dynamic
Visually, incorporating enough information in a digital business card is boundless. As opposed to physical cards, which restrict details from being cramped in such a small space, these digital counterparts can include all the content an individual deems necessary. It is also much easier to update specific pieces of information should the need arise.
Running out and reprinting an entire batch of cards is entirely removed from the equation, significantly reducing costs. This essentially allows businesses to allocate funds for more important matters like bolstering marketing strategies. Sustainability is also a huge takeaway for digital cards because, frankly, physical cards use way too much material.
What to Go For
Suffice it to say, choosing one business card over the other is a meaningless debate. Both have their fair share of benefits and weaknesses. Physical business cards have been in use ever since there have been businesses to market. Digital cards, on the other hand, allow businesses to adapt to the matter of living in a time of a global crisis.
It would be more appropriate to say that one type of business card supplements the other. Regardless of preferences, one thing is for certain: business cards are a necessary investment for anybody.
