Recently I was thinking of completing a small project in my house. At the grocery parking lot, I noticed a pickup truck with contractor advertising in it. I stopped and started chatting with the fellow which sounded like a nice guy so I asked him If I can have his business cards so I may call him in a later time. He apologizes and said he does not carry business cards anymore and if I want I can take a picture of the advertising magnet on his truck.

This made me wonder –
what happened to the number one marketing tool used by every business?
Do business cards go extinct in the 21st century?

There are arguments on both sides, some claim paper business cards don’t have a place in today’s digital world while others “old schoolers” say there’s plenty of reasons why they still effective even these days.

What’s funny is that both sides use the same statistics to prove their point

Statistic #1 claim: 88% of business cards get thrown away in a week or less
“That is a lot of business cards in the trash, what the good if the majority of them are thrown away?” the opposing will say. The old schoolers will say “that 12 percent can become customers or send a lead” and honestly if looking at the statistic that says 9 percent of cards are actually added to recipient’s digital contact list via contact management app or similar then after all the card may be gone but stay digitally.

Statistic #2 claim: sales increase 2.5% for every 2000 distributed cards
“not enough increase” opponents say “doesn’t worth the efforts and cost”
OK, Let’s look at the numbers. For a small business with $100,000 annual revenue 2.5% increase represents $2500 while the cost for those cards can be below $150. How’s that for a good investment? Yes, you got to hand out those cards but how much effort does it take to hand it to a person you just talked to or attach it to your presentation? It certainly won’t decrease revenues.

Statistic #3 claim: 39% of people will not do business with people presenting a cheap-looking card
The opposers may tell you “why even bother investing in a professional-looking card?” anyway handing out cheap-looking business cards reflects lack of professionalism.
Understanding that 72% judge you and your business by your card those old schoolers will never print cheap looking business cards. Your professional-looking business card not only provides a great first impression but also a reminder of the impression when the receiver glance at it in a later time.

The general purpose of business cards is to start a conversation and relationship which may lead to business relationship or referrals. There are many online marketers using statistics putting business cards in a negative way in order to promote their contact managing, digital apps, and software. On the other hand, those who support the use of business cards present the same statistics positively to help promote their billion cards industry.

Myself, as a digital and “old fashion” marketer I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with either way of these promoting tactics as long as you keep in mind that the “facts” presented are in the eyes of the marketer.

I believe business cards have their place in the digital era and are here to stay. You definitely should use them as one of many tools in your marketing toolbox.

If you like some tips on how to make your business card stand out and memorable just send me a message.