Back in the day, when people didn’t have access to platforms like LinkedIn, business cards were the only way to network with your leads.
However, that’s not to say that they are completely obscure now. In fact, it is farther from the truth. Business cards are still and are likely to remain relevant forever.
Don’t believe us?
Then how do you suppose business card scanning apps like ScanBizCards getting so much traction? The fact that a huge number of audience is flocking to use such apps tantamount to the popularity of business cards even today.
This gives way to another question — despite the tremendous rise of social media, why are business cards not dead yet?
Read on to find out!
1. Because Our Memory Still Sucks (Duh!)
This much is obvious, right?
As the years go by, our attention span isn’t getting any better. If anything, it is relegating even more. In 2015, a study conducted by Microsoft revealed that the average human attention span had dropped to eight seconds, down from twelve in the year 2000.
Just introspect yourself… how many times have to met important prospects at business events and when reached home, thinking that now you will follow-up with them through LinkedIn, you end up forgetting their names?
Don’t you wish that you had collected their business cards? Need I say more?
So, if anything, we need business cards now more than ever. And don’t worry, collecting business cards doesn’t mean that it is going to hinder your networking opportunities.
You can communicate freely at business meetings without worrying over saving the contact information from the acquired cards. Instead, the best thing to do is to install a business card scanning app in your smartphone so that you can quickly take a picture of the business card which then can be directly exported to your CRM with all the important contact details intact.
2. Business Cards are always accessible
From your business website to your social media pages, none of these things are immune to WiFi cut or interest dead zones. Business cards, on the other hand, are pretty much accessible at all time and at all places.
Just imagine a scenario where you visit an important conference, meet some potential clients, have a quick conversation, and ask them for their LinkedIn page. However, you realize that your phone battery is dead. Now, you can’t even save their contact information.
But, the traditional business card saves the day! Next, they hand over their business card to you… yes, it’s that simple.
Business cards can be viewed irrespective of any physical shortages, and they are always working for you unless you end up losing them. However, for that also, we have discussed a credible solution, that is to use a business card scanning app to keep all your contact details intact.
3. Business Cards make you look professional
No other form of contact medium can make you look as professional and legitimate as your business card. And as a matter of fact, people have a penchant of trusting businesses that seem reputable. Therefore, having a formal as well as a creative business card is one of the best ways to show that you are running a reputable business.
Now, when I say that business cards make you look professional, I don’t mean that they have to be boring and dull. People often mistake the word “professional” with dull and staid. But you have to be creative as well as professional at the same time.
The goal is to make a memorable first impression with your business card. You can use various creative ideas for your business cards to make them more compelling. For instance, you can use metal business cards to create a long-lasting impact and to fuel the conversion.
4. Business Cards exude your preparedness
What would you do if someone asks for your contact information in an important business event? Would you write it down on a napkin and then hand it over? What if their battery is dead? This doesn’t sound like the most professional thing to do.
So, rather than scrambling around to find a pen and a paper to write on, the best thing to do is to keep your professional business card in tow. It resonates with your work-ethic and shows the client that you are always prepared.
5. Business Cards add a personal touch
We know that smartphones are now an integral part of not only our personal life but our professional life as well. However, one still cannot refute that they are highly intrusive.
It doesn’t bode well for your otherwise flowing conversation to interrupt it just to type in each other’s contact details. It takes away from the personal touch of the conversation.
You will have a much better chance of connecting with your prospect if you don’t fret about exchanging contact details. Instead, what you can do is to simply exchange your business cards when you are about to take leave.
Business cards serve as a tangible reminder of your meetings juxtaposed to a hastily entered contact number on your mobile phone.
Conclusion
So, these were some of the reasons that implicitly prove the immortality of the business cards. Now, with the influx of some of the best business card scanning apps in the market, they are likely to thrive even more. And why not? They are cheap, portable, and most importantly, easy to hand out. So, there’s no reason to disregard business cards and all the more reasons to have one.
It is, therefore, safe to say that the conversations are always going to end with, “Can I have your business card?”
However, don’t interrupt the conversations by trying to save the contact details in your smartphone as soon as you receive a business card. Just collect them throughout the business event and save them later on with the help of an effective business card scanning app.