Everyone who owns a business should have business cards, and you should always carry some with you. They’ve been around for a long time, and they aren’t going away anytime soon. Tried and true, they are a proven, effective direct marketing tool that you shouldn’t be without. Let’s examine the the business card. Here are 6 reasons you shouldn’t be caught without this tool on your business tool belt.
1 . Convenient For Customers
Nothing says inconvenience like asking someone you just met to grab something to write on to take down your contact information. Putting someone to work immediately upon meeting them isn’t the best first impression and will likely be met with a raised eyebrow, an eye roll, or grumbling. Having a clean business card with all the needed information to hand to a potential client is convenient for you AND them, and won’t make you seem unprepared. That card in their wallet will prove more effective than a crumpled napkin with your name and phone number on it.
2 . Versatile and Easy To Share
Business cards are easy to pass out, and easy for a customer to pass on. They can also be placed on countertops, on billboards, and other locations for distribution. If you have a business that ships packages they can be included in the order as a reminder of your business or for the customer to give to a friend; you can even use them for referrals and discount incentives to increase your sales. They are a versatile, multipurpose tool.
3. Face To Face
A face to face greeting, handshake, and handing over your business card is a very personal interaction between you and your customer. Even in the “Digital Age” people still appreciate this more meaningful encounter than a Facebook chat window from a disembodied profile headshot. Talking to clients in person is your chance to show off your communication skills and build a professional relationship. Your card can be a call to action at the end of a good conversation or it can be used to break the ice and initiate the conversation. Either way it is sure to add value to the situation, and you never know when you’ll happen along a potential client so it is best to be prepared.
4 . First Impressions Matter
Both in the face to face scenario or from just finding a business card, that little card is often the very first exposure of your business to someone. Business cards are great at introducing someone to your brand. Use your card to enforce your branding and make a great first impression to spark the interest of potential clients.
5 . The Professional Touch
With cards on hand you are prepared. Without cards you run the risk of appearing unprepared and thus unprofessional. Not having business cards is a choice, and making that choice is sending a message to others. If you won’t even make the small investment of ordering business cards it sends a very bad signals to clients. If shows a lack of investment in your business, a lack of confidence, and a lack of professionalism. Having a business card is the minimal investment if you want to be taken seriously and build an initial trust with your clients.
6 . Affordable And Customizable
Even premium business cards are very low cost forms of advertising. Anyone can afford to have business cards. They have evolved into often very entertaining and elaborate designs. From a wide variety of materials, inks, finishes, textures, and shapes you can make exactly the right card to express the spirit of your business. Business cards can be a fun way to keep your business on someone’s mind.
There really isn’t any good reason to not have business cards. If you are a professional you shouldn’t be caught without them, and you will do nothing but benefit from having professionally designed cards. Don’t be the guy who wrote on a napkin.
Nathan Kendrick
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