Physical or Digital Business Cards

While almost every business today is going digital in some capacity, many people still rely or prefer a printed business card over a digital business card.  Everyone's reason on preference may vary but it still begs the question: which one is better, Paper or Digital?

Business Card Basics

Business cards will forever be an integral part of face-to-face networking.  They are an extension of your brand that allows its recipients to gain access to your information quickly and easily.  Depending what kind of information you choose to include, they can also serve as a call to action.

Digital cards are inexpensive and typically only cost the amount of the App.  However, a physical business cards’ cost depends on the quantity ordered as well as printing size, ink used etc.  Custom printed business cards tend to have a higher return on investment (ROI) for a low investment cost, especially when you factor in how it helped you close a deal.

As a general rule of thumb, business cards should include the following:

• Name
• Job title
• Company
• Phone number
• Email address
• Website
• Physical address

If you have additional space, consider adding the following:

• Company logo
• Personal photo
• Company tagline
• Mission Statement
• QR code
• Social media links

As business cards begin to stack up on your desk or work area, most people upload the credentials of the business card into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform for safekeeping or connect with them on LinkedIn to remove clutter from your workspace.

Physical Business Cards

Paper business cards have many benefits to include:

• Opportunity to customize an aesthetically pleasing card that communicates your company brand.  Cards can be printed in all shapes, sizes and colors.

• Always handy for networking events and giveaways at trade shows, physical business cards are touchable reminders of who you are and how you first met.

Some drawbacks of a physical business card include:

• It's hard to update contact information once its printed
• You only have as many cards as you print so you may end up running out of cards when you need them most
• You may have printed too many cards resulting in a lot of inventory

Digital Business Cards

Benefits of digital business cards include:

• Apps allow you to share your details with other users directly or through their email if they don't have the same app.
• Digital cards allow for more space meaning you can easily incorporate social media links, QR codes, pictures etc

However, some of the downsides of a digital business card include:

• Wifi or cellular signal required to access and send your contact information
• Often times you have to pay to link custom domains which could potentially could potentially cost more over time

Closing Thoughts

Like most businesses, there will be a flavor of both should you decide to make the shift to a digital business card.  Change management is never easy so its inevitable that paper and digital business cards will overlap for a period of time.  As long as you are taking advantage of the networking that the cards give, you are using them to your advantage.  Whatever route you choose to embark on, NineTwoThree Digital Ventures has deep knowledge in the digital business card space with a track record of delivering projects on time and in line with your budget 100% of the time.  We come up with original ideas, elegant designs and simple solutions to help drive your business in the direction that matters most, UP and to the RIGHT!