Are Business Cards Still Relevant in 2025?
Spoiler Alert! - If you meet people face to face or IRL (In Real Life) my answer is yes you do. If you do all your business development online and rarely meet your potential customers probably not.
I've been going to Business Networking events in Milton Keynes and London for over 20 years. Your business card used to be the only piece of marketing collateral that we're all preprogrammed to give and receive. Let's be honest, things have changed.
The lockdowns caused by the CoronaVirus pandemic have changed some people's attitudes to using business cards. They think they can use mobile phones and digital technology to save money on buying business cards. Some of them also say they’re being more environmentally friendly. Is that really true?
Obviously, as business cards are one of the many products I sell I'm completely biassed so you could choose to ignore my views. Hopefully, if you're open minded you'll read on and let me explain why buying high quality impactful business cards is still very important for you in 2025.
Why can't I just use one of the lovely digital business cards?
They sound brilliant but did you know they use something called Near Field Communication (NFC) to magically transmit all the data on the card into your phone. That's the problem. How do you know what data is being transmitted to your phone.
I recently met a lovely lawyer in Milton Keynes who was very proud of his new NFC digital business card and started to wave it against my phone as a reflex action. I pulled my phone away from him and asked the simple question "What data are you transferring to my phone". His response, from a lawyer, was classic. He said "I don't know, I think it's just my contact details" I told him that if he didn't know I wasn't going to let him go near my phone with it.
I then said, "by the way, because NFC chips work both ways, what data will you be taking off of my phone?" He didn't realise that it was even possible which was shocking. I'm sure you realise that your phone uses NFC to make payments in shops etc. You do need to be cautious around NFC devices.
What's the value of me putting my contact information directly into someone's phone?
How many contacts do you have in your phone already? I have roughly 10,600. I'm never going to find a random contact which has been added unless I remember their name. I won't remember their name because they haven't given me anything with it written on.
Surely I can just use my LinkedIn QR code and let them scan it or I can scan theirs?
Doesn't that sound brilliant? Everybody is on LinkedIn and they'll be impressed with my technological prowess and desire to save the planet.
QR codes are brilliant. The one on the right will take you to all my contact points. There are a couple of problems with that. Do you have a mobile phone signal? If not, can you get onto the wifi for the building you're in? If you can is that safe?
Let's imagine you can get on the wifi and they've successfully scanned your code and gone to your LinkedIn profile. If they don't choose to connect you're never going to find them again. My top tip is once your profile comes up on their phone borrow it and send yourself a connection request. When you receive "their" connection request accept it immediately and then, most importantly, send them a message straight away saying "it was great to meet you at....." and making a comment that they will remember about the event. That may help you stand a very small chance of remembering them and engaging with them in the future. Another top tip, "ring the bell on their profile and set it to all" That way LinkedIn will notify you when they post or comment and you be able to engage with them and be front of mind.
I have over 17,000 first degree connections on LinkedIn. I won't find you again unless you engage immediately.
What can an old fashioned analog business card do that these high tech digital contact methods can't?
If you have it designed and printed professionally it can show the person in front of you something unique. It will be able to deliver your message in your way. It can engage with them using their sense of touch too because it will feel great.
It delivers your contact details at a far greater speed. You can hand over your business card in the same time it takes for someone to just get their phone out of their pocket. You can talk to them about your business and your message whilst they accept your card rather than having to mess about with your phone and all the technology which may not even work.
A business card will be looked at and studied at least twice. Once when it is received and once when your prospect chooses to throw it away. Your contact details may not even be looked at once using the various digital methods. People may hold onto your business card because they value the time and effort you've taken to create it and they think they may know someone to give it to.
Lastly, a business card is one of the lowest cost forms of marketing you can do which means it does not have to sell much for you to achieve a positive return on your investment. If you don't have one you could be missing out on those sales for very little cost saving benefit. Is it worth risking losing sales? I'm actually so confident that your business card will deliver a positive return on investment for you that I guarantee it!
I'd love to know what you think
Regards,
Mark Orr