Are Business Cards Dead? Here's Why You Still Need Them

Business cards may seem to be going down the road that classified ads, paper road maps, floppy disks, and the blackberry messenger have gone before. After all, it is way easier to just write down contact info on your smartphone, find any company or employee on social media, or just find all the information you need with a lightning fast google search. 

Sure, business cards had an important place in face-to-face interactions but this importance has diminished in 2020 due to the need to move almost all aspects of business to the digital realm. 

But the truth is that business cards are still an essential part of any successful venture. 

Here is why you still need them: 

Business cards add legitimacy

People only do business with people and companies that feel trustworthy. And to gain that valuable status you need to take care of every detail surrounding your business. This includes having a professional email address instead of something like anon88630_33@freewebmail.co.us; your own domain name instead of company.geocities.com; and for freelancers, digital nomads, remote workers, etc, it is important that you actually have a business address, which doesn’t necessarily mean you need to rent out expensive office space. 

These days there are great ways to solve this issue such as getting your very own virtual office, anywhere in the world.  

Culturally important

In some countries, business cards remain culturally important. For example not having a business card in Hong Kong is a certain way of offending a prospect or business partner there. Also in Japan your company will be judged by the business card you present, and if you don’t even bother presenting one then your chances of doing business there will be zero. 

Networking

Despite all the technological advances that have made it possible to grow a large global network of valuable contacts, face-to-face contact remains the most effective way to create solid business relationships. Business cards are still a very important tool that facilitates these in-person interactions. 

Tried and true method

There is no faster or easier way to convey your business info to another person than handing them a business card. And even though computers will definitely get ever smaller and faster, the business card will be hard to beat in this aspect and therefore will remain relevant for many years to come. 

Make it count

Business cards have definitely evolved through the years. Today there are a variety of options when it comes to materials, fonts, printing techniques, shapes, and sizes you can choose from to make your business card stand out. 

Also make sure that the information you put on the card is transmitting a professional and reliable image to anybody you give it to, such as an address at a well known office building in the relevant market you are trying to get into. 

So it is an excellent idea to take advantage of this and get a business card that represents your values and branding next time you exchange one of these little rectangles.

About Andrés Sanjose

Andrés Sanjose is a writer and editor based in Guatemala. He previously lived in Berlin for 10 years where he witnessed the birth and amazing evolution of the Virtual Office phenomenon, while working as a freelancer in the german capital. He is very interested in what the future holds for this exciting industry and loves to write about it.