Many believe that business cards no longer have relevance because we’ve gone digital. That’s where many are wrong. Business cards still hold meaning because it remains a crucial part of your company. You can even get leads and grow your business. It’s crazy how a small piece of paper can take you places, right? But with correct information and value, you can take your graphic design business cards to the next level. 

Learn about the seven uses and reasons as to how business cards remain relevant even in the digital age and check out examples to inspire you.

 

Setting Up Formality

Your business card is to introduce your company formally to leads or customers. In any business meeting, you want to make a solid first impression. Doing that means you need to come prepared with a business card. That’s a must, and you shouldn’t forget that.

If you don’t have a business card or can’t hand in one, it would create a major blunder for you or your company, so bring a business card anywhere you go. It’s a standard across industries. You’ll never know who you might meet on a personal trip or a hallway somewhere.

Check out this example of graphic design business cards created by a professional graphic designer.

What I like about this one is it’s minimalistic. It proves that your business card doesn’t need frills. Plus, it saves on ink printing too.

The moment you hand out your business card, you help build a foundation of your image to the client. It’s not just the products you show or what you wear to the meeting. A business card sends a signal to the lead on what image you or your company’s trying to convey.

 

Presenting an Image

Your business card reflects you or your company’s image.

Say, your image is professional, then you can stick to the traditional 3.5 x 2 inches business cards with all the necessary information. If you want something elegant, you can incorporate gold, black, or embossed features. Perhaps, you’re quirky, then stray away from tradition and make yourself stick out by redesigning the norm or reinventing the business card.

Part of your image or your company means you want to keep your branding intact, online, offline, digital, or print. Keep it consistent across all channels. For those with brand style guides, I’d suggest sticking to it. Why? Well, you have the following aspects of branding there like

• Typography
• Color
• Iconography
• Photography
• Log

You can increase brand recognition by 80% with color, that is according to a study by the University of Loyola. That’s why you should follow the branding guidelines. It’s how you can remain professional and be someone your lead or prospect can trust

Plus, it’s this way your lead or client can remember you better.

Besides, if your employees have business cards also, they carry the brand with them at all times. They’re part of the brand, and if they have a card, they can help out in growing your company even in the smallest of ways.

Check out this business card for Frontier 337 created by Studio DBC. It seems that the design agency wants to promote the brand as professional and approachable even if they’re a growing investment banking company.

 

Establishing Retention

Ever receive business cards that are just plain simple that you shunt off to the side? If you said yes, it means their business card looks dull. Or perhaps it never sparked your interest. 

Small Business Rainmaker finds, as harsh as it sounds, 88% of business cards given out will be in the trash in a few days. It’s even worse if you have a poorly designed business card because 39% of people won’t reach out to you for your services or products.

That’s why retention is key. Sure, you have important information, but is that enough for your business card? You should keep in mind that your meeting with the lead or prospect is also an opportunity for them to keep your business card.

Another way to maintain retention is design. Refer to graphic design business cards that will help get the job done. Here’s one that challenges graphic design and traditional business cards completely.

So, instead of having business cards printed, Fischer Portugal used a rubber stamp and recyclable materials for an environmental consultant, Andrea Romani that serves as business cards. This will leave an impression on you because it diverts from the traditional style and aligns with the environmental consultant’s brand and beliefs.

For you to remain unforgettable to a lead or client, what information do you need?

 

Disseminating Information

A business card’s primary function is to give out the necessary information about you and the company. So, what do we usually see on a business card?

• Name
• Job designation
• Email address
• Business address
• Office number
• Website

It’s great that you have a business card because you don’t want a lead scrambling around calling reception. Or worse, having an operator redirect them to different departments. The same goes for emails, you don’t want the lead to email your company’s primary email address. It’s better if things go straight to you, that’s why information’s crucial.

Take a look at one of the many examples of graphic design business cards.

Get inspired by how Katsy Garcia created her business card. Instead of the usual format where everything is in a line, Katsy recreated a business card as if it were a chat. It’s an excellent way to show off information since she’s integrating how we’re communicating digitally while handing out information the traditional way.

As you attract more potential leads, you may get more people on board the business through referrals. That’s the beauty of something little and portable. It can get around, making your reach wider.

 

Growing Your Network

When it comes to networking, the first thing we think about is LinkedIn. Since we’ve gone digital, LinkedIn has become the premier site for professionals to connect. Even though LinkedIn exists, many would still prefer getting business cards during events or meetings. Consider it as something tangible.

A business card can act as a referral tool too. For example, you’re in a networking event, or if your client, customer, or lead is a professional networker, they can fish your business card out of their pocket, and hand it over to another person. This way, they can reach you to do some business with you.

Check out this unique business card design from Flow Yoga. They made it look like a Yoga mat, and it’s smart because you can share this with anyone.

In that sense, you’re giving the lead value. But how else can you take it up a notch?

 

Providing Value

One of the primary uses of a business card is to help widen your network. But what your business card is missing is the value you’re providing. Sure, you might talk it all out during your meeting, but what happens after the meeting?

Your business card should act as an extension of your company’s image. However, an unspoken function of a business card is to make it valuable to your leads or potential clients. 

Think about it. Most business cards just give out information. Sure, that’s significant. But, you shouldn’t just limit information at the front of your business card.

Give your clients a reason to flip it around. Put something at the back that will make your lead or client call or email you after the meeting. That way, they can just leave your competitor’s business card in their wallet or keep it somewhere else.

If not, then go for something unconventional. To stand out from others, freelancers or businesses would go in another direction in terms of design and size.

This is when graphic design business cards come in handy by incorporating value in design, like this example from a design agency.

Rethink, Canada made the Broke Bike Alley triple purpose. It doesn’t just serve as a business card. It’s a tool that will tighten or loosen spikes or bolts in a bike. Plus, it can open a bottle of beer. This will not only increase retention, but it helps a biker since they can keep the card/tool inside their wallet.

Besides, add something more that can differentiate you from your competitors. This puts you at an advantage, and your lead can engage with you more.

 

Promoting & Generating Leads

So in case you’re self-promoting or lead generating, the business card is the most powerful tool at your disposal. One of the most popular ways to make it a marketing tool is to add a QR code on your business card. It will enable your lead or prospect to scan the QR code and see what you can offer.

As another option to generate more leads, add a promo code for the business card. With this alone, you can have someone take an interest in your offer. It’ll make the prospect or lead feel like an exclusive customer. Here’s one of the many graphic design business cards that help you generate leads.

Look at how Graham Ashton crafted his business card. It deviates from the regular size, and he even incorporated a discount code when his lead entered the invite code. It’s a great way to help startups or companies to save costs on his app, The Agile Planner.

 

Key Takeaways

Even if we live in the digital age, a business card can still take you far. It remains relevant because that piece of paper holds a value that will get you or your company recognized better offline. Ensure that you place value, relevant information, and great design, so you’re not forgotten and that you can further grow your business.

Don’t settle for a cheap-looking business card. Let Design Doctor help you with more than just your business cards. You can request designs for your social media campaigns, advertisements, and so much more. Get all your high-quality design assets in one month for an affordable price of $349/mo.