Paper business cards
Pros
Get your attention quickly
A paper-based Digital Business Cards can make a lasting impression from the moment a client touches it. The card’s thick paper is responsible for this effect. The perfect size business card is a sign of high quality products and services.
It is important to grab the attention of clients quickly. To create a business card that grabs attention, you will need to use creative graphic design ideas.
It’s easy to share
It is easy to share paper cards with others. You can simply hand the cards to your clients. Distribute them at a seminar or trade fair.
Establish Personal Connection
You can build strong relationships and personal connections with people by using paper cards. Cards are often shared in happy and warm moments. These cards are more valuable to clients. This helps to build a loyal client base.
Affordable
Small businesses can afford business cards printed on paper. Startups and small- and medium-sized businesses can afford to print their business cards. This is a major advantage for startups. They just need to search for “business card near me” on Google to find a variety of options that will allow them to make a business card with a budget.
Cons
Need Professionals To Design Cards
Many small businesses cannot afford to hire a professional graphic designer. Cards that are memorable and professional can only be created by a skilled designer who has years of experience. New companies with small budgets will not be able to afford a designer at the average cost.
Require Frequent Redesigning
Many companies update their contact information, such as email addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers. They should redesign the card. The reprinting of the new cards is also possible.
Make Use Of A Lot of Space
In a matter of months, paper business cards can become a lot more than a pile of cards if clients keep getting them. They take up a lot of space in an office. Sometimes hundreds of these cards can overwhelm an office.
You Need a Scanner
You must enter contact information when you send someone your contact details. A business card scanner is required.
Discarded in a Few Days
In a matter of days, most business cards made from paper end up in the trash. Many studies show that 88% of these cards are tossed out in less than a week.
Not Environment-Friendly
For paper making, trees in large numbers must be cut. This is why paper business cards can cause damage to the environment we breathe.
Digital Business Cards
Pros
It’s easy to share
It is easy to share digital business cards among your clients and others. You can send the card via email, social media or text [SMS], as well as other methods. It doesn’t take much to shake hands with clients before you share your card. The ease of digital business cards can be compared to virtual phone numbers, which you can quickly get and can use anywhere in the world.
Stand out
You can impress your clients and make them stand out by using these digital business cards. Your business will be different from others who still use traditional paper cards. Make sure your business cards stand out from the rest.
Attach Media
Businesses can also attach digital cards to attach multiple media. You can attach videos, links to your surveys, subscribe lists, sign-up forms, and more. This can be very useful. Share video, etc. to promote your business.
The card gives clients a positive impression of your company. This ensures better engagement. It is not necessary to hire graphic designers to integrate media. You can do it yourself.
You can store the information conveniently
Digital business cards offer a convenient way for you to store all your information in one place. You can access your business cards online, so there’s no shortage of space. Include your URLs, website addresses and social media accounts as well as your phone number, fax number, and phone number in the card.
It’s easy to update
The problem with paper cards is that you have to reprint them every time you change information. This made them expensive for small businesses. However, digital counterparts are not as costly.
You can easily update information with a digital business card design. There is no need to reprint cards or redesign.
Perfect for Contact Management
Digital business cards also offer a great way to manage your contacts. Some apps can scan business cards using an optical character reader [OCR]
The scanner includes a special business card scanner that converts contact information into digital text. The app can either save the information or sync the details with your CRM program.
It’s easy to customize
It is difficult to customize the paper cards as you need to add new elements, colors, etc. Next, the card must be printed again.
With the help of business card maker software, digital business cards can be easily customized to your brand. You simply need to choose your contact details, color scheme, font, etc. and then you can create a new card. You don’t have to go through the tedious designing and printing process.
Cost-Effective
Digital cards don’t require you to spend as much money on printing or designing than paper cards. Many small businesses find printing cards on paper very expensive. Digital cards can be downloaded for free since there is no printing. The card design will cost you some money.
Eco-Friendly
Digital business cards are digital and can be printed without the need for cutting trees. This makes it possible to keep the environment clean and safe for pure, healthy air. It helps to prevent deforestation.
Cons
Not accessible to all
Digital business cards have a significant drawback: a greater percentage of the population is not able to access them. They don’t know how to get digital cards.
Others don’t know how to get the cards and their contact information. Even though you may get business cards for free, not all your clients might be using them.
Personal touch is lacking
These cards can be shared digitally so the personal touch of paper cards is completely lost. Online sharing of cards is a far better option than handing out paper cards.
Risky App
If a digital business card application is not working properly, it could cause problems when you share the card with clients or other users. Be careful. Only use a business card app if it is from a trusted company.
It’s a difficult task
Some people find downloading an app and creating an account to store digital business cards tedious. You can hand out paper cards quickly to clients, in contrast to this.
Email not opened
What happens if the client doesn’t open an email with your digital business card? If that happens, chances are the email is still in your inbox.
Images that are blocked
It could be that the client has disabled images in an email to protect data, or because of a spam blocking mechanism. This will prevent you from using your card.
Internet Access Depends
Your client and you must both have access to the Internet in order to share your digital business card. The card is useless if the client doesn’t have an Internet connection.
We can conclude that both digital and paper-based business cards are great for branding exposure and making an impression. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
You must make sure that your business cards are professional, regardless of whether they are digital or printed. Designhill is a marketplace that offers a variety of design solutions.
After launching a contest, you will have access to hundreds of talented designers. Many design ideas are available at an affordable cost.
Additional Resource:
https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-entrepreneurs-identify-new-business-opportunities/
https://dgs.maryland.gov/pages/smallbusiness/index.aspx
https://www.inc.com/business-opportunities