As a business owner, marketing should always be on your mind. You can never do enough marketing to help raise brand awareness. However, it is important that you focus your time and resources on marketing tools that actually work and help you bring in new customers or clients. While business cards have seemingly been around forever and may seem dated compared to other modern marketing methods, they are still a very viable business marketing tool.
Are Business Cards Still A Viable Marketing Tool?
Business Cards Remind People of Specific Conversations
Business cards can be a powerful marketing tool because they help people remember specific conversations that they’ve had. If you have ever attended a large conference or trade show, you know how difficult it is to keep all of the conversations you had straight in your mind. However, if someone handed you a business card during your conversation, you probably remember more about that conversation than the ones you had in which you did not receive any type of contact information from the other party.
Since you want to leave a lasting impression on someone when discussing your business, handing that person a business card will help your conversation stick in their mind. This way, when they see your card again in the future, they will be reminded of your conversation and how your business can help them reach their goals.
Helps You Appear Professional
Perhaps the biggest reason why business cards are still a viable marketing tool is that they help you appear professional. There is just something about handing someone a business card when they inquire about your company. Being able to hand someone something as simple as a business card can really add legitimacy to your business and show that your company actually exists. Without a business card, other business professionals may not take your company seriously and potential clients or customers may not think you have your act together.
While a business card may not help you turn someone from a casual acquaintance into a new client, it will help you appear professional, and it will legitimize the appearance of your business.
Keeps Conversations Going
One more reason why business cards are still a helpful marketing tool is that they help keep conversations going. When you meet someone on the streets or in a professional setting and start discussing your business, you will want to get them your contact information so you can help them further down the line. If you did not have a business card on hand, you would have to stop your current conversation and either write down your contact details for that person or have them take out their cell phone and enter your information, both of which will kill the current conversation taking place.
Rather than wasting valuable time writing down your contact information, handing someone a business card with all of your pertinent contact info will enable you to spend that time talking about the benefits your business could offer.
While it is important that you constantly think of ways to market your business, you want to focus the majority of your efforts on marketing tools that actually work and provide good returns on your investment. Even though business cards have been around for years, they are still extremely valuable when it comes to marketing a business and should be one of the marketing tools every business owner utilizes.
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- License: Creative Commons image source
Are Business Cards Still A Viable Marketing Tool?
Author Georgina Clatworthy is a former small business owner who now writes on topics relating to business, marketing and communications.