A quick comparison between Paper v/s Digital business cards

Today, sustainability is becoming increasingly important for companies and consumers across all industries. According to research, 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive, while 75% of consumers take corporate sustainability responsibility (CSR) into account when making purchases.

We live in a digital age where we engage with people online and our social media accounts reflect our brand or beliefs. We use social media to vlog, share content-driven videos, and network. Sharing your newsfeed of Facebook or Instagram is a part of your daily activities now as important as brushing your teeth.

The advancement in business cards

Considering the myriad change, when the question popped up to me, whether or not we need paper business cards to network –

My answer was an outright NO!

However, I still don’t refuse that it is a great networking tool. Provided it is in terms of the recent trend – the digital wave.

To give you a detailed insight, here are some points of distinction between paper and digital business cards that will help you analyze why the latter is more efficient than the former:

1. Accessibility

You can hand out paper cards to any person that you meet physically. You need to either mail it to the recipient or meet face-to-face just like the age-old meetings.

In the case of digital cards, however, your clients as well as you just need access to the internet to create, send or view the card. Basically, you can send the cards to everyone you meet digitally.

2. Ease of Storage

Paper cards need to be handed out to clients and potential customers regularly. You always need to have additional cards in your storage in case of a situation where you have to share your business information instantly. The cards keep piling up in your storage and it becomes a bit difficult to accommodate so many of them.

However, a digital business card requires no additional storage space. You can easily send it over emails and text messages, making it easier to manage. With digital cards, you will also be able to send out your information to hundreds of people with a single click.

3. Cost of production

Only a professional graphic designer will be able to create cards for your company that catches the customers’ attention. Hiring these professionals is a huge burden on the company’s financial resources.

Designing a digital business card is almost free of cost. You can learn a few basics of designing software and create a digital card all by yourself. A digital card will save a lot of your company’s money which you can utilize in other activities that will help your business grow. And if you want some detailed features to be included in your digital business card like lead generation, you can always take help from companies like Mobilocard. 

4. The personal factor

It is a known fact that people develop an affinity towards businesses they develop a personal connection with. A paper business card is mostly handed out in person. This results in the recipient associating a personal moment with it.

Digital cards are sent over the internet. Mailing something to a person is a much less touching experience for them than receiving it personally. However, you can always overcome this barrier with efficient networking via social media.

5. Efforts needed to develop

You are most likely to place an order for printing paper cards to third party producers. You just need to provide them with the details you want on the card and the kind of aesthetics you want the card to reflect, the agency will take it from there.

However, digital cards require more of me-work. You need to install designing software and learn about its basics. Then you can spend time mulling over the different design options that will best reflect your company. Although it demands more time than the conventional means, it will be worth it considering the decreased costs.

6. Sustainability

With a rapid increase in global temperatures, a lot of effort is being put to use sustainable methods for different activities. Paper business cards are a big no-no from this aspect. Using them promotes deforestation.

Digital cards are eco-friendly since no trees are needed to be cut down to provide paper. A digital card is a great pick from the sustainability point of view.

When it comes to networking, making great first impressions, and exposing your brand; paper business cards and digital business cards are both excellent options – with their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

While the final verdict rests on you, from the way I see it, digital business cards are a clear winner!