Printed vs. Digital Business Cards: Pros & Cons

Introduction

Marketers will invent new ways to connect with their target audiences in the modern business world. Handing out business cards is a low-cost way to attract clients’ attention. The cards include contact information. Clients or customers can quickly access important contact information. However, for today’s businesses, providing details is not the only purpose of the cards. Modern business cards are intended to impress clients. They have a strategy for using color, typeface, space, logo design, image, etc. These elements work together to create the desired effect.
Some experts contend that the paper card is no longer relevant. They list numerous disadvantages of traditional cards. Digital cards are the way of the future. A recent study of 77% of small and medium-sized businesses in the United States believes that having an internet strategy helps them acquire customers. This demonstrates that the future is digital.
However, both types have advantages and disadvantages.

Printed Business Cards

Pros

• They add a personalized touch.
  People will recall how you make them feel. When you hand out paper business cards, you don’t just exchange contact information. You establish a personal connection and a meaningful relationship. Finally, assisting in the development of a loyal customer base. When exchanging electronic business cards, however, this exchange is frequently lost.
• More room for innovation
  Print provides limitless creative opportunities. Paper business cards can be published in various shapes, sizes, and colors, with specialized finishing options such as Spot UV and foiling. There are numerous options for creating a visually appealing virtual business card to help you stand out. Furthermore, creative business cards are frequently shared further than your beginning intended audience, allowing you to broaden your reach.
• They make an immediate first impression.
  Your target audience’s attention span is only eight seconds, so making an excellent first impression is critical. A physical business card can immediately capture your prospect’s attention. A thick, elevated paper stock (400gsm+) will attract your client’s senses and create a positive impression of your brand’s quality.

Cons

• The cost of designing and printing
  Generating a design that stands out and gets noticed frequently necessitates the assistance of an experienced Graphic Designer. For small businesses, this may be discouraging. You can design your business cards. However, it is difficult for many business owners to achieve their desired results.
• They must be kept up to date.
  A stack of business cards in black and white with spot UV detailing. If your company frequently changes its contact information, incorporates new social media platforms into its marketing plan, or regularly hires new employees, reprinting business cards online can be costly.
• They have insufficient information.
  Because of the small format size, it is impossible to include all your personal and business information on your business cards. Too much information will make the card look cramped and unprofessional. As a result, you must be cautious about what you incorporate and exclude from the cards.

Digital Business Cards

Pros

• Easy to share
  You can efficiently distribute digital business card to your clients and contacts. You must send them the card via email, social networks, text [SMS], or other means. You are not required to shake a client’s hand before handing over your business card. Thus, the convenience of just using digital business documents can be compared to virtual phone numbers, which you can obtain quickly and use to call anyone worldwide.
• Include Media
  Another significant benefit is that businesses can connect a wide range of media with digital cards. They can include videos, survey links, subscriber lists, sign-up forms, etc. This is beneficial in a variety of ways. You promote your company by sharing videos. Because of the variety of media, a client obtaining the card has a favorable impression of your company. It ensures greater participation. You don’t need to hire graphic designers to incorporate media because you can do it.
• Updating Is Simple
  The issue with paper cards is that you must redesign and reissue the cards when information is updated. As a result, they were prohibitively expensive for small businesses. However, this is not the case with their digital counterparts. You can automatically change the status of a digital business card design. You are not required to reissue a new set of cards, nor are you required to redesign them.
• Easily Customizable
  Customizing paper cards is challenging because you must incorporate new colors and logo design elements. The card must then go through the screen printing once more. However, with the help of business card maker software, business cards online can be quickly customized to a brand. Enter your contact information, colors, typeface, and so on, and you’ll have a new business card. There is no reason to go through the moment process of designing and printing.
• Budget-Friendly
  Unlike paper cards, digital cards do not necessitate a significant investment in printing and design. Co-printing print cards on paper are prohibitively expensive for many small businesses.

Cons

• Not Everyone Can Use It
  A significant disadvantage of digital business card purchases is that many people are still not well-equipped to use them. They aren’t used to receiving the cards digitally. Others are confused about how to obtain the cards and contact information, as well as how to save it. As a result, even if you receive complimentary business cards, not all of your customers may see them.
• A lack of personalization
  Because you share such cards in digital format, paper cards’ personal touch is wholly lost. When sharing cards online, the hand gesture, talks, greetings, and other gestures that occur when presenting a card in person to a client are missing.
• Dangerous App>
  If a digital business card implementation contains bugs, it may cause problems when able to share the card with clients and others. So be cautious. You should choose a business card app from a reputable company only.
• Requires Internet Access
  You and your client must have easy Internet access to share your digital business card. The card is rendered ineffective if the client does not have a Connection to the internet or access.

Conclusion

Both digital and paper business cards are excellent options for providing your contact information and leaving a lasting impression. For businesses, both cards have advantages and disadvantages. Your branding strategy will determine their application. The impression lingers in the clients’ minds and shapes their perception of a brand. Digital business cards, like paper business cards, leave a lasting impression.

However, the designers face a challenge here. Digital cards lack the tactile sense that paper-based cards have. A thick card paper, for example, indicates that the company’s services or products are of the highest quality. When using a digital card, this benefit is lost. The virtual business card’s impact on viewers solely depends on its overall logo design.