Do Business Cards Still Work As A Marketing Tool in 2024?*

The humble business card has been on a wild journey. When first invented in 15th Century China (yes, actually!) they represented the sole way to advertise your services. Skip ahead a few hundred years and business cards grew to become even more powerful. The the 90s and early 2000s they continued to be one of the biggest marketing tools a company could have. What better way of attracting clients than by handing out cards with your business information on them?! 

Take another leap in time and we’re in 2024. The world is dominated by digital marketing technologies and companies can promote themselves in any number of ways. Concepts like SEO and social media marketing consume most marketing budgets while businesses are more focused on marketing their websites than going out and drawing in clients through traditional means. 

It makes us ask the question: do business cards still work as a marketing tool in 2024? All the logical signs point to “no” – but that might not be the case at all. 

Business Cards Are The Ultimate Physical Reminder

One of the ultimate marketing goals is getting your business in someone’s mind and keeping it there. If you can’t convert a lead right away, you want to ensure they remember your company at a later date. Business cards serve as the ultimate physical reminder in this regard. 

Hand one to someone and they’ll keep it on their person. It could be in their pocket, wallet, or bag – eventually, they’ll see it again. This friendly reminder might make them think “Hang on, maybe I should give this business a call!” There aren’t many marketing tools that continue to be beneficial after you’ve used them, but a business card is the exception. 

Business Cards Hit Peak Form At Networking Events

A business card still has a vital role to play at networking events. What are you going to do; show everyone your business website?! Are you going to say “Follow me on social media to learn more” to everyone you meet? 

No – you’re going to hand out some business cards. It’s the best way of meeting people and forming connections at networking events or conferences. Again, you distribute a friendly physical reminder for them to look at later on. No matter how many years go by, business cards are still the king of networking events and you can’t attend one without bringing a handful. 

Business Cards Have Evolved To Influence Web Traffic 

We touched upon digital marketing and the idea of generating web traffic in the intro. It’s one of the things all marketers are obsessed with as traffic creates leads that can generate customers, etc. 

Don’t discount the humble business card when it comes to driving traffic to your site. You can make the most of printing services to craft a card with your website written on it and a QR code taking people straight to a specific page. They scan it with their phone camera and are automatically on your website. Viola; you’ve created a new traffic source. 

That final point is one we should focus on a lot. Business cards are evolving and adapting to the times, so they continue to stay relevant. Even the more traditional business cards still have roles to play as crucial marketing tools, so don’t discount them yet!