Why Business Cards Are Still Relevant in a World of 'Clouds'!

In this age of ultra-fast on-line connectivity, 'cloud-based' technology and smartphones, many companies both start-up and established may ask - "is it necessary to continue with the use of professionally printed business cards"? For a number of very good reasons the simple answer to this question is an unequivocal "yes"!



A primary key to good business, whether your company is based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or New York, is and always will be 'networking'. Whether you meet a new business contact through a formal conference or through an informal gathering, the first exercise in promoting yourself and your business is the exchange of contact details. The simplest and what can be the most impressive method of making this exchange is through a professionally designed and printed business card.

The key advantages of arranging for your company to be able to make person-to-person first contact with a new 'lead' or potential working partner by virtue of a professionally produced business card are:

•     Imagery is everything! People are impressed by a company's image. A good quality business card conveys the personality of the company and its representative in the simplest and most effective way.
•     A card can act as a promotional, and relatively low-cost, brochure for your company. It is possible for the reverse of the card to carry memorable information about that which your company offers than can be conveyed by word of mouth. A professional business card designer will help you with this work as a part of your card design.
•     A card adds legitimacy to a small or new company. The initial opinion of a potential client is immediately raised if your company has gone to the trouble of producing business cards for its staff. This is relevant whether your company is just getting started, or is long-established. A new company needs to 'set' an image; an established company needs to maintain their image.
•     The card carries a multi-national kudos value that can be almost essential. If you are planning to undertake business transactions in the Far-East, the exchange of a personalised card is seen as more than mere nicety, but has its own etiquette. In Hong-Kong and throughout Japan the exchanging of business cards is the opening gambit in the proposed business deal. To fail at this early stage can actually be a 'deal-breaker'!
•     A card is an economical promotional tool. All companies, large or small, are determined to achieve the best-value solution to advertising and promotion. The investment in high quality card production is by far the most economic and effective method of promotion and advertising.
•     Business cards can be pinned to notice boards in retail outlets to promote a small business and can thereby reach any shopper that passes by and is struck by the card's imagery.

In short, in this era of new technology and ultra-high speed connectivity the place of the professionally produced business card is here to stay. New, or relatively new, business centres such as Belfast in Northern Ireland have new companies which continue to thrive on the use of business cards for promoting their services and products. Small and large companies throughout the world continue to rely upon professional card producers to carry their company reputation to new clients. It is hoped that the reliance of this 'old' technology will continue to thrive beside 'new' technology solutions for many generations to come ensuring businesses continue to succeed.