The Death of Printed Business Cards: Paper vs Digital
A day of spooky going-ons and toe-curling Halloween related content will be flooding your timelines today. However, we’re focusing on real world things that are really freaking us out, and that’s printed business cards.
The world is becoming increasingly dependant on digital solutions and more time is being spent online than ever before.
We’re here to explain why a smarter way of digitally managing your business cards will benefit you more, compared to the ghoulish paper methods you’re already using.
“My contact details have changed”
Paper Business Card:
This is a common issue with printed business cards. If information changes on your business card, such as a job title or phone number, there is no way of amending that. Instead, you have to throw all your old cards away and reprint another batch, costing time and money.
Contapp:
No problem. Go to the business card you want to edit the information on, click the 3 dots in the corner and edit or add any information as you please. Click save and carry on with your day.
“I can’t share my business card without face to face interaction”
Paper Business Card:
It’s practically impossible to send you business card to anyone unless you meet them face to face. With more virtual events and Zoom calls happening, this makes printed business cards even more redundent.
Sure you can send them your LinkedIn profile, but you’re still missing of of their contact details and no effective way of managing/searching for that person further down the line.
Contapp:
You have the capabilities of sharing your digital business card via face to face interaction with a simple swipe, or you can send your business card to anyone in the world via all messaging platforms (LinkedIn, email, Whatsapp etc). By doing either of these options, you business card will save directly to their smartphone in the Contapp library.
Talk about streamlined business card management!
“I have too many business cards to carry around”
Paper Business Card:
Unfortunately, there is no way around this. You can file them in big folders or as many people do, randomly stash them in wallets or drawer. However, when you do this, there is no quick way of finding the right contact.
More to the point, who wants to be carrying around a big stack of paper cards anyway? They’re likely to be lost or damaged.
Contapp:
There is no limit to how many business cards you can carry on your smartphone. You could have 1,000+ business cards saved on the app and it wouldn’t affect you or your smartphones performance at all. If you have a stack of paper business cards, scan them via the Contapp app and transform them into digital profiles in seconds.
The best thing about storing business cards via Contapp is that your entire library is securely backed-up on the Cloud. Available for free & premium users.
“Is there a quicker way of using information on business cards?”
Paper Business Card:
You have to remember that printed business cards are just pieces of paper with information printed. Which means you are very limited to what you can do with them and it will always be a manual process.
Not very useful if you have a CRM or if you’re in a rush and want to contact a certain person whose business card you have. All businesses and individuals want to have things instantly, so this process may take up some time.
Contapp:
Once you’ve transformed your printed business card into a digital version via Contapp, all contact information is actionable with a simple tap. Simply click onto their digital business card via Contapp and click their phone number or email etc. It’s as easy as that.
“I wish my business card could do that”
Paper Business Card:
This normally comes up which includes digital interaction and benefits that can’t be done with paper business cards. Like we mentioned earlier, printed business cards are just pieces of paper.
Contapp:
One of the major reasons people opt for Contapp is because it comes with digital benefits. Other than having 24/7 access to all your business cards, Contapp allows you to add notes, social media links, profile pictures and more importantly, an interactive way of searching & filtering through your library.
The unique feature of Contapp is that you can save the location of where you meet people when you receive their business card. Now, can you paper business cards do that?
“Finding the right business card is a nightmare”
Paper Business Card:
No matter what method you choose when storing your printed business cards, it’s a long and frustrating process when you’re looking for someone specific. If you’re looking for a group of people, let’s say all Directors or contacts in a specific company, that task becomes a million times more difficult.
There’s no structured way of quickly finding contacts with paper business cards, which is one of the biggest downfalls of printed media.
Contapp:
Using our intelligent search & filter functions, you’ll be shocked at how quickly you can find an individual or a group of people sharing the same job title, for example. Search by keyword or filter by information field, you’ll find the right person in seconds.
To be even more organised, you can create separate groups within the app.
“Exchanging business cards can be hard, especially if i’m running out”
Paper Business Card:
There’s quite a few issues here. First of all, exchanging business cards will never be the same again post-COVID. No one wants to receive business cards, along with potential germs. Hygiene is a massive factor for people moving onto digital business cards, especially those that go to a lot of events.
You’re handing out business cards to everyone you see, which means you’re running low. As a member of staff, it’s not a huge deal unless you completely run out. However, for business owners or freelancers, that’s another big cost you’ll be spending on print if there’s a few members of staff that need a top-up.
Contapp:
Firstly, let’s tackle the hygiene issue we made above. The beauty of Contapp is that it’s completely contactless and requires no physical contact from anyone. When sending/receiving business cards on Contapp, all it takes is a simple swipe.
If you wanted to send your card to multiple people at once, that can be done as well. You can also send business cards via email and messaging platforms if the recipient doesn’t have Contapp. Both options allow your card to save directly to their smartphone.
The next issue to address is printing costs. Of course, with the Contapp app, that’s one cost you won’t ever have to worry about. Instead, you can use that money for something important for your business.
We have a free plan and premium plans start from just £1.33 per month.
“So much paper waste!”
Paper Business Card:
88% of the 10 billion business cards printed each year are thrown away within a week.
Everyone knows that business cards find themselves in so many random drawers, never to be used again. It’s a massive issue, which is another reason why businesses are steering away from paper business cards. They’re not sustainable and all businesses should try to be more environmentally friendly.
Contapp:
One of the biggest driving points for Contapp is to reduce paper waste globally. An estimated 7.2 million trees can be saved by simply switching from printed business cards to a business card management platform like Contapp. It’s a simple change that has a huge impact.
As a business, it benefits you and the way people perceive you if you become more environmentally conscious.
Don’t be Scared to Change
Join us on our journey and help improve the way we digitally utilise business cards in a more convenient and sustainable way. Download Contapp for free today on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
