4 Graphic Design Business Card Statistics that Will Make You Rethink Your Strategy

Graphic designers are presented with two difficulties when it comes to business cards:

• Convincing the client that business cards are worth the expense.
• Convincing the client not to go the DIY route to cut cost.

Why is that, exactly?

An overview of the state of the business card industry might provide a few insights:

Statistic #1 – The number of sales increase by 2.5% for every 2000 cards that get passed out.

When it comes to any kind of marketing, the numbers game definitely helps. This is seen with online marketing efforts, direct mail, and virtually any other tactic there is to generate leads and sales. However, that 2.5% number may not provide the client with a perceived value, which makes it difficult to get them to buy in bulk or at all.

Statistic #2 – 88% of business cards handed out get thrown away in less than a week.

This is a staggering number, one that your client probably can feel when they’re evaluating the ROI of their business card purchases.

If nine out of ten of my cards go in the trash, what’s the point of getting any at all?

This is not the mindset you want your customers to be in.

#3 – 63% of people throw the business card away because they don’t need service.

But there’s the thing—just because those people didn’t immediately need the professional’s service at that time doesn’t mean they won’t. A lot of good a business card would do in this situation if it was thrown into the garbage can long ago.

Statistic #4 – A colored card typically lasts 10x longer than the standard white card.

Well, if 88% of cards go in the trash, but a colored card has ten times more of a chance to stick around, why bother sticking to the utilitarian white business card approach of the 1970’s persuasion? Upgrading your clients to premium cards like plastic business cards or luxury business cards will provide them with greater value in the long run.

Increasing the Business Card’s Effectiveness

This is where the value proposition of your service comes in: you can provide a higher quality product that provides more ROI when growing their business. The more you increase the business card’s effectiveness for your client, the more often they’ll come back to you for repeat prints and other design work.

Solution: The trick is to elevate each design beyond normal expectations. You want your client’s prospect’s to be so impressed with the business card that they feel guilty throwing it away. Ultimately, even if they don’t need service at that moment, the branding and design are enough to convince them to keep it around.

This doesn’t just apply to color vs. white, though. Designers need to also be considering print quality and materials, thinking outside the box to create innovative pieces. Some of the ways you can do that is through:

• Die-cut designs
• Heavier weight card stock
• Layered elements
• Letterpress and embossing methods
• Foil and metallic colored accents