• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 31, 2012

According to a new Ipsos poll conducted for MOO.com (custom card printer), small business owners (SMBs) are more likely to consider business cards ‘very impactful’ compared to general American business persons (GenBusPers). 34% of SMBs say that using business cards to network is ‘very impactful’, compared to 24% of Americans who use business cards and don’t own a small business.

The average American SMB distributes approximately 40 business cards in a given month, compared to an average of 24 business cards given out monthly by a GenBusPers. Within both groups, those who see business cards  ‘very impactful’ for networking are more likely to distribute approximately 13 more business cards per month compared to those who see business cards as ‘less impactful’.

Six in ten GenBusPers and SMBs typically distribute business cards at conferences, although small business owners tend to distribute them at a wider variety of locations and situations.

31% of SMBs ‘always give out their card when they meet someone new in either a business or personal setting’, while less than two in ten GenBusPers do the same.

Business card distribution appears to have increased over the past five years, especially among SMBs. Six in ten (60%) SMBs ‘currently give out more business cards than they did five years ago’, while more than four in ten (43%) GenBusPers say they do the same.

Among both groups, seeing business cards as ‘very impactful’ for networking attributes to about a twenty percentage point difference (+20 pts) in saying they give out more business cards now compared to five years ago, compared to those who see them as ‘less impactful’ for networking.

More SMBs (40%) strongly agree that their business card ‘is critically important for successfully networking’, compared to only 30% of GenBusPers. Small business owners are also more likely to say:

• Strongly agree that their business card ‘reflects who they are/what they represent (46%, +17 pts compared to GenBusPers)
• ‘Has helped them get more work’ (42% +19 pts)
• ‘Showcases their personal style/brand’ (44%, +22 pts)
• ‘Has helped them get their foot in the door’ (38%, +16 pts.)

75% of GenBusPers and SMBs keep contacts’ business cards at their desk to reference at a later time:

• 25% of GenBusPers and 27% of SMBs scan their contacts’ business cards to have them electronically, or collect them digitally
• 17% of GenBusPers and 22% of SMBs pin their contacts’ business cards to their bulletin board in their cubical or office
• 17% of GenBusPers  and 20% SMBs use contacts’ cards to connect with them on LinkedIn

Among all who use business cards, just under half (46%) are able to design or personalize their own business cards, while more than half (54%) use a standard template for business cards provided by their employer:

• 47% of SMBs say they have a standard template for their employees to use
• 23% allow their employees to design and personalize their own business cards
• 30% of SMBs say they are the only employee for their business.

More than half of GenBusPers (55%) and SMBs (52%) mention using the Internet for networking, primarily via social media (38% GenBusPers /35% SMBs).

31% of SMBs are more likely to believe that the effect of their networking has brought a lot of new business to their company, compared to only 15% of GenBusPers who respond similarly. Six in ten of both groups believe the effect of their networking has ‘brought some new business to my company.’ 30% are likely to say that their networking ‘has not brought any new business to my company’ compared to those who own a small business (10%).

For additional information about the study, please visit here.