How to Organize Business Cards
Cull your existing collection., Decide how you want the cards to be organized., Copy out a small collection., Store useful cards.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Cull your existing collection.
If you’ve been in business a long time already, you might have a sizable stash of business cards that need to get organized.
Before you start organizing the ones you may still find useful, save time by going through your cards and disposing of all the ones that might not be useful anymore.Get rid of business cards you don’t recognize.
They won’t do you any good.
Get rid of business cards that advertise defunct services or companies.
Save really nostalgic cards (e.g. the card for the restaurant where you got engaged), but set them aside. -
Step 2: Decide how you want the cards to be organized.
You can simply put the cards in alphabetical order by name or company, if that seems most useful to you.
You also might consider grouping them by event or industry, and then alphabetizing them within those parameters.Experiment until you find a system that feels right for you, then stick to it. , If you have just a few business cards and you don't want to digitize them, it’s possible to avoid using an app to organize them.
Get all their information into one place by writing out their information into a reference place you’ll use.If you like using a paper address book, you can transfer your cards’ information into that.
You can also type the information straight into the Contacts feature on your computer. , Once you’ve made sure their information is easily accessible, it’s time to figure out what to do with the business cards.
The “old-fashioned” habit of keeping useful cards, even if you just use a rubber band in your desk drawer, is a good backup for computerized information.A Rolodex is easy to add and subtract cards from, and its rotating motion makes it easy to scan through cards.
However, it is big and bulky, and may add an unintentionally retro look to your desk.
A business card holder is attractive and compact, with individual clear sleeves to hold each business card.
Avoid having to reorganize the whole thing every time you add a new card by leaving several empty slots in each alphabetical section. -
Step 3: Copy out a small collection.
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Step 4: Store useful cards.
Detailed Guide
If you’ve been in business a long time already, you might have a sizable stash of business cards that need to get organized.
Before you start organizing the ones you may still find useful, save time by going through your cards and disposing of all the ones that might not be useful anymore.Get rid of business cards you don’t recognize.
They won’t do you any good.
Get rid of business cards that advertise defunct services or companies.
Save really nostalgic cards (e.g. the card for the restaurant where you got engaged), but set them aside.
You can simply put the cards in alphabetical order by name or company, if that seems most useful to you.
You also might consider grouping them by event or industry, and then alphabetizing them within those parameters.Experiment until you find a system that feels right for you, then stick to it. , If you have just a few business cards and you don't want to digitize them, it’s possible to avoid using an app to organize them.
Get all their information into one place by writing out their information into a reference place you’ll use.If you like using a paper address book, you can transfer your cards’ information into that.
You can also type the information straight into the Contacts feature on your computer. , Once you’ve made sure their information is easily accessible, it’s time to figure out what to do with the business cards.
The “old-fashioned” habit of keeping useful cards, even if you just use a rubber band in your desk drawer, is a good backup for computerized information.A Rolodex is easy to add and subtract cards from, and its rotating motion makes it easy to scan through cards.
However, it is big and bulky, and may add an unintentionally retro look to your desk.
A business card holder is attractive and compact, with individual clear sleeves to hold each business card.
Avoid having to reorganize the whole thing every time you add a new card by leaving several empty slots in each alphabetical section.
About the Author
Ashley Gibson
Brings years of experience writing about home improvement and related subjects.
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