How to Manage Large Numbers of Business Cards Effectively

Last Updated: March 18, 2021

Does it sometimes seem like you're drowning in business cards? Would you like to keep up with your contacts better? A good, current list of contacts can make the difference between effective networking and wasted time.

Steps

1
Plan what you will do with the contacts.
- Will you contact your entire network regularly?
- Do you want them in your phone or computer, or both? If so, do you have a destination in mind?
- Will you toss the paper copies once they're recorded electronically?
2
File the cards themselves. It's old-school, but it's still pretty easy to find card files, and you won't have to worry about a hard drive failing.
- The disadvantage to such hard-copy files is that you can only search on the information by which you filed the cards, so if you filed by last name, you will have difficulty searching large numbers of cards by company.
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3
Type in cards as you get them. If you only get a few cards, or only a few at a time, entering by hand might be a reasonable way to go.
- If the person's email signature includes their contact information, you might also be able to copy and paste or otherwise import it.
- If you're taking this approach, try not to let the business cards pile up.
4
Use a dedicated business card scanner. If you or your business regularly acquire large numbers of cards, you may want to invest in a dedicated business card scanning device. Cards are scanned and then interpreted with optical character recognition software (OCR).
5
Use a business card scanner or scanner app on your phone. Searching for "business card scanner app" or similar will turn up several options.
- Take the picture of the business card.
- Use the app to interpret the information as text and store it in your contacts or other appropriate location.
6
Categorize your contacts into different groups and accounts. This will help you find the right people quickly.
7
Share contact information digitally via Email, SMS, or QR Code. This eliminates the need for paper business cards, or for scanning or retyping contact information.
8
Periodically export all your contacts to vCard or Excel files, and back these files up.
9
Let social media keep track for you. If you are linked or friends with most of the people in your network, the websites where you interact may already keep track of their current contact information. This is an especially good place to check if you suspect that the contact information you have for somebody may be out of date.
10
Add notes to your contacts. What notes you add will depend on how you will use them, but you might include information such as:
- Where you met the person, or the context in which you know them.
- Key words about what the person does or in what industry they work.
- How current you think the contact information is, or when you last updated it.
- Any special things you want to remember about them, such as how they pronounce their name.
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