Did you know that almost 88% of the corporate networking you are doing for your business is a complete waste of time?
This is the percentage of business cards that get thrown away a week after corporate networking events.
It is painful to see most of the work you put into making contacts going to waste. Not to mention the time and resources that go into designing and printing business cards.
But there’s a solution – get your business a digital business card!
In the wake of recent technological advancements, digital business cards have gained ground and are slowly phasing out the traditional business cards.
A myriad of factors have contributed to this, one of them is the digitization of market networks.
Various service providers have taken different approaches to designing digital business cards. Early incarnations of the service included creating photo albums of the actual business cards. Recent versions integrate geolocation with gamification networking solutions.
Why is Your Traditional Business Card No longer Effective?
Traditional business cards have been around since the 17th Century. They have been so ingrained in our culture of doing business that it can be tough to imagine a corporate world without them.
No wonder custom card printing and design is such a huge industry.
But despite their exploits over the years, traditional cards no longer cut it in the modern corporate world.
Today, they represent nothing but a good example of when a “it’s-always-been-done-that-way” mentality lets you down.
The way people and businesses connect is rapidly changing and with that change comes a new way to share contact information. You may love your business cards and even invest a lot of time and money to make them attractive to prospective business partners, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are working for you.
Networking with a Digital Business Card
Networking is much more effective with a digital business card.
When you send out these cards, the client will always have your contact info because the card is electronically stored and usually linked to your social media profiles such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
So even if they don’t need your services/products immediately, they are likely to contact you in the future when they do. This allows you to generate business leads in the future (this is the whole point of networking).
A digital business card can also help to secure potential, but doubtful, clients and partners. Unsure business contacts are more likely to contact you if you issue them digital business cards as it requires less commitment and formality than a phone call or an email. These cards should be linked to your social media pages, so that clients can easily reach out to you.
Can Digital Business Cards Be Used Together with Traditional Business Cards?
Absolutely!
If you are still having some success with your traditional cards, or you simply can’t ditch the charm and etiquette of issuing a physical business card, you can still combine the two to make your networking even more efficient.
Most people think that digital business cards are here to wipe out their traditional counterparts. That isn’t true.
A digital business card is simply a tool used to make networking more effective.
While they represent an evolution of an essential culture of doing business, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they should instantly replace traditional business cards. If anything, history has taught us that evolution is a slow process that usually takes centuries.
So don’t discard your traditional business cards just yet.
Let the digital business cards supplement them instead.
The Pros and Cons of a Digital Business Card
The Pros
A digital business card has the following advantages:
1. Unique
With digital business cards not fully integrated into the corporate world, there is a good chance that you might be one of the few business persons using digital business cards in your area. This sets you apart from your competitors and piques the interest of prospective clients, business partners, or investors.
2. Cost Effective
Digital business cards are free to create. As such, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money on designing and printing business cards. Also, a digital business card can’t be lost, meaning you will have to issue it only once.
3. Smart Changes
If for some reason, your business address or phone number changes, you won’t have to print a whole new batch of business cards. Instead, you will only have to update the information on your digital business card, which is free and fast.
4. Easy to Issue and Forward
You can easily send a digital business card to a large number of people with a single click of a button. Your recipients can also forward your card to their contacts by simply sharing the link.
5. No Apps Needed
Recipients of your digital business card don’t have to download and install any mobile applications to view your card. Anyone can view your card the moment they receive it.
6. Eco-friendly
You get to contribute to saving the planet by going paperless with your business card. With forests diminishing at an alarming rate, there has never been a better time to contribute to the noble course of taking care of the environment. Go digital today and save a tree!
The Cons
Digital business cards have their own share of challenges. So before you go digital, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
1. Internet Access Needed
You and your recipients need internet access to send and view the cards. Creating, viewing, and sharing digital business cards can be challenging if you (or your clients) are in an area with no or unstable internet connection.
2. Limited Design Options
Unfortunately, you cannot customize your digital business card as much as you’d like to. This leaves your card looking like any other and may cause potential clients or investors to ignore it.
3. Blocked Mails
In most cases, you will have to share your digital business cards via email. The problem is, many people tend to block images in their mail to prevent spam emails or just to save data. In such cases, your card may end up in the spam box.
The Future with Digital Business Cards
There is no doubt that digital business cards are the future of corporate networking.
With the number of digital firms and businesses on the rise, networking will soon be fully digital and these cards will be indispensable.
The business world is fast approaching full digitization, an achievement that will lead to more transient working and business relationships. This will also be reflected in the way business people network, hence, the need for digital business cards.
You can expect digital business cards to be fully customizable as entrepreneurs continue to realize the value of unique card designs. Other challenges associated with digital business cards, particularly the need for internet access, will also be solved soon because the internet connectivity is becoming stronger each and every year.
For the millennials, the concept of physical marketing continues to lose meaning as most aspects of their lives are deeply integrated with the internet and social media.
As such, traditional modes of corporate networking such as the use of traditional business cards are likely to be phased out as more young entrepreneurs enter the corporate scene.
Freelancers and students are another demographic that will contribute to the shift from traditional business cards to digital ones. For them, digital business cards represent a cheap way of exchanging contacts without having to commit to buying and designing physical cards.
Although there are free options for obtaining a physical business card, they are not easy to come by and when they do, they come with little customization capabilities. On the other hand, digital cards represent the only affordable option for creating high-quality business cards with unique designs quickly.
The rise of creative industries will also contribute to the paradigm shift from physical to digital business cards.
For those currently using digital business cards in this sector, the benefit is twofold. They not only enjoy all the benefits of a typical business card, but also get a chance to create a direct link to their portfolios so that prospective clients can click through their products.
This means that entrepreneurs in the creative sector get to market their products while networking, making it easier to secure commissions.
As the sector continues to grow, so will the demand for digital business cards.
The future of corporate networking is bright with digital business cards.
Get Your Business a Digital Business Card Today!
Digital business cards are here to stay.
However, they don’t seem to have replaced the traditional cards just yet. As digital cards become more advanced and more customizable, they will surely phase out traditional cards.
In the meantime, you can secure a digital business card as a way to stay ahead of the curve, and save time and money in the process.
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