Getting started with digital business cards is simple, but making them a practical part of your business strategy takes a sharp vision and creative thinking.
In the next few minutes, we'll bring you up to speed on the value you can find in digital business cards and how that value can positively evolve the way your business and employees network.
What are digital business cards?
Simply put, a digital business card is the digital version of your paper business card powered by modern technology.
With the ever-expanding role of technology in business, the need for digital networking tools, enhanced interactions, and information sharing has become a necessity for success.
These days, there aren't many folks who still do business without a smartphone or internet-connected device (There are people whose entire company operates on their phone).
The goal of digital business cards is to merge the traditions of the business card with the tools and platforms that dominate modern business (and the places your client's work). This modernization was made possible by drastic improvements in technology, peer-to-peer interaction, and global initiatives to modernize businesses (think green).
Digital business cards (DBC) came into form in 2021 and will continue their growth into 2022. As more businesses transition into the digital age, the need for new mediums will expand with digital business cards along for the ride.
Here to stay is the eye-to-eye interaction that makes the business card such a unique tool. The introduction of digital business cards doesn't seek to replace that. With digital business cards, you focus less on the information and more on the people you meet.
The value of digital business cards lies in their modern approach, digital presence, and reduced environmental impact. These attributes make them an excellent asset for small, expanding, and modernizing businesses around the globe.
Discovering the value for your business
The real value of digital business cards lies in their limitless nature.
Digital business cards are digital touchpoints, methods for lead generation, a greener alternative, and much more. Use them for events, expos, or any other situation you might discover.
There are points of value for every business with a bit of thought.
Teams worldwide are adopting digital business cards to help solve initiatives across the business landscape. We've seen adoption for endeavors such as lead generation, modernization, employee growth, and green initiatives, to name a few.
Now we are a little biased here atSocial Card, but the truth is digital business cards are great tools for businesses of any size and any industry!
Digital business cards are always available.
Availability. The name of the game when it comes to business cards. You never know when you might have your next networking opportunity. Most professionals have been in a situation (or two) where they wished they had business cards with them.
Reflect on this. You meet a great potential client without your business cards and don't have anything on hand to help foster the connection. You then fumble around trying to share contact info, LinkedIn, or emails. It's aggravating to think about, and we know how important first impressions are to any business interaction.
With digital business cards, this headache is never an issue your team will worry about again.
For most business people, their phone is an extension of their body, a lifeline of connection to their work, a tool of limitless potential, and now a replacement for their paper business cards.
The availability and presence of digital business cards can grow and expand the value of a first impression. They are moving the activity beyond just a handshake and formality.
Digital business cards are always waiting, always available, and in your pocket at all times. There is no longer a need to refill your wallet, re-print your information, or spend resources on print design.
Digital business cards are green.
Consumers and the general public are increasingly engaged in building a greener future. With that comes the concentration within organizations to introduce tools and processes to help reduce the environmental impact of business on the environment. Just a little can go a long way!
It's without mention that the overuse of paper has strained global ecosystems. We've estimated that roughly10 billionpaper business cards get printed annually, and a large majority of those end up in the trash within a week. These statistics are staggering and hard to put into perspective, but that is equivalent to approximately120,00 treeseach year.
With digital business cards, your business can gain a positive return on investment for more than just your bottom line. With every interaction using a digital business card, your team makes a tiny step in a greener direction.
In a heightened world of awareness, these are the little things consumers notice, and with some effort, they might be the catalyst to a great business relationship.
Digital business cards are affordable.
It should come as no surprise, but digital business cards usually run far cheaper than the traditional paper business card. For the price of a lunch outing, you can give your team access to digital business cards that can be shared and updated anywhere, anytime.
With the introduction of digital business cards, there is no longer a need to pay hundreds of dollars per team for a paper business card that will likely end up in the trash or outdate itself.
When paired with the extended platforms, mediums, branding, and content capabilities of digital business cards, you'll find a value ratio with digital business cards that fit right into your business!
Have any questions about the affordability and benefits of digital business cards? A member of theSocial Cardteam would be happy to chat!
Empowering your team with digital business cards
Your employees are the stars of your show, your best advocates, and your number one asset.
Creating Employee Advocates
Investing in the tools to take your team to the top can provide limitless benefit to the bigger picture. Being an advocate of your employee's success can have immeasurable benefits on company sentiment and support.
Digital business cards give your team the tools they need to become the best networkers in the industry. Building honest connections with every interaction can improve any business.
Deploying digital business cards to the talented people that keep the wheels turning is an investment in more than just your business. The investments you make in your people grant them the ability to build networking confidence in themselves and their brands.
The network effect of your engaged employees allows them to be your greatest advocates, salespeople, and business assets. Simply put, teamwork makes the dream work.
Employee networking at scale is a challenging task.
It should come as no surprise that networking both internally and externally is essential to performance, but determining the information to share, the platforms to support, and managing brand equity can be a complex task at scale.
While putting together an internal team of marketers, designers, and IT professionals is a valid option, establishing and maintaining networking tools and content for use by your team is no simple task. The investment necessary to dedicate resources to such a task can be complex to validate.
Service providers like ours here atSocial Cardhave put in the work of building a digital business card platform for your business to solve these challenges at scale.
A commitment to employee networking helps grow businesses, and employee growth helps build a lasting culture of success. With the implementation of a platform built to provide tools that benefit both the employee and organization, you can rise to the success of the most engaging brands.
The power of modern tools with a tradition we all cherish
A handshake and business card have been the start of countless business relationships, deals, and opportunities for centuries, and most still cherish the value of the event. The challenging task of digital business cards is to merge that experience with the new tools of the trade.
Brand powered business cards like never before
Your brand is one of the essential parts of your business, and always maintaining a quality representation is critical to the public's perception. Here atSocial Card, we understand how important your brand is to your business, and we've built a growing set of tools to merge the pillars of your brand with your digital business cards for a white-label feel.
Brand awareness. With digital business cards, your team can continually help reinforce the pillars of your brand with every interaction they have. People don't forget the things that stand out!
Brand equity. Grow the value of your brand and the people who represent it. A well-known brand is one people trust. When you tightly couple your brand with the people behind it, your clients will attach a personal connection that you can use to close deals.
Brand consistency.With a digital business card platform, you can manage, update, and distribute your brand material to your entire team with a few clicks. Placing the most up-to-date material in your team's pockets adds a layer of consistency and credibility to your brand.
Build industry credibility in a modern way
Position your team as the leaders of your industry with the credibility of modern tech. Digital business cards are a contemporary but straightforward tool that your team can use to build industry credibility.
Tech is a tool and a powerful one at that. With every hello, handshake, email, and conversation, your team can leave a valued impression with the powerful help of modern platforms, tools, and devices.
When the goal is industry credibility, you want the best tools to make impressions that impress, close deals, and build businesses.
Insights that tell better stories than paper ever could
Paper is to the internet, as horses are to spacecraft.
With the power of the internet behind your business cards, you drastically improve the purpose, value, and results of every interaction. Your team can gain detailed insights that go far beyond the first meeting. Track what works, track what doesn't, and watch the interactions take place in real-time.
Digital business cards create high intent personal connections across all the mediums you do business (both in-person and online). Robots and spam mail mean lousy business, but emotional connection makes high intent leads that generate lasting business.
Digital business cards can monitor analytics on various topics like views, click, scans, sources, and much more. Your team can then apply this data to build stories that drive success.
Closing thoughts
Whatever is driving your exploration into the benefits of digital business cards, there is a use case for your cause available with digital business cards. If you would like to learn more about what they can do for your business, our team here at Social Card would love tohelp.
You can learn more about what Social Card can do for your businesshere.
