Why are Digital Business Cards the Future of Business Cards?

Networking is crucial for career and business success regardless of industry and profession. Whether you want to get a high-paying job or increase business revenue, you must build meaningful connections. 

Over the years, networking has shifted significantly from physical to digital. People are increasingly using digital networking channels, making digital business cards the cornerstone of modern-day marketing. 

While physical business cards are still relevant, incorporating digital business cards in your networking efforts is no longer an option. 

Here’s why digital business cards are the future of business cards.

Networking: History and development over the years

Networking has been around since the advent of mankind, and humans have been networking with other humans ever since communication has existed. It’s the key element of socialization, which is crucial for humans to live a healthy life. 

However, even though networking has always existed, it was unsystematic until business cards were discovered. 

Now, there’s some ambiguity around the history of business cards. Some sources say they appeared in the early 15th century in China. Others state that the first known professional business cards emerged in 17th-century Europe. 

But the history of business cards isn’t really important. What’s important is that they ruled the networking space for centuries. 

Business cards: The revolution in networking

After the emergence of business cards, social and business networking became structured and organized. People didn’t have to remember other people’s names and contact details or manually note them down on paper. 

You could give your business card to a person, and they could keep the business card and contact you when needed. Since business cards have always been compact, storing them has been seamless. They could sit in your wallet for years. 

A quick history of business cards

The first business cards were known as visiting cards, as people used to leave them at the doors of important people. Visiting cards go back to the 15th century.

In 17th-century Europe, we saw the first calling cards. They were well-designed cards mainly used by men to contact ladies. There was a time when a person’s social status was equivalent to the strength of their calling card. 

In the 18th century, we saw trade cards, which were quite close to the modern-day business cards. Businesses would use trade cards to advertise their services and locations. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, business cards were pretty much what we see today. They were self-promotional tools printed on a large scale and distributed to potential clients and consumers. 

In the present day, business cards serve pretty much the same purpose. They’re used to share contact details with potential clients and consumers in an attempt to fix a meeting or make a sale. 

What’s changed over the years is the design. Businesses and even individual professionals have become creative with their digital business cards. Nowadays, you see digital business cards in all shapes, colors, designs, and even materials like wood and metal. 

It’s safe to say that business cards have become an essential marketing and promotional tool. 

The internet, digital networking, and drawbacks of business cards

Business cards continued to be the gold standard of networking until the internet and digital networking took over the world. It’s not that business cards are no longer useful. They’re still the go-to tool for sharing contact details and building connections. 

But with the internet being the backbone of all types of communication, business cards are slowly losing their edge. People prefer instant communication, and the internet enables it. 

Moreover, the rise of social media, messenger apps, email, and video conferencing has made digital channels the preferred mode of communication among businesses and professionals. 

In addition to all this, business cards have some drawbacks, such as:

• People need to manually enter the contact details and save them, making the process tedious and time-consuming.
• You can’t edit the information on a business card. If you need to change something, reprinting your business card is the only option. 

For all these reasons, digital business cards have taken over traditional business cards. 

Digital business cards: The new norm in networking

Today, digital business cards are a must-have in every networking strategy. 

First, let’s talk about what digital business cards are. 

A digital business card is an online profile page containing a person’s contact information and other professional details. 

They have a unique URL that you can share with your contacts. People can use the URL to visit your digital business card and connect with you. 

The information on a digital business card can vary from person to person. But in general, a digital business card should comprise the following details:

• Your full name
• Designation and company name
• Contact details
• Social media links
• Web links, if any
• Images, videos, and other multimedia

The fusion of physical and digital business cards

The benefits of digital business cards are substantial, and you can unleash their true potential by integrating them with physical business cards. 

Here’s where a QR code for business card comes into the picture. All you need to do is create a QR code for your digital business card and print it on your physical business card. Users can scan the QR code to reach the digital business card and save your contact. 

QRCodeChimp for creating Digital Business Cards

QRCodeChimp lets you create a digital business card and its QR code in a few easy steps. Our solution offers top-notch features for creating and managing digital business cards, including:

• Multiple templates for digital business cards

• Profile contact shortcuts
• Multiple profile components
• Social media and web links
• Profile image and background image/video
• Images and videos
• Buttons for Add to Contact, Email, Call, and SMS
• Custom digital business card URL

Here are the quick steps to make a digital business card with QRCodeChimp:

• Visit QRCodeChimp’s Digital Business Card solution. 

• Go to the Content tab and fill in the required fields, including your name, occupational details, contact information, social links, and more. 

• Head to the Design/Settings tab and design your digital business card using Colors, Font Style, Card Style, and Page Loader options.

• Go to the QR Code tab and customize a QR code for your digital business card using QR shapes, Pre-designed, Stickers, Colors, Shapes, Logo, and Decorate Picture options. 

• Finally, click on Save & Download, give your Digital Business Card a name, and save it. 

That’s it. You can now share your digital business card by printing its QR code on your physical business card or directly sharing the page URL. 

Why should you use a digital business card?

Digital business cards have various benefits and can take your networking efforts to another level. Here’s why you should incorporate digital business cards in your networking efforts. 

Instant contact sharing and saving

Digital business cards allow you to share your contact information instantly and seamlessly. Unlike physical business cards that require users to manually enter and save your details, digital business cards let them save your information in a few clicks. 

The contact-saving process is quick and automated, eliminating the need to manually enter and save the information. 

Share up-to-date information

You can edit your digital business cards anytime. Thus, you can always share updated information with your potential clients and connections. 

If your phone number, address, or social links change anytime, you can update them in seconds and share the latest information. 

Hence, there’s no need to incur the hefty costs of reprinting your business cards. 

Provide in-depth details

Since business cards are compact, you can only share limited information. In most cases, potential clients and consumers need to know more about you before making an informed decision. 

A digital business card resolves this hurdle.

You can share detailed information on a digital business card, including your images, videos, social media links, etc. This allows people to know you better and connect with you with confidence. 

Upgrade your physical business cards

Even though digital business cards are the norm in networking, it doesn’t mean physical business cards are not useful. Integrate your physical and digital business cards to elevate your networking efforts. 

You can add digital capabilities to your physical business cards by printing a QR code for your digital business card. When you hand over a business card with a QR code, your connections can scan it and connect with you in a hassle-free way. 

Improve your sales and marketing efforts

Digital business cards can go a long way in improving your sales and marketing efforts. They function as an excellent promotional tool, enabling you to promote yourself as a business or individual professional. 

If you’re a customer-facing professional, like a sales executive, insurance agent, realtor, etc., digital business cards can help you increase sales and conversions. 

Final thoughts

Business cards have been synonymous with networking for centuries, but not in this digital era. With digital channels enabling the majority of modern-day networking, it’s vital to digitize your networking efforts. 

Digital business cards are essential for all professionals who want to network effectively. You can leverage digital business cards to seamlessly share contact information, build more connections, and increase sales and revenue. 

Want to create stunning digital business cards and take your networking to the next level? QRCodeChimp has your back. 

It’s Free!