Proper networking is key to building sustainable and profitable business relationships. To build a solid network, you must look for stakeholders, business groups, and other useful leads/potential clients.

This can be done through face-to-face meetings or online networking. You will require a business card, no matter which method you pick. If you are wondering how digital business cards or DBCs can help improve business performance, you are in the right spot. Let’s find out more below!

What Is A Digital Business Card?

A DBC or digital business card is shared, created, and stored electronically. Similar to paper cards, these too contain business details like contact information and other data. Most people use virtual business cards for convenience, but there are a lot of other advantages as well.

Advantages Of Digital Business Cards

• Digital business cards are available 24/7, so you won’t need to carry paper cards wherever you go. The best part is that a virtual card can be accessed through any WiFi device, such as a phone, laptop, or PC. These are stored in an app or cloud storage to be shared.
• Digital cards allow more room for flexibility. You will have various colors, fonts, and templates to choose from.
• The best part about virtual cards is that they allow you to embed calendar reminders, clickable links, interactive maps, and pre-set functions like automatic saving to a phone book. This feature reduces the need for manual actions, which leads to better networking and leads.
• Paper cards are small and can only display a certain chunk of information. Digital analogs can fit in more information like added contacts, addresses, and even links to documents and portfolios.
• Digital business cards are eco-friendly as they help minimize paper waste, making them perfect for environmentalists.
• Virtual cards enable international connections as well. They can communicate with international clients and help break language barriers. They also aid translation and support various languages, writing, and symbols.

How To Make Sure A DBC Will Enable Contact Backs?

Only around 12% of paper business cards are kept or saved. Others are discarded and ignored. If you wish to increase the chances of contact backs, your card design and call to action should reach a large audience.

The good idea is to ask others for contact details when you meet. Alternatively, digital cards can be customized to send an email to obtain contact details automatically.

Certain ways can be used to boost the chances of a call back through career/company networking contact cards:

• Use tag lines to state your skills and work experience briefly. This will ensure that contacts will remember who you are.
• Use a photograph or headshot. Although some people are against it, using one is still a good idea if you are a networking professional.
• Provide links to added data and information. These could be a portfolio, achievements, or job experience. Future clients may find these useful and can be used to increase collaboration chances. Provide website links and a LinkedIn page for added help.
• Use QR codes, so weblinks become simpler to scan. Conversions through these codes can be tracked easily. You can obtain a detailed analytics report on business card performance.

How To Use A Digital Business Card With A Business Marketing Campaign?

Let us now look at steps you can follow to use a DBC for a business marketing campaign:

1. Start by filling in profile information and adding a photograph, making it easier for people to recall and recognize you. Make sure to pick a suitable design, theme, font, and color that perfectly represents your business.
2. Add contact details and make sure they are updated. You can easily edit a DBC whenever you wish.
3. You can add your card to an Apple wallet or GPay to access your contacts easily anywhere. You will also be able to share information simply or allow people to get access to your business card by scanning a QR code.
4. Pick your audience so you can land networking opportunities and are more likely to be invited to local business groups, conferences, fairs, and trade shows. Make sure you give preference to quality over quantity.
5. Start sharing your contact card and use it in marketing campaigns to reach a wider audience. You can market offline, use social networking sites, etc. Never spam people but try to communicate and engage professionally. Make sure the other person is interested before you send them your DBC.
6. Some DBC software also provides analytics and reports for the card. This can help you see how your card is holding out and whether you need to make any changes. You can easily find out how many leads you got, who tried to contact you back, and who used QR codes to reach out to you.

How To Share A Business Card Correctly?

Several methods can be used to pass on business cards to potential clients/referral sources. You do not need to shower your card on every person you find. However, you must always provide contact details to new individuals, especially if you think they can become prospective clients.

Introduce yourself first, be polite and then share your digital business card. Look for people at business events and meetings since most individuals here look forward to networking/partnering.

The only downside of looking for clients and investors at such events is the sheer competition you face due to several participants. Therefore, having a business card that stands out is your best bet for gaining potential leads.

• Always introduce yourself first and make small talk with the person you wish to network with.
• Pull out your business card from a mobile wallet and offer the QR code for scanning.
• Once scanned, you will be automatically added to the other person’s contact list, and you can also choose to send them an email to obtain return contact information.
• You can also partner up with non-competing businesses with an audience similar to yours. This strategy is great for local businesses, allowing them to place virtual cards/promotional content in specific areas to generate leads.
• Research other competitors and study business clients to develop an effective strategy separate from those used by other companies.

Conclusion

Digital business cards are slowly gaining popularity. Only some prospective clients are used to receiving DBCs, but using these can help bring in several benefits.

They are also a great alternative to paper business cards. Virtual business cards are also easy to pair with tools like virtual catalogs and showrooms.