Business cards have been used since the late 17th century when businesses began using them as a method of advertising their services. More often than not, they were handed out in public spaces to help a business attract customers, later becoming a tool used to grow B2B relationships.
Today, business cards remain an integral part of marketing, sales, and relationship building. However, they’re mainly used as personal business cards for networking and client meetings. As technology has evolved, businesses and customers have become more digitally savvy, and business cards need to make that transition too.
What Are Digital Business Cards?
Digital business cards are the modernization this classic sales tool needs. Essentially, they are a card that allows anyone to pull up and store your contact details on their phone, either by QR code or NFC technology. This brings a multitude of benefits that we’ll discuss in this article.
Make Sales Reps Memorable
Have you ever heard a sales rep ask, “should I have a business card?” No. That’s because they’re an integral part of the sales process, forging relationships, and getting people to buy from you. However, there’s nothing worse than going to an event, networking session, or trade show and returning with a pocketful of business cards. You’ll know that more often than not, these end up in the trash or at the bottom of your desk drawer.
On the other hand, a digital business card makes encounters with sales reps memorable, and it puts their contact details on a client’s phone instantly. The action of swiping your business card on a phone makes you stand out against everyone else, and it stops your card from finding its way to the bottom of that drawer.
Data Insights
The marketing and sales worlds have transitioned to a data-driven format. As technology has evolved, the insights gained have been revolutionary in understanding customers, sales statistics, and business success. Now, with digital business cards, you can assess the performance and value of a once-printed piece of card.
Firstly, you can see how many times a sales rep’s card has been tapped, enabling you to incentivize the number of interactions they have. Additionally, with the introduction of personalized landing pages, you could monitor the progress of every lead a sales rep comes into contact with. This is beneficial for both businesses and sales reps. The company can establish the importance of business cards in the sales cycle while reps have previously untracked sales attributed to them.
Reduce Printing Costs
No matter the size of your business, the cost of printing business cards can stack up quite quickly. Often, companies spend thousands of dollars updating designs, job titles, phone numbers, and ordering new cards. Digital business cards are a one-time purchase. Better yet, if an employee leaves, this business card can be reassigned by simply updating the name and contact information online.
Furthermore, digital business cards are often made from robust materials such as metal, plastic, or wood, meaning wear and tear is minimal and much less than paper, so you don’t have to worry about replacing them or the print fading.
Environmentally Friendly
With frequent printing comes added carbon emissions. As the world faces a climate crisis, more businesses move to introducing sustainable practices and reducing their carbon footprint. Although business cards are a staple sales and marketing tool for many, they actually go against these efforts. It can be argued that using sustainable inks and recycled paper is a way to reduce your carbon footprint, but you’re still needing to reprint them frequently.
As mentioned, digital business cards are a one-time thing. Better yet, some are available in highly sustainable materials, such as bamboo. Businesses with sustainability goals and green policies should be making this switch, that’s for sure.
No More Lugging Boxes of Business Cards Around
Imagine being able to leave a single business card in your wallet, taking it out for a lead to tap, and putting it back – almost like contactless payment. There is no more convenient way to share your contact details and business information.
Currently and historically, sales reps have boxes of business cards in their bag, on their desk, in the car, and at home, with each box housing hundreds of cards. Carrying them with you from place to place and worrying if you’ve forgotten them is a thing of the past with digital business cards.
Save Time
If you’ve been through the process of designing business cards, you know it can be incredibly long-winded, especially if you’re ordering for multiple people. Imagine being the person who has to check every name, email address, address, and phone number – it can be challenging if you miss a mistake, and incredibly costly.
With a digital business card, there are no details printed on them, there are no updating designs, and you don’t have to worry about getting things wrong as they are easily changed.
In Summary
Businesses, sales reps, and clients all benefit from using digital business cards. They make for an engaging talking point and interesting introduction. It saves the business time and valuable budget and provides insightful data. Every other area of marketing, advertising, and sales is evolving – this is how the business card can step into the future.