Digital business cards present several benefits, such as eco-friendliness, convenience, and effortless contact information storage and sharing. However, maximizing these advantages requires grasping optimal practices for exchanging digital cards.
With 37% of small businesses and 23% of individuals already utilizing digital card apps, this figure is projected to increase due to the limitations associated with traditional paper cards.
Read this article to explore the practices that will help you build and maintain valuable connections.
Why exchanging digital business cards is beneficial over traditional cards
Digital business cards comparatively have many benefits compared to traditional cards. Exchanging digital business cards can help users access the information or save the contact with a scan.
Below are the benefits of digital business cards:
Instant Accessibility
Digital business cards offer instant accessibility, a significant advantage over paper cards. When you receive a digital business card, it is conveniently stored on your smartphone or email. Gone are the days of sifting through a stack of paper cards, hoping you can find the one you need when needed.
Environment friendly
As environmental concerns grow, reducing paper waste has become a paramount consideration. Traditional paper business cards are often discarded, contributing to waste and pollution. Digital business cards, on the other side, are environmentally friendly.
Customizability
Digital business cards offer a level of customizability that paper cards cannot match. They can include images, videos, and other multimedia options.
Effortless updates
In the professional world, contact information often changes over time. You might switch jobs, update your phone number, or create a new email address. However, with traditional paper cards, updating this information is cumbersome. Digital business cards, comparatively, allow for effortless updates.
Analytics
Some digital business card apps offer advanced features, such as analytics. This functionality allows you to track how recipients engage with your card. Besides, users can see when and how often their card is viewed or clicked.
Best practices for sharing digital business cards
Enhance your professional network by sharing digital business cards at meetings, events, and other networking opportunities. Just a scan and your card is shared!
If you’re ready to create your own digital business card, head over to our digital business card generator page now.
Let’s explore the best practices for sharing a digital business card.
1. Choose the right platform to create your digital business card
QR codes are the primary and increasingly popular methods for sharing digital business cards. They offer a quick and convenient way for people to access your contact information and other relevant details.
2. Use various platforms to share your digital business card
Selecting the appropriate platform or app for sharing digital business cards is essential. Users can see when and how often their card is viewed or clicked. Here are a few common options to consider:
Social Media
Share your digital business card on your social media profiles, allowing connections to access it easily.
Email Signatures
Embed digital business cards in your email signatures. This ensures that every email you send contains your contact details. This passive-sharing method is convenient for online networking.
Messaging Apps
Send your digital business card through messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
3. Keep It Professional
Your digital business card should reflect your professional image just as a traditional one does. Consider the following elements:
Use high-quality images
Include a professional, high-resolution photo of yourself. It should be a headshot that represents you well in a business context.
Clean design
Ensure the design of your digital card is clean and uncluttered. Use a professional color scheme, elegant fonts, and consistent formatting.
Essential contact information
Include your name, designation, company name, contact number, and email address at a minimum. If required, add other contact details or links to your portfolio or personal website.
4. Personalize the Message
When you share your digital card, don’t just send it as a standalone item. Accompany it with a brief, personalized message. This message should resonate with the recipient and make them feel valued.
Here’s how to do it:
Mention the Context
Explain where you met the person or why you’re connecting. For example, “It was a pleasure meeting you at the conference yesterday.” This contextualizes the exchange.
Express Interest
Show your interest in further connecting or collaborating. Mention something about the person or their work that caught your attention.
Call to Action
Encourage the recipient to reach out if they have any questions or if there’s a potential collaboration in the future.
5. Use QR Codes
QR codes are an efficient way to share digital business cards in person. Here’s how to make the most of this method:
Easy access to QR Code
Ensure your QR code is easily accessible on your smartphone. You can save it as an image or use a QR code generator app. When you meet someone, you can simply show them the QR code on your device.
Encourage Scanning
When you meet someone you’d like to exchange information with, ask them to scan the QR code with their smartphone. Most smartphones have built-in QR code scanners, and if not, there are many free apps available for this purpose.
6. Follow Up
After sharing your digital business card, it’s essential not to let the connection end there. However, follow-up is key to building and nurturing professional relationships. Here are some steps to consider:
Send a “Thank-You” email
Shortly after the initial exchange, send a thank-you email expressing your appreciation for the connection. Which, therefore, adds a personal touch and subsequently shows your interest in maintaining the relationship.
Connect on LinkedIn
If you haven’t connected on LinkedIn, then send a connection request. This further improves your online professional connection.
Arrange a meeting
Depending on the nature of your connection and shared interests, consider arranging a meeting or discussion later to explore potential collaboration or to delve deeper into your professional relationship.
By following these best practices, users can make the most of their digital business card exchanges. Whether at a networking event or a conference, these strategies will help you build meaningful connections and leave a positive impression.
Best practices for receiving digital business cards
As you scan the QR code on the digital business card, you will instantly receive the card owner’s contact details. To receive a digital business card, you can scan it with your smartphone’s camera or any scanner application.
Here are some best practices for receiving a digital business card:
1. Be prepared
Preparing to receive digital business cards is as important as having your card ready to share. Here’s what you should do:
Dedicated app or file
Ensure that you have a dedicated app or file on your smartphone or email where you can receive and store digital business cards. Additionally, people use email apps or specialized contact management apps for this purpose.
Share your card conveniently
Make sure it’s easy for you to share your digital card. Simultaneously, your preparedness can lead to smooth exchanges during networking events or meetings.
Add to Google and Apple wallet
You can add your digital business cards to Google and Apple Wallet. As a result, they can be viewed and shared across many devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers.
2. Maintain privacy
Just as with traditional business cards, respecting the privacy of the contact information shared with you is essential:
Use passcode protection
You can protect your digital business card with a password now. Consequently, only those with the right password can access your digital business card, ensuring its safety and privacy.
Don’t share without permission
Never share someone else’s contact details without explicit permission. Moreover, it’s necessary to maintain trust and respect the boundaries set by the person who shared their card with you.
Use discretion
Be mindful of the context in which you received the digital business card. If it was shared in a private or confidential setting, be particularly cautious about sharing their details.
3. Organize and save
Managing the digital business cards you receive is key to making the most of your professional connections:
Create a system
Firstly, establish a system for organizing and saving digital business cards. Basically, modern smartphone apps allow you to save contact details directly from the received card. Further, you can create categories or groups for different types of contacts. This makes it easier to find specific connections when needed.
Save the card for future use
User can save the digital business card on their smartphone or tablet. So they can use it in the future whenever needed.
4. Send a confirmation
After receiving a digital business card, consider sending a confirmation message. This not only shows appreciation but also opens the door for further communication:
Acknowledge the exchange
A simple thank-you message also can eventually go a long way. Express gratitude for receiving the digital card. Also, mention something positive about the connection.
Start further communication
Use the confirmation message to express your interest in staying in touch. You can propose a follow-up meeting further, discuss shared interests, or express a desire to collaborate.
5. Leverage the data
To maximize the utility of the received digital business card, consider the following steps:
Add to your address book or CRM
Many digital business card apps offer features that allow you to add contact details directly to your smartphone’s address book or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. This streamlines your contact management. This ensures you can easily reach out to your connections in the future.
Tag and categorize
Organize the new contacts accordingly within your address book or CRM by tagging or categorizing them. Moreover, this helps you group contacts by criteria like industry, location, or shared interests. Making it easier to tailor your follow-up communication eventually.
Conclusion
To sum up, digital business cards are a powerful tool for modern professionals. They streamline the networking process and help to create lasting connections. Eventually, following best practices for sharing and receiving digital business cards, you can make the most of this convenient and eco-friendly networking solution. Remember that, at the core of networking, it’s not just about the card but the relationships you build and nurture. Digital business cards are a gateway to fostering those connections in today’s fast-paced professional world.
Create Your Digital Business Card Now!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I share my digital business card effectively?
You can share digital business cards by sharing QR codes via email and social media platforms. Additionally, you can share it by showing your QR code on your smartphone, and users can scan and access it.
What should I do when receiving a digital business card?
When receiving a digital business card, be prepared with a dedicated app or file to store it, respect the privacy of the contact information shared with you, organize and save the card for future use, send a confirmation message to acknowledge the exchange, and leverage the data by adding it to your address book or CRM.
How to ensure privacy and security when sharing my digital business cards?
If you want to ensure privacy, use a password to limit access. As a result, users can only access your digital business card with the right password. Moreover, secure platforms like QRCodeChimp can be used to create digital business cards to ensure security and privacy.
How to store digital business cards?
You can keep digital business cards on your phone by saving the QR code to your phone’s gallery and presenting it for scanning whenever needed. Additionally, if you wish to store the contact details from someone else’s digital business card, you can directly add it to your contacts, Apple Wallet, or Google Wallet for future reference.
How to save a digital business card on iPhone?
Read our article titled “How to save a digital business card on iPhone” for detailed steps and guidelines.
How to save a digital business card on Android?
Read our article titled “How to save a digital business card on Android” for detailed steps and guidelines.
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