Digital business cards are one of the best ways to build trust and make connections.
Especially in the current post-pandemic age of increased isolation. As professional networks decreased by 16% on average during the pandemic.
That’s 16% fewer qualified leads, potential partners, and new connections in your pipeline.
Why a digital business card is the best tool for networking
The short and sweet answer is that digital business cards like Profyle offer the best of both worlds. You get a personal landing page for developing your relationships digitally. Plus an optional branded NFC card. The card is a great option if you want to emphasise a real-life interaction during an event.
There’s more. During the pandemic, people turned away from building new relationships and distant connections. We all focused more on our close colleagues, partners, friends, and family.
“Exchanges between close collaborators increased by 40% post-lockdown at the expense of 10% less communication between more distant colleagues. Over the long term, turtling up and a dearth of opportunities to interact with strangers are leading to network shrinkage.”
If you’re in the business world, you get why this network shrinkage is a big problem. It’s harder to connect, build relationships, and expand your network now. Your audience needs a spark to grab their attention.
Digital business cards are the perfect spark.
Networking for events and aftersales
Events are changing too. In 2023, the events industry recovered to 94% of 2019 revenue. But, a more interesting trend emerged. 58% of event organizers plan to host smaller events with fewer than 200 people.
Having a digital business card is the easiest way to network in these settings. Even larger events get divided into smaller parts that lead to closer chats.
You can go from eye contact to a soft and subtle intro in no time. Either focusing on key individuals or gathering a small group around you.
Best of all, it works as well after the sale as during the first intro. For both SMB tradespeople and enterprise sales. That is because both an electrician and a financier have an aftersales experience.
A well-designed digital business card works like magic whenver you have a personal chat. It respects business etiquette while showing a glimpse of your brand. Plus what you have on offer and what makes you unique.
With it, you can have your cake and eat it too, as you get a subtle “wow” effect while following etiquette.
- A proper introduction suddenly becomes effortless.
- You value everyone’s time by offering quick shortcuts to longer materials.
- Promotes listening. You talk less because you have everything at your fingertips.
- You are clear and confident when asking for another meeting, as booking one is easy.
We’ll show you how that magic works, how you can recreate it, and offer samples of the best digital business cards for different business sectors. So, whether you’re a seasoned networker or starting, you will find the best choice for yourself.
Want a free demo card with your design? Use Profyle’s Digital and NFC Business Cards to stand out. Get a free demo card and try the service free for 45 days with no commitment. Say goodbye to paper cards. Get a Free Demo Card today and start connecting confidently!
Why You’ll Love Your Digital Card
Gone are the days of bulky wallets filled with stacks of paper business cards. With a few taps on your smartphone, you can share your details, saving both time and paper. Here’s why you should use a digital business card:
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- Firstly, they enable you to create a strong first impression. With sleek and modern designs, you’ll stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impact on potential clients or partners. Research indicates that good first impressions can lead to more sales.
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Studies on interactive marketing show that engaging customers improves brand recall. For example, digital business cards offer an interactive experience that does this. People remember who you are, what you stand for, and “get” what you offer.
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Thirdly, digital business cards are convenient. Recipients can save your card to their phone’s address book with a click. This avoids typing or scanning contact details.
There is magic in simplicity.
The magic tap: how to instantly improve your communication
Professionals use digital business cards for more than convenience and a great look.
Recent neuroscience research has shown how people form first impressions. It also shows their impact on decision-making. The brain has two decision-making systems: emotional and rational. The brain processes initial interactions quickly, often relying on gut instincts.
Digital business cards offer a way to combine nonverbal cues and genuine engagement in one go. You can activate positive responses in people you talk to, increasing their trust and connection with your brand and people.
It is liberating to use. A digital business card shapes a conversation to avoid common mistakes in sales and communication in general:
- Allows you to focus on your non-verbal cues rather than dry info.
- Enables active listening. Increasing the empathy you show.
- Give the conversation a clear direction in terms of next steps.
- Creates a positive vibe around your brand (business and personal).
- Finally, even your body language improves (and yes, it matters!)
Selecting a Great Digital Business Card
When choosing a digital business card, look beyond the first impression. You are, surprisingly, getting more than one simple NFC card.
You get a three-in-one: (1) an amazing ambassador, (2) a unique marketing tool, and (3) a card management platform.
Criteria for a digital business card
After working with hundreds of brands on their digital experience, we at Profyle have some advice. Look for platforms that balance a personal touch with a simple, seamless experience. Beyond that, here are a few pointers:
- Can the digital business card provider match the experience I want to offer?
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- The quality, material, look and feel of the physical card.
- Strength of the physical NFC card signal so it works during live events.
- The experience of opening up the landing page: is it simple yet refined?
- Can you exchange contact information easily?
- Can I customize it according to my brand?
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- Can you theme your landing page?
- Can you change the profile image?
- Can you add custom links?
- Can you change the contact buttons?
- Does the app and platform behind the card support my marketing and sales?
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- Does the platform offer automated follow-ups?
- What happens when I want to order more or change things around?
- Can I see analytics and statistics on how well my people are using the cards?
- Can I add custom fields to show data unique to my company?
As sales and marketing become more automated, you may want to integrate with Google Analytics or other marketing tools.
Tip: How Good is the Mobile Experience?
Each card provider has its own experience after you scan a card or share a contact with their app. For example, Profyle’s mobile app makes it easy to share your digital business card on the go.
What to include in your card
It is almost a given that you want your card to reflect your brand and make a lasting impression. Platforms with many customization options are ideal. They let you personalize your card for your professional needs.
If you want customization, look no further than Profyle. It has all the tools you need. Profyle has the tools to help you create a great digital business card. It’s perfect for both creative pros and corporate execs.
- You can embed videos.
- Integrate social media profiles.
- or even include a link to your live chat.
Here is how a video looks on a Profyle digital business card (yes, you can add any video from YouTube, Vimeo or your website):
These interactive elements make your card more engaging. They also give potential clients and partners more ways to connect with you.
Tips for creating a standout digital business card
When creating your digital business card, keep these three tips in mind:
- Keep it simple: Less is more when it comes to design. Stick to clean and professional layouts that highlight your contact information.
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Showcase your brand. Use your brand colours, logo, or tagline. This will boost your professional identity.
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Link to interactive experiences: Use the digital format to your advantage. Add links to a video, an interactive product tour, a gallery on your website, or your portfolio.
Here’s an idea. Profyle lets you display your latest awards above your contact details. This adds social proof to help you book your next meeting.
How to create a digital business card
No one wants to spend hours trying to figure out how to create a digital business card. Here’s how simple and fast creating a digital business card is with Profyle:
Step 1: Sign Up and Get Your First Digital Business Card
The first step is to sign up for a free Profyle account. You do not need to add a credit card and you get to use the full platform for free for 45 days. Plus, you get your first digital business card for free to test out your design.
Simply enter your email and a password or sign up with your Google Account:
Then follow the simple onboarding steps that help you get going. Feel free to add your logo and your personal photo or a sample personal photo if you have those ready at hand – if not, no worries, you can add them later too! Or always ask us for help.
Profyle is beautiful. After you upload your logo and profile image, you will see an instant preview of your digital business card. You can adjust the brand colours in a few seconds.
Step 2: Create Digital Business Cards for Teams
Add yourself and your colleagues. There’s two ways to do that. First of all, you can use add someone individually by going to People in the left hand menu and then clicking on “New Person”.
Or, you can navigate to Settings in the same left hand menu and click on “Import People” to import more than one person at a time. This is ideal for larger teams and organisations:
Step 3: Take Your Digital Business Cards to the Next Level
It only takes a moment to add a video or to change the colours or button links and order. Simply go to “Layouts” and edit your default layout:
With Profyle it is super simple to create differently designed digital business cards for different teams. Simply click on “New Layout” button under layouts.
Here, we assigned an “Enterprise” layout for our Enterprise Sales team. It lets the Enterprise team offer high-value customers a different buying experience. Such as more in-depth materials or guides. We also made a simpler layout for our SMB sales team.
How to get NFC digital business cards (free sample)
Sometimes, you may wish to give a more hands-on sense of your brand. Certain audience members desire tangible brand representation over digital encounters. There are good reasons for this. That’s where an NFC card fits in.
It’s a card that you can use to tap close to any modern iPhone (iOS) or Android device to instantly show your digital business card on that device.
As easy as pie. Plus, it can come in as many flavours as you like when you order one from Profyle.
Our team will help you find the best fit by combining the elements you would love to have on your NFC card such as:
- Your logo.
- Your colours.
- Your typography.
- Supports subtle background symbols.
- Choose between plastic and hybrid metal cards.
- You can even add a QR code.
Want to get a free NFC card sample? Use Profyle’s Digital and NFC Business Cards to stand out. Get a free demo card and try the service free for 45 days with no commitment. Say goodbye to paper cards. Get a Free Demo Card today and start connecting confidently!
Best digital business card examples
Now that we know what digital business cards are and how to make them, let’s review some design examples. You might find some useful inspiration for your digital business card. A common industry could serve as a basis.
Here are some general guidelines.
Your digital business card should be familiar and well-structured. The design should be intuitive, allowing users to comprehend its layout. That’s why all Profyle’s cards have a similar structure. Thanks to years of experience, we know what works.
It must showcase your brand at its best. It should highlight your unique qualities. Then, it should connect those to your audience and your people using your cards.
So think of these five aspects:
- Ease of use and how your target audience will experience your card. What type of visual order and hierarchy makes sense for you.
- Your brand. Consider the colours, typography, and visuals. Then, take a step beyond that and also consider your tone and voice.
- What makes you unique and stand out. Think about what and how you want to communicate to the people you target.
- Your target audience and how your message resonates with them. Think of this in the context of how you’ll use the digital business cards.
- Your people that use the digital business cards. How they will use it and how all the above makes sense to them in their usage.
Digital business cards for finance and banking
It’s helpful to divide financial services’ digital business cards into two types: traditional branding and new. Of course, you can sometimes create a great effect by mixing things up and crossing those boundaries.
Traditional banking and financial services
Established institutions tend to use Profyle across many departments.
You can create unlimited groups by department.. Then you can assign layouts for each group. Then all you do is assign the right person to the right group. That’s it.
Get a solid digital business card like this for your financial services
Neobanks and new services
Neobanks like Nubank and new insurers like Lemonade use bold, unusual color schemes. They often include purple, neon green, and other striking colors.
As a nice touch, Profyle supports brands wanting to reach a younger audience. You can add custom links to Instagram, Snapchat, and other youth-focused social channels.
Create a youthful digital business card like this with Profyle
Digital business cards for real estate
Real estate agents and developers love their branded digital business cards. Because these digital business cards for realtors make a lasting impression and they can replace their hundreds of paper business cards they share regularly and that are quickly thrown away.
There is room to highlight a special offer. Plus to add a drone video of a development or a video tour of your latest star property.
Create a similar digital business card in a few minutes with Profyle.
Digital business cards for lawyers
Digital business cards are great relationship builders for customer-facing legal teams. Legal marketing is very expensive. Solutions like Profyle can improve traditional channels and customer relationships.
The cards are secure. So, they get a green checkmark from your IT. A card management platform makes them easy to manage.
Build a stronger bridge with your customers and partners with a card like this.
Digital business cards for hotels and hospitality
The holy grail of the hospitality business is repeat business. To help you get that, employees can share their contacts with happy customers. This boosts the chances they will return and know of extra services.
Create a card with your branding and offers with Profyle
Digital business cards for engineering and product teams
Digital business cards benefit product and engineering teams in new ways. For example, partnerships are a popular sales channel. Your product team can lead with that. Also, product-led growth has grown to be an established marketing strategy.
Help your engineering leaders find new partners
More ideas and inspiration
This is only the start. Once your first digital business card is ready, try these ten ideas to boost leads and sales:
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If you work in technical sales or product marketing, add a video. It could introduce your latest product update.
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If you are a founder looking to raise money, link to a reference from another investor who believes in you.
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If you work in automotive or direct-to-consumer sales, add a time-limited offer with a visual.
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If you work in home services or as a freelancer, add a testimonial from a satisfied customer with an image.
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Remember, as a recruiter, you can add badges and certifications from authorities like the Great Place to Work.
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If you work as a consultant, consider adding a video that introduces both your offering and your personal brand.
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Tasteful lifestyle images can work in a corporate setting. They may refresh views of time-honoured services like banking. You can make your potential customers reimagine what you do.
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Highlight your team’s involvement in local volunteer initiatives and events. Allow your new contacts to see that there is more to you without telling them or preaching.
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In that spirit, link to a charity that fits your niche.
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Introduce your new contacts to word-of-mouth, referral, or partnership opportunities. Make your move with finesse, avoiding aggressive pressure. Think of texts, images, videos, and links that can help you do that.