How Digital Business Cards Work and How to Use Them

Do you often find yourself fumbling through your pockets or bag, trying to find a business card to hand out? Or maybe you’ve run out of cards right when you meet someone important. Digital business cards are changing that aspect of how we connect with others. Making networking smoother.

Why use digital business cards?

Here are three quick points why this switch is not just smart, it’s becoming necessary.

• Always available: You can’t run out of digital cards. They are always just a tap away.
• Easy updates: Change your contact details? Update your card in seconds without needing new prints.
• Eco-friendly: Digital cards mean no paper waste, helping our planet.

The Old Versus the New

Digital business cards allow you to carry a virtual card that you can share with anyone, anywhere, without ever worrying about running out. They are a big step forward in how pros manage their networks.

Ready to say goodbye to the old stack of paper cards? Moving to digital cards could make networking simpler and more effective for you. As a result, they’re becoming indispensable in the business world.

Basics of Digital Business Cards

If you constantly lose business cards people give you – you may be afraid the same happens to your cards. With digital business cards, that problem is a thing of the past. They’re like a tiny bit of magic in your smartphone, making forgetting or losing cards impossible.

What is the point of a digital card?

Great question! The main purpose of any business card, whether paper or digital, is to help people remember you and stay in touch.But, digital business cards have more benefits than just sharing contact info. Here are some of the other main benefits and features:

• Instant Access: Your contact doesn’t have to wait to get home and input your details; everything is instantly available with a scan or a click.
• Professional Image: A digital card shows you know modern networking. It can impress clients, employers, or collaborators.
• Interactive Elements: Unlike paper cards, digital cards can link to sites, social media, videos, or portfolios.
• Automated Follow-Up: Did you know that following up in the first day or two after a meeting can greatly increase your chances of success?
• Advanced Integrations : Your company can combine your digital business card with advanced workflows.  By connecting CRM and marketing tools with your card you can engage people with automated workflows.
• Analytics. You get a better sense of who are your warmer connections and leads.

How do digital business cards work?

Digital business cards operate through simple yet powerful QR and NFC technology. Using a platform like Profyle, you can create a card that includes your name, job title, company, phone number, email, and even social media links. Here’s how it’s done:

• Create your card: Log into a service like Profyle and fill out your details. You can start for free.
• Design your card: Choose the colors, logo, and elements you want to have your on your card.
• Order an optional NFC card: This is a physical card that looks and feels like a credit card. You can tap it against phones, watches, and other smart devices to show your digital business card. With Profyle, the first one is free. It is on us.
• Generate a QR code: Profyle automatically creates a QR code that links to your digital card.
• Share instantly: Show your QR code, tap your phone or NFC card or send it through email, text, or social media.

How do people share digital business cards?

Sharing a digital business card is easy and flexible, with several methods available:

• QR Codes: Others scan your code with their phone to get your card.
• NFC on Smart Devices: Most modern smartphones and even watches have built-in support for NFC. Allowing you to just tap phones next to each other to open your digital card.
• Physical NFC Card: You can also offer an additional physical NFC card for times when you do not have your phone with you.
• Text and Email: Send a link to your card directly to contacts.
• Social Media and Messaging: Share your virtual card on LinkedIn or via messaging apps like Signal. Give a quick intro on who you are and what you do.

A Better Way to Connect

Using Profyle, you can tap into these modern sharing methods to make sure your card never gets lost in the shuffle of someone’s wallet. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to stay memorable in a world where digital savvy matters.

Your digital card is not just convenient; it is small a leap into the future of networking. Into a future where every connection is at your fingertips, ready to be accessed and shared at a moment’s notice.

The Advantages and Considerations

Are digital business cards a good idea?

Naturally, you may be on the fence. Especially because there are dozens of different gadgets that you could possibly use to promote your business. So, why digital business cards? Well, they offer a slew of benefits that make them a smart choice for any professional:

• Sustainability: By going digital, you reduce your environmental footprint by cutting down on paper.
• Cost-effective: No need to pay for printing new batches of cards every time your details change.
• Easy sharing: Pass your card to anyone, anywhere, without needing to physically meet.

Oh, and they are simply enjoyable and satisfying to use.

Bottomline, digital cards make your life a lot easier while making the world a better place. Plus, they don’t cost a lot.

What are the risks of digital business cards?

While digital cards are beneficial, it’s good to know potential downsides:

• Dependency on technology: You need a device and internet access to share your card.
• Privacy concerns: Sharing digital information can lead to concerns about data security.

A reputable provider like Profyle you can overcome those risks:

• Get a physical NFC card for you and your team in case your smart phone is not available. This card can be branded.
• Order your digital business card from a proven provider that has taken care of privacy and security concerns.

Profyle addresses all the risks by providing secure, easy-to-use services that ensure your digital card is as safe as it is simple to share. Our platform makes updating and sharing your card not just easy, but also secure. So you can enjoy all the benefits of digital cards with little risk.

Using a Digital Business Card

So, you’re ready to make the switch to a digital business card, but where do you start? The good news is that creating a digital card is quick and simple. With Profyle, you can have your card ready in minutes. Let’s walk through the process and explore how to use it effectively in your day-to-day networking.

How to make a digital business card?

Creating a digital business card using Profyle is straightforward and user-friendly. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

1. Sign Up: Visit the Profyle sign up page and create a free account.
2. Input Your Details: Add your basic information like your name, title, and contact info.
3. Customize Your Card: You can add your logo, social media links, and even multimedia like videos or links to a portfolio.
4. Generate a QR Code: Once you’ve filled in your details, Profyle will automatically generate a unique QR code for your card.
5. Save and Share: After completing your card, it’s ready to be shared digitally.

How do I share my digital business card?

Sharing your digital card is as simple as creating it. You have several options:

• Face-to-Face: Simply show someone the QR code on your phone. They scan it, and your card is instantly saved on their device.
• Networking Events: A digital business card works wonders in both intimate and crowded events thanks. A QR code is a great way to share contact information instantly during all the noise of an event with thousands of people. Whereas a tap of a smart phone next to someone else’s phone or smart watch is the perfect touch to create a personal connection at a smaller event.
• Online Meetings: Simply drop your Profyle card’s unique URL in the chat box during virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom or Teams.
• Via Email or Messaging Apps: Send your digital card’s link through email or text. Add a QR code leading to your card to your email signature. You can also share it on modern messaging apps like Whatsapp or Signal.
• On Social Media: Share your digital business card on LinkedIn, Instagram, or other platforms to reach a wider audience.
• Printed on Materials: If needed, you can print your QR code on business flyers, brochures, or even merchandise. This merges the traditional and digital, letting you extend your reach even offline.

Features and Storage

Finally, you might be wondering what format your digital card comes in and how to store it properly. Here is the big picture on the technical formats and storage details for your digital business cards.

What format is a digital business card?

Essentially, digital business cards are branded and designed landing pages that you can trigger via NFC or QR technology. Hence, the underlying format is that of a HTML page. Sometimes that HTML can be formatted with vCard. However, there is a lot more going around that core.

• QR Code: This the black and white code that people scan to access your contact details.
• NFC-functionality on your phone: The most common use case is simply tapping one phone to another to trigger the digital business card to show.
• An optional physical NFC card: In case you need a backup in the case your phone is not always with you. Perfect for estate agents, lawyers, and sales people.
• URL Link: You get a personalised link that can be shared via email, text, or on social media.
• Analytics: You can see who has viewed your card, when, and how many times. All at a glance.
• Automated follow-up message: It is a bit surprising how effective a single follow up email can be a day after the initial connection. Profyle offers that out of the box.
• Integrations with a CRM: You can store and manage your contacts at scale by connecting your digital business card with a CRM. For example, Profyle connects with Pipedrive and Hubspot.

As you can see, this landing page format opens up a lot of helpful and novel ways to open more doors. Ultimately, more ways to reach your goals.

How do you store digital business cards?

One of the great advantages of digital business cards is that you don’t need to carry around stacks of paper. Everything is stored digitally and can be accessed at any time.

• On your smartphone: Most digital business cards can be stored in your phone’s contact list or as a shortcut on your home screen for quick access.
• Cloud Storage: Services like Profyle automatically store your card on a secure cloud service. While also making sure you can access your card while offline.
• Admin Dashboard: All-in-one services like Profyle have a user-friendly dashboard. You can manage and update your cards there, whenever needed.

Why Digital Storage is Better than Paper

With a holistic solution like Profyle, while all your cards are stored on the cloud – you can access them easily both offline and online.

Don’t take our word for it, here is what our customers say:

“Working with Profyle has been a joy from concept through to launch. We’ve been able to launch these cards, in place of traditional business cards, across our European business with ease – and the initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.” – Joe Balfe, Ralph Lauren

Bringing it all together

If you want to improve how you network and share your information, digital cards are the way to go. Switching to digital business cards makes sense for many reasons:

• They are more convenient.
• They are better for the planet.
• They help you stay connected and memorable.

With Profyle, it’s easy to get started and manage everything in one place. Sign up for a free Profyle Card account today and start sharing your card with ease!