Old dog, new tricks - "create a digital business card" edition

If you ever wondered who in the world pays attention to email signatures, I’ll refer to one of Sting’s classics - it’s probably me. And I know that curiosity killed the cat, but as an old dog, I figured I had nothing to worry about.

The story began when I received a few emails from my business contacts having a QR code in their email signature. Further investigation after scanning taught me that these were digital business cards.

Needless to say, I set my Google search on fire, asking a dozen questions - What is a digital business card, How can I share my digital business card, Why should I switch to digital business cards… and many more.

You see where this is going, don’t you? It’s not hard to guess my last search was - best digital business card reviews. I am creating one and I’ll briefly explain why, sharing bits and pieces from what I read.

Things happen - you get a promotion or change company, your offices move to another location. You can simply update your card at the source, and it will show updated information even to the “old” recipients. I can’t remember how many times I had to print a new batch of business cards, for one reason or another. I won’t be missing that.

“The majority of business waste is composed of paper, and most business cards (88%) get thrown away within a week.” I don’t blindly believe every statistic I read, but this is close to my own estimation. And moving towards environmentally friendly practices is something I’m trying to do, so there’s that too.

(Knowing that I’ll be meeting people who prefer traditional business cards, I will probably print a small amount of those and embed a QR code. That will do.)

Is anyone here already using digital business cards? I would like to hear what my people say about this. I read enough of youth praising them, I admit I’m convinced. What do you say?

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I’m all for progress, especially environmental, but I have to say that it would probably take 1,000 business cards to make the equivalent of one Amazon box, so methinks this isn’t going to be the biggest selling point for these.

Getting hooked into somebody’s contact list without them having to transcribe it, now that’s a plus. I expect those entries would not be so casually discarded as the little piece of cardboard, too, so a double plus.

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I am more of an “everything counts” type, otherwise, it’s easy to slip into this logic: “Why should I do (my tiny contribution) when (the damage any major corporation does)”. The biggest selling point - no, I wouldn’t say that either, but this aspect counts for me.

Picture 1, 000, 000 people sharing only 50 business cards per year (obviously, for real estate agents, lawyers, financial advisors - the number is, well, you can imagine). Wouldn’t it make a difference if this random sample had an “everything counts” mindset? Don’t mind me, I like to entertain myself with hypothetical examples.

So, as I said, this was a factor for me. Speaking from a more practical point of view than mine, possibly the biggest benefit would be - you can showcase your work. Interior designers, photographers, carpenters, content writers, and so on - can add portfolios or social media links to show their best work. Now that can make a difference in acquiring new clients. Professionals other than artists and craftsmen can link to their case studies or anything that shows the results they achieved. In a way, it is a difference between “You tell me you are great at this” and “I see with my own eyes how good you are”.

Okay, I am obviously very chatty today. It happens to me when I discover something new and I have a bunch of thoughts and observations. Yes, my wife deserves a medal. Thank you for your patience and for sharing your opinion. Cheers!

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