DIGITAL CARDS OVER PAPER CARDS

During the 19th& 20th century everyone were using printed visiting cards. As the
years rolled down, the trend changed and all peoples were beginning to focusing the
cards which can be used digitally. That is a fact, but what are the benefits of a digital
cards rather than paper cards or printed cards?

Mostly the paper cards or printed visiting cards will gradually take a place in the
waste bin. We just throw away after the need. Here the demand of the digital card is
substantial. While we are opting for a digital card it will always with you (on your
phone or system). No one throw their mobile phone to waste box so that the digital
cards will be remaining in everyone’s system or mobile phone. It does not wrinkle,
tear or be thrown into the nearest bin. Then everything can be done with a click of a
button, it contains a lot more information about you and your business, this is
actually a small website. Satisfied customers will share and pass it on

Both paper and digital business cards are excellent when it comes to sharing your
contact details and making a lasting impression. Both the cards have their own
advantages and disadvantages for businesses. Their use will depend on your branding
strategy. It will be good to use both types of cards to gain from their advantages.

In an increasingly digital world, your phone is the new business card. It’s the first
point of contact with the client or anyone new – an effective way to put a name to a
face. Conventional business tools like paper, fax machines, and even physical offices
are beginning to lose their meaning. However, of all the conventional tools we’ve had,
business cards have not lost their importance. Business cards are essential for small to
big businesses and consumers alike across all industries. Today, these cards help in
building a brand, besides giving contact details. Knowing the significance, modern
entrepreneurs have transformed the conventional paper-based cards into modern
digital business cards.

Paper Business Cards

Benefit: Printed business cards give you an opportunity to communicate your brand

with people you’d like to reconnect with in the future, starting with the first
impression. In the age of visual content, these cards are a great visual reminder of who
you are and what your business is all about.
Drawback: Did you recently update your phone number, email address, or website
address? Are you switching up your business name or undergoing a full-scale
rebranding? Any changes made to the contact information provided on paper business
cards calls for a new batch to be printed up.
Benefit: Paper business cards come in handy at conferences, trade shows, professional
lunches, and other in-person networking events. When someone asks for your card, it
means they want a tangible reminder of who you are and how you met. Jotting a quick
 note on your printed card will help them recall this information when following up
with you later.
Drawback: Quantities are finite, as you can only pass out as many cards as you bring.
You need to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get them printed and
shipped them to you when you’re running low.

Digital Business Cards

Benefit: Mobile apps allow you to share you electronic business card with other smart
phone users. You can create a personalized virtual business card and easily send your
contact information to other app users via their username. These apps also allow you
to email your digital card to non-app users.
Drawback: Digital business card sites are hot one day and gone the next. Contact
sharing tools were recently popular but are now defunct.  Plus, not all mobile options
are available for both iPhone and Android, and some free versions require both users
to have the app installed on their smart phones. Other mobile apps only work if both
parties are on the same Wi-Fi network, which makes sharing information difficult if
the connection is poor.
Benefit: Web-based business cards can help you maximize your online networking
and generate opportunities to be found online. Professional nameplate websites, allow
visitors to discover more about you, learn how to reach you, and see some of your best
work. Once your page is created, you can link it to your email signature and social
media profiles for extra exposure.
Drawback: Want to link your digital card to a custom domain? Some nameplate
websites allow you to link the two, yet this is often considered a premium feature.
While more affordable than designing a traditional website, you’ll be required to pay
an annual fee (or essentially, rent the web design).

Better Together
Even in a tech-focused world, there is still a place for classic paper business cards.
Here are a few easy ways you can merge your real world activities with your virtual
presence.

 Add digital elements- Use a QR code on your printed card to make visiting your
website or your digital card a snap (literally). Mobile apps can scan the code and send
smart phone users directly to the link of your choice, such as your about page or
professional profile.
 Leverage social media- Are you particularly active on a couple social media
platforms? Include their icons and your handles on paper cards so new contacts will
know where and how to connect with you socially.
 Manage contacts efficiently- Instead of logging all your new contacts by hand, use
scanning programs like ScanBizCards and Evernote Hello to digitize paper business
cards. These programs will import the information directly into your Smartphone’s
contacts list and save you the hassle of entering all that data manually.