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Printed paper business cards vs Digital business card

Digitization is a word people are throwing around loosely these days. Digitalization starts in your mind. Cloud, Digitization, Sustainability and Automation tools are trends driving companies and professionals in achieving their business objectives by driving costs lower.

Digital business card is a modern way to share your contact information.  Paper business cards is the preferred global business etiquette. However, in the current one-device-fits-all world where smartphones are taking over everything, printed business cards importance is slowly diminishing.

In this modern digital age, they don’t particularly enhance one-on-one interactions. Besides being a convenient way to share your contact information, what else do they do? How to save the other person’s contact information?  Can you easily Share with colleagues?  Do they integrate with calendar software so you can quickly follow up with people? Unfortunately, the answer is no. In this digital age, you want a business card that is fully functional, provides connectivity and integrates with the way you manage your contacts, such as LinkedIn.

A chart for paper business cards and digital business cards comparison

If you agree, we have a solution that is perfect for you: ShareEcard

ShareEcard uses OCR technologies to convert analogue business card information to digital, thereby ensuring that business connections are available at your fingertips.

In China, many people just exchange WeChat contacts, and in Silicon Valley many people just connect via any mutually useful messenger service, social network, or email address.

You should have a great Digital Business Card so that your Prospects choose you over your competitors.

Although paper business cards are great but are “one time” use product – people look at the card for 2 seconds and then put it in their pockets.  When they return to their office it ends up in a pile on the desk, soon to be forgotten or lost.  90% of printed business cards are lost or thrown away.

Business cards are printed to be thrown away. I know they can look really cool — metal, gold-leaf, embossed, magnetic, doubles as a bottle opener, etc. However, if you’re anything like me, your post-network event timeline goes something like this:

    Get back to the office.

    Throw them in your Desk drawer or add to an existing pile in a rubber band.

    Or Scan them using a free App and never look at them again.

   Or simply throw away.

Sound about right?

Don’t get me wrong, contact information is incredibly important — office number, cell phone number and email address — but we’ve moved beyond the traditional business card, especially now that nearly all of us carry around a Smartphone. Your smartphone provides an even better opportunity to connect with people beyond a 3.5” X 2” piece of paper.

You should be proud of your Digital business card’s appearance and aesthetic. There is something special to ‘being different’ and presenting your credentials and contact information in a highly unique manner. So don’t downplay any aspect of your Digital business card. Never apologize for your irreverence for convention. Think of yourself as a trailblazer and thought leader who is not afraid of being innovative. So, when someone asks you if you have a business card on-hand, respond ‘no. I have something better’. Then present your digital business card. This style of response intrigues the other party, is a definite conversation starter, and boosts your image.

When the obligatory, “Do you have a business card?” question comes up, answer back with, “Yes, a Digital Business Card — can I share with you via SMS, email or do you want to scan using QR code”.

Instead of handing out business cards (which inevitably head for the recycle bin), take the opportunity to digitally connect with someone at your next event or conference.

It might feel weird going to your next networking event without printed business cards, but it’s worth a try with just using a Digital Business Card.

Do not look down upon those who lack a Digital Business Card. If you meet someone who hands you a traditional business card, do not criticize them or make any sort of joke about their lack of tech prowess. Some people either prefer to see others making the transition first, or just still trying to finish off a pack of thousands of traditional business cards they printed 8 years ago. Your digital card will prove quite memorable and might even inspire them to take the digital route.

Unlock the Hidden Power of your Business Card Contacts. Let the ShareEcard scanning feature do the work for you. With the ShareEcard App each scanned card becomes a Digital contact for you to access easily.

Now let’s get into Pricing. The cost for some thick paper business cards can run into over 100 USD, including shipping costs. Keep in mind they most of them will end up in a landfill.  So, are you printing them to be thrown away?  What if you have a “side gig” and you need cards for that, which means you are carrying 2 sets of business cards in your pocket and paying a lot of money for two sets of business cards.

With ShareEcard you could have one digital card for your main business, one for your side hustle and one for personal connections.  ShareEcard allows users to create multiple cards with different information on them. The information you choose to share with someone is often dependent on the context in which you are meeting that person.

ShareEcard Digital Cards are Free and are designed to be Shared and not thrown away.  It’s too easy to lose a paper business card but a Digital card you will always remember and never lose.  Also, this is a more sustainable option.

Infographic - facts regarding printer business cards

Finally, ask yourself the question:  Do you want to create “Carbon footprint”  or a “Digital Footprint”.   Digitalization starts in your mind. When you hand over that printed business card, who knows where it might end up. With a Digital Business Card, you will help make yourself more memorable and your contact data is sure to be preserved.

Paper business cards  Vs   Digital business card – you decide based on this Data.

AJ Berman

AJ Berman is Founder and CEO of ShareEcard. Highly energetic, versatile and metrics-oriented business leader in the Hi-Tech with over 25 years successful international experience in product management, marketing, sales growth and business optimization efforts, both in established companies and start-up environments. Ability to think systematically and manage Complex Projects.