Building Connections in a Virtual World: Leveraging Digital Business Cards

The world is moving first, and it’s certainly moving forwards. The ways of life have changed, and the trade styles have also changed. Not just the cultures but the business world has been hugely affected by this constant shift to an ultra-modern society. A couple of decades back, shopping meant visiting the shop physically, roaming through the aisles with the cart, picking up stuff, and then checkout. Oh, wait, how can I forget to mention the scary long queue before the cash counter that takes all day to clear? And the change problems, when you try to pay with cash? Oh, man. What a headache that is!

Possibly no one had ever imagined back then, even in their craziest dreams, that there would come a time very, very soon when you’ll just relax in your bedroom and order a whole list of groceries from the comfort of your bedroom, and then pay the exact amount in a swift glance of eye with net banking or more personalized, mobile-based UPI system. Even nowadays, many auctions have gone online and digital too.

The digital revolution is here to stay. As per a recent market survey report by the agency Expert market research, The global market for Digital Advertising and Marketing is estimated at a whopping USD 531 Billion in the year 2022, and it is roughly projected to reach a revised size of USD 1.5 Trillion by 2030, growing at an unbelievable fast exponential rate of 13.9% over the analysis period 2022-2030.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is a whole branch stream that includes round-the-clock online market surveillance and digital advertising with sales strategies. Digital marketing sounds very weird, but it is very basic. This is straightforward too. You have it; you show it and ask your customers to buy it. Now just like salesmen pursue their customers by phone calls and door-to-door visits, we do the same thing in digital marketing by using social media and the public Internet. This is all about getting inside the customer’s mind slowly and gradually, then manipulating it in your favor from hundreds of kilometers away just with beautifully crafted posters, a stunning photo featuring some gorgeous model, or a few carefully chosen words in the caption. And this might sound shady, but human manipulation is the most difficult of all. But keep thinking just one point: all these are for good, not to cause harm to anybody.

Social media management and digital marketing with advertising strategies are becoming a stream of study nowadays.

Digital Business Cards: lasting impressions in this tranquil world

What are digital business cards?

Visiting cards are widely used throughout the entire globe. In the United States alone, almost 10 billion visiting cards are printed on demand yearly. Brand-new digital business cards are now dominating this market.

Simply digital business cards are the paperless digital version of your conventional cards. These can come in many formats like – Images, QR code, Bar codes, NFC business cards, Tags, etc. But all of them have the same objective. They contain data regarding your business and its products. These are also known as smart cards, name tags, mobile business cards, electronic cards, etc.

Leaving impressions: Why are they better than conventional paper cards?

In this breakneck competition to survive the world of commerce, you have to win anyway, and there’s no second choice left. And the only way to win is to leave a lasting impression in the market and the public mind, who’ll want more from you spontaneously. Making an impression requires time, dedication, and great management. This is why even the tech giants like Google or Microsoft have specialized Public Relations teams who get paid in hefty dollars just for holding up an overall good image and cordial relationship with the customers.

As an entrepreneur, you have to start somewhere too. And a visiting card is a great starting point because we know the first impression is the last. Win their hearts right away when you meet and greet them. This will go way longer than you think. So now the question arises, why do you need a digital card only? What’s wrong with the good old paper-printed visiting cards?

Here’s why:

1. Easy to share: Handing out cards feels great, but it’s not easy when your acquaintance lives in a faraway city or often in a different country. The Internet via digital technology has brought us together, making this world a global village. Use that opportunity. Use digital cards, which are extremely easy to share with a single-finger swipe. You can share as many times with as many people as you wish at once.
2. Loads of info: Visiting cards are not your autobiography but your company brochure. Conventional cards contain only basic information like the establishment’s name, address, and contact number. But often, potential partners and customers would like to know a bit further about you. In digital, you can add loads of extra info and even easily pack a whole website into the card. Barcodes and QR codes are great options for this. Now your card will tell them your location, guide them on the map, provide an option to book advanced appointments, and more.
3. Cost-effectiveness: Paper and ink are not so cheap anymore. Printing premium visiting cards with golden ink on executive-grade glossy boards can cost you so hefty that you might want to try second opinions. And in our opinion, digital is the way. Hire a professional graphic designer, let them design a hell of a card once, and just forget about spending money. Now keep sharing with as many people as you wish, as many times as you like.

NFC business cards: what are these things?

When the talk is on digital cards, it remains incomplete without a little chit-chat on NFC cards. We believe you will like what you’re going to read here.

NFC equals Near-Field Communication. NFC business cards are one kind of smart card communicating with a sensor or receiver device that helps to share your business info just with a single tap, all at once instantly. This is one of the most advanced wireless communication technologies that use radio frequency to interact with the devices in a close range (within 4 cm or less), usually with the help of an in-built microchip that can hold bytes of data. This is the digital visiting card of the next generation. This is the future of digital marketing.

Nowadays, apps are available to enter and edit info. So the accessibility level here is pretty high. Just anyone with a smartphone can prepare and share these user-friendly cards. When matched with a streamlined, smooth performance level, these NFC business cards are the best new gadget you should include in your company inventory.

How to use NFC business cards?

• Hold the card close to the sensor, or tap it on an NFC-enabled smartphone. Place your card below the phone, as that’s where the NFC sensors are installed.
• The sensor will instantly detect the card, and an on-screen dialogue box will appear, asking you to choose the desired action, like opening the designated URL, sending mail, and even dialing a certain business number. Also, the whole info gets saved to your phone simultaneously. So you see how hassle-free and convenient it is!

Advantages of NFC business cards:

An NFC card is a wonder. A survey by GlobalNewsWire reported that the Global NFC Business Card market size was expected to reach US$ 33 million by 2028, from US$ 17 million in 2021, at a growth rate of 9.9% during 2022-2028. That proves its worth.

Take a look at the unique advantages it offers:

• Be it your car, company server, plant security system, or net banking, forget to carry that stack of cards and keys for each. One NFC chip solves everything and works everywhere. That’s awesome
• As an entrepreneur, get total control over your employees’ data usage and sharing. With a single click in the monitoring app, you can edit as you wish and give access to the whole team when needed. No meetings or briefings, a simple central gear. That’s what NFC is.
• Also, easy to use. That tiny piece calmly sits in the corner of your pocket or money bag and still manages to store much more info than traditional paper cards.

So get your digital business cards today and send them to all coveted customers and prospective partners you have always wanted to introduce yourself to. Let them know your potential, your excellence. This is going to be fun. Enjoy!