Even before Covid-19, business cards seemed to be slowly disappearing from network events. People would exchange LinkedIN profiles or their work-only numbers, and some entrepreneurs would present QR codes for scanning.
Working from home due to the pandemic has only accelerated this trend. Many professionals now consider an e-business card a must. An e-business card is a single, simple, shareable file with all of your contact details. It can be shared via QR code, or sent as part of your signature in an email.
However, before you throw your 200 paper-and-ink cards in the recycle bin and start writing a proposal to your boss, consider the following pros and cons of e-business cards.
Pros
- Good brand image
An e-business card shows that you and your company are invested in technological development and adopting savvy business solutions, never a bad thing.
- Environmentally conscious
A key advantage of e-business cards is that they don’t impact the environment like (waste) paper and ink would. No matter how many of them you use, your carbon footprint will remain zero!
- Easy to update
All you need to do to update your information on a digital e-card is to update it on your side, and it’ll be automatically applied to everyone who received your card. In contrast, traditional cards need to be updated with a designer and reprinted and handed out again – much more arduous.
- Integrate with existing CRM
E-business cards integrate with existing CRM programmes and add their information into the database immediately, without you needing to scan and manually type in numbers or email addresses. That also means you can’t misspell anything.
- Attach different media
Because an e-business card is essentially a collection of links, it can direct anywhere. Companies can link to their surveys, projects, positions available and so much more from a single card. Make use of this functionality to show off your business!
Cons
- Inaccessible
There will always be a section of the population who don’t know how to use these cards. Older executives, for example, may be uncomfortable with this technological approach. Some companies may still be using files to keep their traditional business cards – and you lose out on these potentials with e-cards.
- Baulking against tradition
Giving and receiving business cards is an important part of the introduction process for many executives and professionals. They may not feel comfortable with an e-card, no matter how well-designed or convenient it is. Also, you would miss out on many of the other cues in the giving and receiving process – such as bowing or exchanging a handshake.
- Impersonal
Like the point above, an e-business card is far less personal than its traditional counterpart. It is the same card shared to every contact, with no way to jot down a number or add a small message to make it special.
- Potential risks
When creating and sharing an e-business card, it’s important to choose a secure platform that won’t compromise your data and is free of bugs. Because you may not be face-to-face with your contact when sharing the e-card, they won’t be able to let you know if there are problems with the files, and hence will probably just junk the whole thing.
- Blocked images or downloads
Another risk is triggering spam filters that will block images, links or other elements in the e-card. In some cases, your card won’t display fully, in the worst-case scenario, it might not even load. In both instances, you may have lost a valuable contact thanks to choosing to use an e-card.
Business photo from canva