Mobilize your Business Card

When you hear the word “networking,” your mind most likely goes to a scene where people are shaking hands, making small talk, and then exchanging small cards containing contact information to indicate a desire to pursue a professional relationship. This single form of advertising is one of the ways a salesperson measures success in making new connections, notwithstanding the fact that the card will most likely find its way into a trash can without the recipient doing anything with it.

The business card, that little 3.5”x2” sheet of paper, has long been considered one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing. After all, anyone can purchase thousands for less than $100. In addition, they are easy to share because they require almost no space in a pocket, briefcase, or purse.

Most importantly, they are a no-nonsense form of advertising. There is only enough space to provide key contact information, a tagline or call to action, and an image that contains the company logo and maybe a profile picture.

The effectiveness of the typical business card is significantly limited, however, by three key factors:

1. The content on the card is not particularly memorable.
2. Significant time and effort are required to type the content onto a more useable platform.
3. The card itself is frequently discarded shortly after receipt and before entry of the data.

To the extent that one receives a large number of cards at an event, the limiting factors become insurmountable and the cards themselves essentially worthless.

Enter the mobile business card.

Having a touch-free, digital solution can provide everything a traditional business card does and more.  An example is my own card, which can be viewed by visiting https://ckvaughan.com.

A mobile card communicates the same information as the traditional business card, but avoids all of the problems associated with the traditional card.  Specifically, it is far more memorable, does not get lost or thrown away, and is easily downloadable with a couple of keystrokes.

When first introduced, marketplace acceptance of the mobile business card was sporadic.  It represented a new approach, and some were reluctant to embrace one more technology. It was just easier to continue to hand out traditional cards and assume they were sufficient.

For better or worse, 2020 changed everything. Now, it’s hard to find networking events in public places and more meetings are taking place virtually. Traditional business cards are taking up space on shelves or in pockets. Cards that have been left on counters in restaurants or stores are either just sitting there untouched or being swept into trash cans. That’s because the new normal is all about social distancing and touch-free interactions. People just do not want to touch anything you have touched.

People have frequently asked me if the digital card is meant to replace paper business cards. My answer has always been, “No. It is designed to complement the paper card.”

However, now the more appropriate answer is that you may well view it as a tool that can be used in place of the stack of paper cards currently gathering dust in your home or office.

You may be asking yourself, “What is a mobile business card? Is it a picture of my paper card that gets texted out?” The answer is NO.

You might then ask, “Can’t I just send someone my .vcf?” The answer to that is, “You could but it is not recommended because it doesn’t provide you with a way to promote yourself in the process.”

Finally, you may ask, “Why would I need one if I have a website?” Most websites have two major problems:

1. They are too complex and not nearly as user friendly as the company believes they are.
2. They have a negative connotation. Once someone hears the word website, they immediately begin thinking they are being “sold” something.

While all mobile business cards are structurally similar to a website, they are designed to promote YOU first and your company second.

This is a very important difference because people prefer to do business with individuals they know, like, and trust. They do not want to be sold something the first time they make a new acquaintance. They instead seek the establishment of a personal relationship and a level of trust.  It is for this reason that most sales take place after 5-12 touchpoints.

Since the mobile business card is designed to help facilitate relationships it provides you with a number of ways to share and keep your information in front of everyone you meet. You can easily share it in a text message, on your social media profiles, in the signature of your emails, and through a QR code. Below are just a few of the ways I keep my mobile card in front of people:

As part of a conversation:

• “It was great meeting you today. Can I get your cell phone number so I can text you my mobile business card? It’s a really easy way for you to view and save my info to your phone without having to type it in.”
• “I’ve enjoyed talking with you. Let’s do this again soon. I’m going to text you my mobile business card and you can easily schedule a time for our next meeting.”
• “Let’s make sure we stay connected. You can friend me on Facebook and LinkedIn from the menu of my MBizCard.”

As a follow-up text message or email:

• “It was great meeting you yesterday. I wanted to make sure you had the easiest way to save my contact info. Just visit (insert your mobile card link here).”
• “Sorry I missed your call. In meetings all day. Can you visit (insert your mobile card link here) to schedule a time for us to talk?”
• “I am just following up to make sure I have the best contact information for you in general. Would you please visit (insert your mobile card connect page here) to update your contact information?”
• “The holidays are coming and I want to make sure I have your correct address. Can you please visit (insert mobile card connect page here) to share your mailing address?”

As you can see, while it is designed to share a lot of the same information as a paper business card, an digital card is actually much more valuable and powerful. After all, the goal of all salespeople is to get their contact information right into someone else’s contact list. No one enjoys answering phone calls or texts from numbers they don’t recognize.

A mobile business card, now more than ever, is the perfect tool to help meet new people and build relationships.