Virtual Business Name Card VS Traditional, Advantages And Disadvantages Part Two

Virtual Business Name Cards, Advantages And Disadvantages Compared To Traditional Cards 

The Advantages 

Because of their format, virtual business name cards cannot be damaged or lost 

Digital business name cards can be sent by email or exchanged via an application 

Once created, virtual business name cards are cost effective as they do not require any printing. If you save the cost of printing on more than 10 people per year, the savings for a company can be significant. 

Virtual business name cards are innovative and make a difference. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a salesman in the IT sector who meets hundreds of customers (who also meet hundreds of salesmen). If you are the only one to send them a virtual business name card by email that they will be able to find at any time, that they will never risk losing, you are already differentiating yourself from the competition. 

Some digital business name cards can be shared via QR codes. While QR codes are no longer too trendy, this method of sharing does allow for a lot of information to be integrated into the business name card. These cards are also much more interactive as they allow the person to be directed to a landing page of their choice (and change it frequently if needed). 

Virtual business name cards can be customized as much as you like and, most importantly, can be changed very quickly. If you want to change your job title, your photo or the color of some elements, you don't need to call a graphic designer for that, you can do everything from your computer or your mobile application. Convenient. 

Some virtual business namecard allow you to follow their usage statistics, a real plus compared to traditional cards. 

The Disadvantages 

Depending on your contact, if he offers you a paper business name card, offering him a digital business name card in return could destabilize him or even annoy him (if he has to do something to save it on his smartphone for example).

Indeed, if this person is not technophile or a minimum interested in digital and expects to receive in return of his cardboard card your business name card in the same format, offering him a digital business name card could affect future exchanges.

While in industries such as the Web, offering a digital business name card would not shock anyone (or almost), having only a virtual business name card to offer in other industries could clearly disrupt the habits of your contacts who would potentially have a harder time finding your contact information afterwards. 

The fact that virtual business name cards require for the most part applications to be sent means that you must have an internet connection to be able to exchange it. What if you are on a plane? Abroad? In the subway without internet access?

Or at a party with 0% battery on your smartphone? In all these cases, the cardboard business name card, although more cumbersome, is much more practical. 

Conclusion: Virtual Or Traditional Business Name Card? 

To do well, you should not choose between virtual business name card and traditional business name card but opt for both solutions. 

This way, you could adapt to all situations and to all interlocutors, without having to suffer from the disadvantages of each type of card. It would be possible to differentiate yourself when the interlocutor is ready, but also to have a backup solution if you are out of printed cards or out of battery on your smartphone.