The Evolution of Digital Business Cards

Today, industry convergence — how unrelated tech areas, businesses, and sectors connect — fuels innovation and competition among companies. According to a feature from InformationWeek, industry convergence plays a crucial role in driving customer loyalty by improving the customer experience. Aside from that, a more competitive market in converged industries also means cross-sector talent sourcing to develop a future-ready workforce.

To navigate these changes, business leaders must adapt to stay ahead of the pack, particularly evident in how the next generation of leaders are taught at higher education institutes. Christopher Gourdine, assistant dean and assistant professor for Maryville University's business administration program, notes that some key traits every business leader should have are forthrightness, integrity, relationship skills, empathy, and a desire to serve others and the organization. The best business leaders today show an openness to learn from others to help their organization, and they do so by connecting and networking with others.

Networking nowadays relies on establishing a digital presence, from social media to LinkedIn profiles and personal websites. Professionals are now turning to digital business cards to leverage their digital presence powering up online and in-person interactions. These tools allow speedy and convenient connections, like traditional business cards, without contributing to paper waste. This wasn't always the norm, however. In today's post, we'll go through the evolution of digital business cards and the future of keeping and building contacts through them:

Calling cards

Before traditional business cards and their present digital counterparts, calling cards were how individuals and businesses identified themselves. Placed on top of gifts or homemade products, calling cards are similar in size to the business cards we've come to know. The history of calling cards dates back to the 19th century in Victorian Era Europe when the social elite used them to communicate how and when they planned to do their social visits with each other. This was, after all, a time when people needed to network before telephones, and eventually, the internet took over.

Business cards

Today, business cards are still essential for any professional looking to become a networking pro. According to a Forbes feature on business card ideas, business cards vary depending on your work and niche. They range from simple, minimalist designs associated with looking professional to personalized, highly customized choices of colors, fonts, and logos that best reflect you and your business' branding. Business cards have become a staple at networking events and business meetings because they are easy to store and hand out. It's an excellent way for professionals to keep up with each other while showing off their individuality.

Digital business cards

Modern and into the future, digital business cards evolved as an innovative alternative to traditional business cards, providing all the customization, branding, media, and content options of paper with unlimited online benefits. In a time when professional networking has gone digital, it only makes sense that we adopt digital ways to network. Digital business cards, like those offered by Social Card, have become practical tools for high-touch businesses of any size in any industry to show off their branding while focusing less on the information and more on the content of each interaction.

Digital business cards are also substantially more eco-friendly than their traditional alternative, as they significantly reduce paper waste. An estimated 10 billion paper business cards get printed annually, many of which are lost or trashed. On the other hand, you can keep a digital business card forever and leave much less of a negative environmental impact.

Most importantly, digital business cards are a more affordable way for your team to stand out from other professionals at networking events. You save on the high costs of repeated print and design and benefit from modern tools like central management, bulk creation, easy updates, and infinite sharing. With tools like Social Card's all-in-one digital business card platform for teams, your business cards are easier to update and manage without printing a new batch each time your info changes.

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Written in collaboration with Tiana Emmett.