The use of business cards to make a memorable impression on a potential client is not new. Professionals in a variety of fields have been using them for years. Giving a person a business card affords the individual possessing it the opportunity and information needed to accept your product or service.
What is new, however, is the ability you have to guide the person that receives your card. By utilizing available technology, you can transmit your thoughts and feelings to the viewer in a manner he or she chooses. This article explains why digital business cards can be the perfect tool for such communication.
The Concept
Digital business cards are presentations on miniature discs that receive input from the viewer and respond to that input in a specific way. These cards are not complex. They simply blend two widely used learning processes (media and interaction) together. This combination provides a dynamic arrangement that is very effective and appealing. This article will consider three questions. Why use digital business cards? What advantages are there? And why are they more effective than paper cards?
Why Use Digital Business Cards?
When an individual looks at your business card, he or she must make a quick decision based on minimal information. Sure, many people having additional questions will utilize the contact information on the card to get in touch with you to obtain answers. However, not all people respond in the same manner.
A number of potential clients are not comfortable speaking to someone they do not know, about something they are unfamiliar with. Using a digital business card, allows access to these potential clients while at the same time maintaining a more traditional means for those that prefer a more conventional method.
Features of Digital Business Cards
- Text
- Images
- Sound
- Video
- Receive Input
- Links to Your Website
- Database Access Capabilities
Benefits of Using Digital Business Cards
- Separate Yourself From Your Peers
- Make a Deeper Impression
- More Information Available
- Drive Traffic to Your Website
- Promote Related Products and Services
- Free Up Valuable Time Used to Answer Common Questions
Digital vs. Paper Business Cards
When a person looks at a paper business card, they immediately form an opinion about the business represented by the card. Your ability to influence the viewer lies entirely upon first impression. Even in a perfect scenario, the first impression is the end of the road with a paper business card. You cannot guide thinking or move the viewer to action no matter how good that first impression may be. You must do a majority of the work after the initial contact. What, though, about digital business cards?
Digital business cards are a different story because you can guide thinking in an effective way and move the viewer to action if you so choose. Even if the first impression is less than perfect, many contacts will be moved to view the contents out of shear curiosity! Simply stated, the first impression is not as vital with a digital business card and the selling power is stronger. What makes it so effective?
Transferring of Imagination
To understand the differences between paper business cards and digital business cards, one only needs to consider a couple of examples:
- When a book is made into a movie, does the movie generally make more or less than the book?
- Do you skip watching the news on T.V. because you read the paper, or is it the other way around?
These examples illustrate that printed messages inform. However, when it comes to moving the viewer to action, motion, sound, and images are much more powerful. The author is able to assist the viewer by influencing his or her imagination. In essence, the viewer virtually experiences the event rather than knowing or learning it. Going one step further though, the viewer can get involved by clicking links and buttons or entering text and filling out forms. Ultimately, the person using the tool experiences the process in a unique way.
By utilizing modern technology and injecting some creativity into the presentation, your business card can be more than just a tool for making contacts. It can bridge the gap between the initial encounter, and closing the deal. In essence, it can make the viewer your best sales person.
