As a marketing agency that focuses on helping law firms grow, we know that networking plays a big role in your success strategy. And business cards are a valuable resource when it comes to networking. But with digital media on the rise, you might be wondering if traditional print business cards will remain relevant and help grow your law firm’s client base or if digital business cards are a better fit for your law firm. In recent years, digital business cards have grown in popularity due to their convenience in a professional, and increasingly remote, environment with many companies offering these services.
The purpose of business cards is to share and gather contacts from valuable connections such as potential clients or industry leaders. In that sense, digital business cards are essentially the same except they are created and distributed online.
Since there is no consensus as to what parameters digital business cards should adhere to, it can be difficult to know which method is right for your firm. Find below the most common digital business card creation tools.
Near-field communication (NFC) technology allows two devices to communicate wirelessly with the use of a magnetic induction chip (tag) that facilitates contactless data exchange.
NFC tags come in a variety of forms, such as stickers, pop sockets, or even paper cards. Amazon is a great resource to purchase them at an affordable price if you’re willing to do the set-up yourself. Find a step-by-step guide on how to create your own NFC business card here.
Embedded with an NFC chip, your business card will trigger a digital action (like opening your website) when tapped against any NFC enabled device – these days, that’s most smartphones and tablets.
You can also purchase an NFC enabled digital business card using Wave, an e-commerce platform with a variety of template-based card designs to choose from. Pricing varies depending on the material of the card and whether you want to customize it with your logo.
A text-based electronic file (.vcf) that contains business card details. The file can be read by multiple apps and is generally distributed via email as an attachment. vCards can also contain images and multimedia, and their function is to populate form fields in built-in apps such as your phone’s contact list and third-party apps like Outlook and Gmail.
.vcf files will automatically open on different apps depending on the default setting established by your operating system. Double clicking on a vCard file on PC will redirect you to the Contacts tab on Outlook and doing the same on a Mac will open your address book and allow you to save the contact immediately.
There is a wide range of virtual business card apps in the market. These apps work as website builders that allow you to create a template-based profile page. You will need to create an account and go through a series of guided steps to choose a template and upload your information.
Top digital business card apps include HiHello, Sansan Virtual Cards, and about.me. These apps (and many others) will offer different levels of customization, templates, pricing, and features. Here are a few comparison points to consider before making your choice:
Note: You may encounter limitations implementing your firm’s brand identity into these template-based apps. This is a quick, easy, and cheap option that may be convenient if you are not looking to spend too much time and resources. If you want to achieve a unique design that stands out among other firms, a custom-built digital business card might be a better approach for your firm.
A digital business card is an extension of your personal brand. The appearance of your digital business card should reflect the type of law your firm practices, who your clients are, and how you want to be perceived. This is where a custom-built design card can help you create a more original, standout experience for potential clients.
If you’re interested in implementing one-of-a-kind business card designs for your law firm, fSquared Marketing can help create a design that is consistent with your brand’s visual identity and build a digital business card that is interactive, shareable, and able to integrate with the recipient’s contacts.
Now that you have defined your approach, it’s time to share your law firm digital business card with your contacts. Digital cards are shareable in many ways, including QR code, NFC tap and with third-party apps.
You can also send the link to your business card via SMS, email, instant messaging apps, or add it to your social media profile.
Does your law firm need to replace your printed business cards with digital ones? The short answer is no.
Printed materials are tangible objects that people can hold onto long after meeting you at an event whereas digital business cards are more convenient in terms of data storage, creative freedom, and flexibility. Print and digital complement each other and you may need either depending on the type of client you’re interacting with. Both types of business cards can happily co-exist.
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