Small businessLesson 5 of 6

Lesson 5 of 6 · 6 min read

Free digital business card that stays up to date

A digital business card is your contact details in a form a phone can save or open in one tap, shared by QR code, link or an NFC tag. Put your name, what you do, your phone, email, website and one way to book. Then point the code at a page you can update.

Lesson 5 of 6 · all lessons
  1. 1Free business website
  2. 2Instagram for business
  3. 3Get Google reviews
  4. 4QR codes for business
  5. 5Digital business card
  6. 6Marketing ideas

What a digital business card is

A digital business card can take a few forms. Most people use two of them together.

Contact file

A .vcf file that contact apps import. The person taps it and your details become a new contact.

Contact QR code

A code that holds your name, phone, email and website. One scan offers to save you as a contact.

Page QR code

A smaller code that opens a web page. The page can hold bookings, products and hours as well as contact links.

Card image

A picture of your card to send in a chat, add to a slide or print on paper.

NFC tag

A card or sticker with a small chip that some phones read with a tap. Test it with your customers' phones before you buy a box.

What goes on the card

Put only what a new contact needs to call you, find you or book you. Everything else can live on your page.

FieldExampleTip
NameMarta SilvaThe name people use to find you
What you doFlorist and event flowersWords a customer would type in a search
BusinessPetal HouseLeave it out if you work under your own name
Phone+351 912 345 678Always with the country code, so it works from abroad
Emailhello@petalhouse.comThe one address you answer every day
Website or pagemore.you/petalhouseA page with bookings, products and hours

Make one with the free maker

The free digital business card maker runs in your browser and needs no account. Your details are not sent to a server.

  1. 1

    Type your details

    Add your name, job title, business, phone, email and website. Write the phone with the country code.

  2. 2

    Add a photo if you want one

    The photo goes into the contact file and the card image. It stays on your device.

  3. 3

    Pick the kind of QR code

    Choose Contact to save your details in one scan, or Your page for a smaller code that opens your page.

  4. 4

    Download and scan

    Download the contact file, the QR code as PNG or SVG and the card image. Scan the code with your phone and one other phone.

Ways to share your card

The card works hardest in the moment you meet someone. Have the code ready on your phone screen or on paper.

  1. 1You meet a clientAt a market, a wedding fair or the shop
  2. 2They scan the codeFrom your phone screen or a printed card
  3. 3Your page opensContact links, bookings and hours
  4. 4They book or save youToday, or when they need you

Lines to send with your card

  • Message after a meeting

    Good to meet you today, [name]. Here is my card with my number and booking link: [link]

  • Email signature

    [Name], [what you do] in [city]. Book or contact me: [link]

  • Back of a paper card

    Scan to save my number or book a time.

  • Market stall sign

    Scan for our card, our prices and our next market dates.

  • WhatsApp status

    Taking bookings for [month]. My card and booking link: [link]

For your email, the free email signature generator makes a signature with your details and one website link, such as your page.

A card that stays current

A contact code holds your details in the pattern, so a new phone number means a new print. A page code holds only an address, so you change the page and keep the card.

You can print both on one card. A florist puts the contact code on the front for wedding fairs and the page code on the back for orders.

A More.You page at more.you/yourname works as the page behind the code. It holds social icons, a booking block, products and opening hours, and its own QR code is on every plan.

Contact QR code

  • Saves your details in one scan
  • Holds name, phone, email and website
  • Needs a reprint when a detail changes

Page QR code

  • Opens your page with bookings, products and hours
  • Smaller, so it scans faster
  • Stays the same when you edit the page

MistakeA phone number without the country code

FixWrite it as +34, +44 or +1 and then the number, so it works for visitors.

MistakeTen links on the card itself

FixPut one link on the card and the rest on your page.

MistakePrinting 500 cards before a test

FixPrint one, scan it with two phones, then order the box.

MistakeA contact code you never update

FixAdd a page code, so new details reach everyone who has your card.

Your task this week

  1. 1

    Make your card with the free maker and download all three files.

  2. 2

    Scan the code with your phone and one other phone.

  3. 3

    Send the card to three recent customers and add the page link to your email signature.

You are done when someone else's phone saves your contact or opens your page from the code in one scan.

Next lessonSmall business marketing ideas that cost little and take minutes

Questions

How do I create a digital business card?

Type your name, job, phone, email and website into a card maker and download the files. The free maker gives you a .vcf contact file, a QR code and a card image. Scan the code with two phones before you share it.

How much does a digital business card cost?

It can cost nothing. The free maker has no account, no app and no watermark. Some card apps and NFC cards charge a fee, so check the price before you sign up.

How do I share a digital business card?

Show the QR code on your phone or print it on a paper card. Send the link or the card image by text, WhatsApp or email, and add the link to your email signature.

Does the other person need an app?

No. Most phone cameras read the code and offer to save the contact or open the page. What happens next depends on the phone, so test with an iPhone and an Android phone.

Can I change my details after I print the card?

Not in a contact code, because your details sit inside the pattern. A page code opens a page you control, so you edit the page and every printed card shows the new details.

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