For most of us, there is a hard dichotomy between our personal and professional life. If you have curated a professional identity, surrounding your education, accomplishments, skills, and roles, you don’t want this blurred with your personal life. Think about the distinct difference between a LinkedIn profile and a Facebook or Twitter profile. LinkedIn is for professional networking and connections, while social media is for connecting personally. Digital business cards can be used in the same way.
Had a great conversation with someone at a local coffee shop and want to become friends? Share your personal card. Met a potential client and want to keep in touch if they ever need your services? Share your professional profile.
By separating your personal and professional identities, so that you can share your card with anyone you meet. This allows you to make new connections quickly and easily, with all of your contact information in one place.
Efficient Use of Digital Business Cards
To get the most out of your digital business card, select an application that offers multiple profiles, more specifical personal and professional profiles. Synqit is a great option, available on iOS and Android devices, that can be shared with NFC technology, a QR code, or through text messages. Most likely, your personal and professional interactions have very different purposes.
It doesn’t make sense to share your professional business card in informal settings. And the same can be said for a personal business card in formal settings. By using two profiles, you can tailor your business card to your current scenario.
Personal Profile Use Cases
1. Social Media Account Sharing
These days, nearly everyone has a public online identity. As social media continues to grow, so does the importance of your online identity. Social media offers a unique way to make connections all over the world. You’re probably active on at least one of the following social media platforms:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Twitch
But the more social media platforms you use, the harder it is for others to keep track of your accounts. You may have different handles or usernames on each platform.
Using the personal profile of a digital business card makes sharing all these accounts super convenient. Add a link to each of your social media handles on your digital business card’s personal profile. Now anyone that you make a connection with, will have on-the-go access to all your online profiles.
2. Make New Friends
You never know when you’re going to meet a new prospective friend. It may be in line at the grocery store, your favorite thrift shop, a music festival, or the local bar. Wherever you are, you can share your personal profile with just a tap.
No more fumbling to get their number and hoping you don’t swap any numbers in the process. No more awkward asking their name for the third time because you don’t remember it when trying to enter their contact number. And no more pressure to reach out via phone or text.
When you share your digital business card’s personal profile, you open yourself up to many more ways to make connections. If you are both into video games, then you might start sharing your favorite YouTube videos or streamers on Twitch.
All your new friend has to do, is tap the back of their phone to your NFC tag or scan your QR code. Never lose a friend because of outdated contact information again. Every time you update your card, with new contact information or social media accounts, their contact will automatically be updated.
3. Connect with Other Students
The connections you make at college can be great leads for opportunities later in life. You never know who will become a CEO, found a startup, or offer you a new job opportunity. But while you’re in school, you’ll probably want to connect on a personal level.
There are so many opportunities to use a personal business card profile at university. Think of all the situations where you are connected with new students:
- Classes
- Orientation events
- Group assignments
- Study groups
- Labs
- Competitive or intramural sports or clubs
Keep all your connections in one place, with your personal business card profile. Now whenever you need someone to study with or need help with a lab, you have a long list of new connections. When you leave college, you, and everyone you’ve connected with will carry these connections, as you start your careers. All that personal networking will now provide your professional life with a major head start.
Professional Use Cases
1. Professional Development/ Networking Events
Whenever you’re in a setting for professional development, whether it’s a conference or event, those around you are more open to networking. These kinds of settings are perfect for making professional connections.
Nearly every industry has yearly conferences and events. Even job fairs count as networking events. These professional settings are where you learn about new trends, technologies, or best practices within your industry. Make sure you have a professional business card profile ready to share because you never know who you’re going to meet.
2. After Pitching
If you’re a business owner, you probably do a lot of pitching. Maybe you’re a subcontractor or a freelancer and you’re soft pitching to every prospective client you meet. Or maybe you have a startup and you’re pitching in a boardroom to venture capitalists trying to secure funding. Whatever the specific business setting, after a pitch you want to make a great impression.
Now is the time to offer up your digital business card’s professional profile. This personalizes you in a professional way and allows them to check out your professional profiles on their own time and without any pressure:
- your business website
- your resume
- your portfolio & much more
Plus, you can follow up in a few weeks to see if they’ve given your business proposition any further thought!
3. Connect with Coworkers
Don’t underestimate the value of meaningful connections with your coworkers. Stop thinking of them as just people you work with in your current role. When you work with a coworker, share your professional business card. As coworkers leave and move around to new jobs and opportunities, you will again link to these new places. When you’re the one seeking a new job or want to suggest great talent at a new job, you can refer to those you’ve previously worked with.
Research shows that nearly 50% of all job openings are hidden. These jobs are filled by professional recommendations and networking. You have to know someone in the company to get slotted for these job openings. A professional recommendation from a past coworker can pay off immensely by helping you land one of these jobs.
Wrapping Up Digital Business Card Use Cases
Digital business cards that offer separate personal and professional profiles, like Synqit, are invaluable to your professional and personal development. You can use a digital business card in virtually every life setting.
Share your social media profiles with friends and acquaintances, make new friends, and connect with students, using your personal profile. Then you can easily swap to your professional profile to make connections at networking events, after pitching, and within the workplace. If you’re ready to take your networking to the next level with digital business cards, check out Synqit.