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What is a (Custom-Designed) Digital Business Card?
What is a Digital Business Card? While there may be several ways to explain this, my definition is "an app or micro-site designed to present the company and contact information of the cardholder in digital format, residing on the home screen of a smartphone."
Let's dissect that . . . " an app or a micro-site." What is the difference? An app is something that you download at the app store. You must set up an account by entering some basic information like email address, phone number, and name in many cases. Most apps also require you to set up a password to use them.
A micro-site is a mini website, shared via a link or URL, allowing the user to simply tap the link to open the web page. The key point is that there is NO account set up or password requirement, allowing for much faster sharing and fewer barriers to using the DBC.
Next, let's look at "it's designed to present the cardholder's company and contact information in digital format." Like a printed business card, a digital card should have the basic contact information of the cardholder. Yes, the card can have some messaging and images; however, it is not intended to replace the person or company's website. The links section of the card can direct the viewer to more details on the web.
Finally, "residing on the home screen of a smartphone." The home screen of a smartphone is the most valuable piece of real estate in business today! Most smartphones are never more than three feet away from their owner and viewed hundreds of times per day!
Types of Digital Cards on the Market Today
There are three types of digital cards: template-based, custom template-based, and custom-designed.
A template-based card is a boilerplate approach; you have no input in terms of layout or design. You simply upload your logo and headshot, fill out a form, and a card is created, without customization.
A custom template-based card allows for some customization in terms of backgrounds and color schemes, making it a bit more flexible than a template-based card.
A custom-designed card provides the most customization for your clients. You begin with a blank canvas, creating whatever works best for your client and their brand. This is the ultimate digital business card!
Everything appearing below the share, call, and email icons on the card is customizable. Using the design software of your choice, you can create whatever you'd like in that particular space. The logo, headshot, contact information, and benefit messaging can be placed at will, depending on the brand standards and the style of the particular cardholder. As you can see, this offers much more flexibility than the template-based and custom template cards.
Now that you have a better understand of what a digital business card is, the next blog post I will talk about the benefits of using a digital card and why it may make sense for you to offer them to your clients.
Thank you for your time. Please share this post with other design and print pros you know and on social media. . . AND come back soon to see our next entry.
Cheers,
Barry "Custom-Designed Digital Business Card" Donovan