The Landscaper’s Guide to Digital (NFC) Business Cards
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The Content Team,
HALSTEAD.
In the landscape industry, business owners are in the habit of using traditional business cards to share contact information with prospects, customers, and colleagues. But did you know that 88% of paper business cards are thrown out in less than a week after receiving them? While traditional business cards were an effective marketing and networking tool historically, are they still effective in today’s increasingly digital world?
Technology and the internet allow landscapers to present more information to their customers than ever before, whether that means with photos, videos, or informational content—and this capability is spilling into one of the most basic ways businesses share information with prospects—the business card. Digital business cards can completely transform the way that landscapers market their business. Instead of relying on a piece of paper that only contains contact information, landscapers have the opportunity to use digital business cards to give a bigger picture of the services they offer.
A Brief History of Business Cards
As a networking tool for exchanging contact information and making a good brand and marketing impression, the concept of business cards won’t be going away anytime soon. However, for landscapers marketing their businesses online or starting to, there is an opportunity to expand upon the traditional business card to include their valuable online content. Digital business cards are the modern method of not only sharing contact information but establishing branding and helping potential customers build confidence and trust in a landscaping company based on the portfolio they can easily access online.
How Networking and Working with Customers has Changed in the Landscape Industry
A lot has changed in the past couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our world is more digital now than it has ever been before. We have more social interactions online and fewer interactions with people face-to-face. Many customer service representatives and salespeople in the landscape industry are still operating in this fashion today because customers realized the benefits. Who would have thought that presenting a design plan for that new $250K backyard remodel online would have ever been acceptable? But in today’s evolving world, it is.
With these changes comes yet another shift in the way that we share information about the landscaping business. While once landscapers needed a physical card to exchange, today it’s not as necessary. Even the way that we store contact information has changed—Rolodexes were long ago replaced with digital address books and CRM software.
Exchanging paper business cards is no longer as convenient, especially in a world where we are so conscious of germs. We won’t venture as far as to say that paper business cards are completely outdated because they are still essential in some situations, but digital business card technology has given us the eco-friendly option of going paperless, contactless, and able to share digital information much more conveniently. Next, we will share exactly how a digital business card can benefit businesses in the landscape industry.
The Landscape Professional’s Snapshot of What a Digital Business Card Is
A digital business card is also known as an electronic or virtual business card. It’s a modern method of sharing contact information with others, whether they be customers or potential business partners. Digital business cards can feature interactive features such as links to websites, videos, or even QR codes. With this technology, landscape business owners are able to share much more information than they would have been able to with a traditional paper business card.
The implication for landscaping business owners is that they will also be able to share their portfolios quickly and easily. They can share photos and videos of completed projects, which will have a much bigger impact than simply a paper card with contact information printed on it.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. We know that a thousand words could never fit on a business card, and who would want to read that much text anyway? Photos and videos are easily consumable for customers and can have a tremendous impact. In fact, 72% of customers say that they would prefer to learn about a product or service through video. The fact is, your customers more than likely have a smartphone in their hands. Using digital business cards is simply a smart business decision.
From a brand and marketing standpoint, digital business cards allow a landscape business to stand out from its competitors who are not utilizing digital media. Only 34% of small businesses invest in video marketing, which means if your landscape business invests in video marketing and uses a digital business card to share these videos, your business is one step ahead of the others.
While there is a 12% conversion rate for traditional business cards, there is a 2.35% conversion rate for websites. With the combination of both an in-person interaction with a customer and offering the digital experience, one can conclude that the conversion rate can only increase.
How Can Landscapers Share Digital Business Cards?
There are various ways that digital business cards can be shared, all of which may be appropriate at different times.
Hyperlink: Most platforms that are used to create digital business cards offer the ability to have a direct link to your digital business card. This allows you to share your contact information in emails, texts, and on social media.
QR code: This method can be used whether in person or not. It does require that the recipient has a smartphone where they can scan the code to access your digital business card. In person, you can have the QR code on your phone, or even on your Apple Watch, and have your new contact scan the QR code. In online situations, your contact can simply scan the QR code from their screen. You could display the QR code in video meetings, on your emails, texts, or even your videos on YouTube.
Near-field communication (NFC) tag: This method involves you being in person so that you can share your digital business card with a single tap. In the landscape industry, it is almost impossible to sell your services solely virtually and so this method is especially useful. The NFC tag is simply a microchip that is embedded within a physical card. When you tap your card to an electronic device, a link will automatically appear on the person’s device where they can access your digital business card. So when your salesperson is meeting with a customer in their backyard, explaining ideas for their new landscape design, with a simple tap of their digital business card to the customer’s phone the salesperson can share the wealth of information and resources from your online content quickly.
Digital Business Card Options for Landscapers
The first choice you need to make when considering a digital business card is whether you want a physical card or not. Companies like V1CE offer physical cards with NFC tags that are made out of metal, bamboo, or plastic. This technology requires you to carry this card with you so that you can physically tap and share your contact information.
If you prefer to have your digital business card information accessible on your smartphone, you won’t need to worry about having a physical card in hand. While you won’t be able to use NFC technology to share your contact information with just a tap, your new contact can scan your QR code or you can simply text or email a link to your digital business card.
Perhaps you like the idea of having a digital business card, but would still like a physical card to share. In this case, simply have a business card printed with a QR code included. This way your contact can scan the QR code if they are tech-savvy or they can save the paper card if they’re not. In an effort to build a strong brand and not lose the valuable element of having a traditional business card, we believe that landscape professionals should still have physical business cards even if they have a digital business card.
Estimated Costs for Digital Landscaping Business Cards
Pricing varies depending on the features you require and the digital business card platform that you choose. Most platforms offer a monthly or annual subscription fee, which can range anywhere from free to $8/month or more.
Pricing for a business card with NFC technology depends on the material that you wish your card to be made of. For example, with V1CE cards you have the option to choose a card made of PVC for around $74 or with a silver metal material for approximately $200. There is even an option for an invitation-only 24K gold metal, although the pricing is not listed.
Choosing Between Paper and Digital
As with any choice, there are benefits and drawbacks to everything. Digital business cards are convenient, easily updatable, eco-friendly, contactless, and give you the ability to include interactive elements. Another benefit of digital business cards is that some platforms allow you to integrate with CRM software. Some platforms even offer analytics, such as when and where your digital business card was obtained by a new contact. Digital business cards also make you appear tech-savvy and can make quite an impression.
One of the biggest drawbacks of digital business cards for landscape professionals is accessibility. Not all of your customers will have smartphones to even access your digital business card. Some customers may not be as tech-savvy either. You also need a reliable internet connection on both sides to be able to access your digital business card, and sometimes that isn’t always possible.
On the other hand, paper business cards cannot be quickly updated without having to order new cards and allow processing and printing time. They can be a hassle to carry around with you everywhere you go, and they’re simply not eco-friendly. However, they do tend to be more personable than digital business cards.
While the future may lead to digital business cards as the standard, it may be a good method to incorporate both paper and digital features in your business cards today. You want to be able to connect with customers whether they are on top of the latest technology or averse to modern trends. Having a business card that features a QR code lets tech-savvy contacts take advantage of the digital elements while still giving you something to share with your less tech-savvy connections—a paper copy.
