Bob Bentz's business card contains a custom qr code.

Business cards are getting a bit old fashioned.  In fact, the day may come in the not too distant future when business cards are obsolete.  For now, however, business cards remain a vital part of doing business.  If you’ve ever attended a trade show, you know what I mean.  I keep waiting for somebody to say that they don’t have a business card, but so far that has never occurred to me.

It is important, however, that you maximize the value of your business card.  There is limited space on the business card so maybe it’s time to get rid of your fax number and other things that are truly no longer relevant in the business world.

Replace that space with an interactive QR Code.  A QR Code shows that you are an up-to-date businessperson that knows that most savvy people today know how to scan a QR Code with their smartphone.

We recommend creating a Custom QR Code.  A Custom QR Code on a business card can show your personality and makes your card stand out from the rest of the pack.  Our apples-to-apples study shows that Custom QR Codes get 2.3 times greater scan rates than ordinary black & white QR Codes.  In fact, after my recent trip to the CTIA Show, I noticed that my QR Code on my business card had been scanned a whopping 56 times!

Of course, if you’ve been reading about QR Codes, you know that there are numerous problems in the execution of this relatively new mobile marketing tool.  Most important is that marketers are using them to simply send a scanner to a website that isn’t even optimized for mobile; this is truly a poor user experience and gives the user limited value.  It is best to send the scanner to some unique and creative content.  Video is a great choice.

Other people using QR Codes on business cards are using them to share contact details.  There are numerous kinds of software on the web that enable you to download your contact details onto the scanner’s cell phone.  This isn’t a bad idea, but I want to get the scanner’s information too.  Moreover, I’ve included a text message marketing tool (Text BOB to 84444) if all they want is my contact details in digital format.  That’s why my Custom QR Code sends them to my LinkedIn page.  Once they LinkIn with me, I’ll have them in marketing database forever.