There has been an explosion in freelance workers over the last few years. No matter what has happened with hiring, the work itself still exists and nearly 80% of employers contracted freelancers.

Freelance and contract work is a situation where everybody wins. The contractor is able to control their hours, availability and rate of pay. They don’t have to work at a specific time in a certain place which means they can work just as easily from their couch as a coffee shop as the beach.

With the exponential growth of freelancers, it’s time to consider how to put your best foot forward when networking and nurturing leads. If you are currently using a traditional business card, read on to learn why transitioning to a digital business card is the best idea for freelancers.

Why Choose a Digital Business Card as a Freelancer?

Traditional business cards have been the only way of doing things for a long time, but do they make sense for freelancers? We don’t think they do.

61% of freelancers provide two or three different services. For example, a freelance photographer/videographer writer may also provide editing, animation and social media content. What about the freelance journalist who also does marketing and website builds?

These types of roles are a lot to describe on a 3.5” x 2” card. Enter the digital business card.

These online cards allow freelancers to describe what they do in a cleaner way while also including links to their services.

In addition to services, though, they can include links to social media, galleries, work product, their rate sheet and more. While freelancers can use QR codes, that still only goes to one outlet.

The Emesh digital business card allows for multiple cards, perfect for case-by-case use. A journalist at a food-focused press event can share a ready-made digital card showing off their existing food publications before switching to their content creation card for lunch with a potential client the next day.

This type of flexible, digital tool captures the versatility a freelancer needs. Carrying multiple traditional paper cards wouldn’t be half as effective.

Unique Business Card Needs Felt by Freelance Workers

In addition to offering multiple services, as mentioned above, there are plenty of other reasons why a digital business card should be on every freelancer’s to-do list.

• Pretty-much all business cards get tossed in the trash within hours of receipt. This isn’t an exaggeration. Adobe found in a recent study that 88% of cards exchanged end up in the trash in a matter of hours. Digital business cards, however, go straight into a phone as a contact card. No need to scan or input–connections will be grateful!
• They send a clear message clients want to hear. Freelancers work with multiple clients which means they use a LOT of technology. They run their own businesses using all kinds of apps and software but clients use all kinds of apps, too. Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft, Skype, Zoom, Canva, Calendly, Acuity, Wordpress… you get the idea. A digital card immediately communicates that this is a person who is agile and can integrate tech.
• They are cost effective. Freelancers have strict budgets. Designing and printing a less ineffective paper business card is expensive. And they have to be reprinted. Maybe you have multiple cards for each service. That adds up. Especially if you take the time to create a nice card. A digital business card, however, doesn’t require any sort of reprinting and can be designed, even branded, quickly and easily.
• They are better for the environment. Digital business cards are a green option. Currently, the paper industry cuts about 7 million trees a year to print paper business cards. This leads to deforestation and speeding up climate change. Because they are all online, there’s no need to waste paper when you want to make a change.