WARNING: This blog will talk you out of Video Business cards and then… Talk you RIGHT BACK IN. Read the whole thing.
Why Video Business Cards were USELESS
After 12 years in business as a video production expert, we can say that we’ve done it “all”. C47 Films has created feature films, documentaries, corporate video works that include About Us Videos, Sales Videos, myriad Marketing Videos, more social media video content than we can even quantify, and yes… video business cards. Heck, we’ve made music videos, too. And, of all of our work, our biggest regret is the mythical “video business card”. But why? What’s so wrong with a video business card?
The truth is that a video business card is, in most cases, like a bad version of the movie Field of Dreams. Somehow there’s an implicit “if you film it business will come” mindset that gives the creator and the owner of the card permission to film something with low, dare we say NO, purpose.
The reason a beautiful video business card misses the mark is not the quality or the ideas within the card. It’s also not because someone thinks they have a face for radio (a joke we hear way too often from 50+ males). The reality is that the final resting place for a video business card is usually YouTube. It has a pass at Facebook and LinkedIn and maybe a few other sites, too. It may even end up on the company employee biography page if you have a scrappy and creative marketing department at your company (kudos if you do!).
Unfortunately, nobody searches for a video business card on YouTube and social media moves too fast to have mass, long-term value for any single video work. Hence, a video business card with this plan is an exercise in futility. And, for that reason, we used to turn them down and pivot clients to other means of getting attention and being memorable.
RFID Happend… and it was a near hit
A few years ago new networking solutions hit the mainstream market and threatened paper business cards while stopping short of adding video. My favorite is Popl. It’s an RFID chip in a little sticker that can mount on anything. The RFID was tied to an app that allowed the owner to choose where the chip would send people to. So, a cellphone user who you meet would swipe near the RFID chip and then get a popup on the phone with a social media site they could go visit. It’s all very cool, and we tested it BUT… this tech is mostly to allow someone you meet to follow you. The act of the swipe is 1-way in the sense that you likely are converting someone to be your fan or follower. You’ve asked them to be a groupie. That is not how to set up a relationship. If you really think it through, that’s a huge ego play and it’s creepy.
The Right Digital Business Card
Notice that we wrote Digital Business Card and not Video Business Card? There’s a great reason for that. Your business card be it paper or digital is a tool to build a 2-way connection between you and a prospective customer. It’s a relationship starter. A digital business card must do something better than the traditional paper approach to allow for better, faster, more guaranteed relationships. A 1-way RFID or a scantly viewed video is not the answer. What IS the answer is C47 Films’ proprietary GetSeen Digital Business Card. This is a completely free tool you can have right now… go to www.GetSeen.Pro and start a profile and begin using your digital card IMMEDIATELY.
Why is this a big deal? Three key reasons:
- It’s a mobile first website – no apps needed
- There’s a 2-way CRM on the site that immediately connects you and a prospect by emailing you both with each other’s info.
- There’s a place to put a video business card on your GetSeen.Pro profile so you have an actual, functional, valuable video business card!!
Here’s how this all works…
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Your GetSeen profile automatically generates a QR code unique to your profiles. Download it to your phone and make it your home screen image. Any time you meet a new contact, have them use the QR on your phone and go to your GetSeen.Pro profile. On the profile – which has all of your key info – there’s a 4 Field segment that allows a contact to fill out Name, Email, Phone, and a note. Most phones can auto-fill that for your contact in seconds. Have them click the “Connect” button and BOOM! Your email inbox gets their info and their inbox gets your info. Now… the next time you’re dealing with email you must deal with their info and make decisions on how to proceed with the relationship.
If you’re like me, you have a stack of untouched business cards somewhere. I had nearly 900 last count (pre-GetSeen). Why? They get set aside, lost, and life moves on. That’s also an opportunity lost! Now, my assistant sees my emails and sorts the new contacts into our companywide CRM system. My paper cards get lost, my digital cards get found – simple as that.
Now, you are probably wondering about video. Where does that come into play?
Your GetSeen.Pro profile does not need video but consider the following two key thoughts:
- When you meet someone and exchange information you are together, in person. A video is useless because your video is not as good as you live. Do NOT have your new contact watch your video with you unless there’s a very compelling reason to do so.
- Your profile is what is emailed to your new contact. That link has ALL of your info – name, phone, location, social site links, AND your video! They can watch your video from the office tomorrow.
Point number two right above is epic. Think about the fact that your business card is now in their inbox for the next day. They can review and relive who you are AND they can share it with people within their businesses. That’s powerful networking and finally, a reason to have a video business card!
So… now you gotta take action. Go get your ABSOLUTELY FREE GetSeen.Pro digital business card right now. The first 999 users are free but after that, we may begin to charge for services. Get in NOW!!!
And, if you want to have a video on your profile that is free, too… but you can pay us to help you make an epic one!!!