From Paper to Digital Marketing Tools: A Complete Guide

Be it marketing methods or networking tools, businesses have had to shift from analog to digital solutions due to the rapid advancements in technology and consumer behavior. The global digital transformation market size has grown to $2.7 trillion in the wake of this shift. 

Since it's expected to reach over $12 trillion by 2032, there's a clear signal for businesses to transition from traditional networking tools to digital ones.

However, this transition isn't a one-step process. It requires proper planning, networking instrument selection, optimization, employee training, and ROI measurement to be effective. Below, we discuss how to make this shift in detail.

Digital Marketing Tools for Businesses

Although 27 million business cards are printed daily, most of them are discarded within a week, resulting in a wasted investment. It has come to a point where most professionals feel that paper business cards are simply clutter.

According to Peter Boyd, President of PaperStreet Web Design, he has not handed out a paper business card in more than two years. He says, "Business cards can often be tossed, dropped, lost, or just not referenced again." Instead, he and other professionals prefer digital networking solutions due to their higher accessibility and ubiquity.

Here are some digital network tools for businesses to use.

1. Digital Business Cards

With a market size of $181.4 billion, digital business cards are undeniably one of the most prominent tools for digital networking. They are an electronic version of a traditional business card that you can share with prospective clients or fellow professionals.

Digital business cards are shareable via email, text, or social media platforms like LinkedIn. They also have added features such as clickable links to websites and social media profiles.

2. Virtual Networking Events

The State of Virtual Events report found that 92% of event organizers had hosted virtual events for organizations, and 94% planned to incorporate them into their future event strategies.

Virtual networking events provide businesses with an opportunity to connect with other professionals from all over the world. These events often include features such as virtual booths, chat rooms, live help desk, animated avatars, and video conferencing capabilities to facilitate networking. 

They also eliminate the need for travel expenses and can accommodate larger audiences than in-person events.

3. LinkedIn

Specifically designed for professional networking, LinkedIn facilitates efficient relationship-building and brand promotion. Over 67 million companies have a LinkedIn presence.

While many companies use the platform to promote their products or services, networking and recruitment are also popular uses.

How to Transition From Traditional Networking Tools to Digital Tools?

Now that you're familiar with digital networking tools, here's a step-by-step guide to moving from paper business cards and in-person events to digital networking solutions.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Networking Tools

First off, enlist which traditional networking tools you are currently using, such as business cards, industry events, trade shows, and conferences. Assess how effective each of these instruments has been for you in the past year.

How many leads did you generate through each tool? How many of those leads converted into actual business? What was the cost per lead? These questions will provide helpful insights.

You don't necessarily have to forego all traditional networking methods, but this audit will help you identify which ones need to be replaced with digital solutions.

Step 2: Select Digital Business Networking Solutions

In a research article about the digitization of business control tools, the author notes that digital processes create the foundation for new market functionality. For networking solutions, this means that digital tools can provide new ways to connect with potential clients and industry professionals.

So, you must select networking instruments that achieve this result. After choosing the networking tools, also opt for reliable providers.

For example, if you plan to replace paper business cards with digital ones, look into options that tick all the boxes. Digital business cards should be shareable through email, text, NFC, and QR codes. They must also be compatible with both iOS and Android devices and shouldn't require an additional app to use.

An excellent example of such a digital business card provider is Wave. Listed as Amazon's Choice across Canada, the Wave digital card is used by big names like KPMG, Salesforce, Honda, and Pepsi. It's also easily shareable, compatible, secure, and customizable.

Similarly, if you plan to use more virtual events or webinars for networking, look for a no-frills solution that meets all your needs. Demio, now acquired by Banzai, is an industry favorite for its easy technical set-up and frictionless process flow.

Step 3: Create a Transition Plan

The transition plan should include the following elements:

• Transition timeline
• Budget (for tool subscriptions, employee training, implementation, migration, etc.)
• Roles and responsibilities of team members involved
• Communication plan (internal and external)

Determine how long it took to phase out the previous networking tools and implement the new ones. Set milestones to track progress and ensure a smooth transition. If everyone is doing everything at the same time, chaos ensues. Instead, assign specific transition responsibilities to designated team members.

Step 4: Train Your Employees

Don't go all out with digital transformation; start gradually and let your employees get accustomed to the new tools. Conduct training sessions for your employees to learn about using new tools. Also, provide them with resources like video tutorials, knowledge bases, manuals, or help desks for further assistance.

Even with necessary training, employees are often reluctant to use digital solutions. That's why a KPMG survey found that 51% of US businesses do not see any profitability or performance boost with digital transformation.

You can encourage adoption by offering incentives to your employees. For example, you can provide bonuses for employees who show exceptional use of the new tools.

Step 5: Measure the ROI of Digital Networking Solutions

Once implemented, measure the return on investment (ROI) for digital business cards and other networking solutions. You can do this by tracking how much time and money you save with the new tools. 

Plus, measure metrics like conversion rate, lead generation, and revenue growth after implementing digital networking solutions.

Use these analytics to determine if your digital solutions are effective. If there's an area for improvement, work on it to maximize the ROI. For example, if your webinar interactions are low due to the absence of third-party integrations like polls and surveys, you can switch to a platform that offers these features.

Conclusion

The future is digital, so it makes sense to digitize your networking solutions, too. Following careful digital solution provider selection, team training, and continual performance monitoring are a must for a successful transition to digital networking solutions.

However, all this falls apart if you get step 2 — digital tool selection — wrong. When it comes to digital business cards, Wave ensures this doesn't happen. Wave digital business cards are perfect for lead capturing, contact storing, and relationship-building. Get started with Wave today and watch your networking efforts take off.