Sharing your profile via a QR code – do you need a business card any more?

by | Feb 11, 2024

Developing relationships with other people by exchanging a card with your details on it has been around for a very long time.

But do you need them any more in a business context given it is so easy to create a QR code containing your profile and exchange this?

How to create and share your LinkedIn profile with a QR code

You can create a QR code from the LinkedIn app on your mobile phone (and thanks to Susanne Pugsley T.D. who alerted me to this).

This means that you can share your own profile very easily with other people and equally pick up their details in the same way.

Simply:

  1. click into your LinkedIn app on your phone.
  2. at the top of the screen, tap into the “search” box.
  3. you will see an icon on the far right of that box. Click this to access the QR code for your LinkedIn profile.
  4. you now have the option to send that QR code to someone by email/WhatsApp etc. This can also be used if the person you have met is not on LinkedIn.
  5. you can also give someone the option of scanning the code from your phone. This can be done either by following the steps above and then presenting your phone to someone or by having a downloaded copy of the QR code on your phone in photos (follow the steps above then use the option “save to photos”).

How to create a QR code from your web profile

It is also possible to create a QR code of your web profile (rather than your LinkedIn profile). There are numerous ways of doing this and many are completely free.

For example, set up a free account with Bitly and create a free QR code or upgrade your account to customise it.

Positives for using a QR code of your profile rather than a business card

  • Save cost and the planet.
  • You no longer need to remember to take a box of them along to events you attend.
  • You don’t need to save 100s of business cards or subscribe to a business card e-reader to collect the data electronically.
  • The QR code can link to a photo of you which may make it easier for the person to remember you.
  • If you set up a dynamic QR code (and both LinkedIn and Bitly’s QR codes are), then you will be able to track who scanned your code and when.
  • You can tailorise QR codes for different audiences.
  • Your use of technology will suggest that you are interested in keeping ahead of the game.

Negatives to not having a business card

  • Business cards are a cultural norm in some societies.
  • They provide a quick and easy way to present information about you and your business in a professional manner.
  • You can write a quick note on the back of a business card to remind you about the person you have just met.
  • Having a stack of business cards after an event reminds you to follow up with people. Will you remember to do this if you have simply scanned their LinkedIn QR code? Will they remember to connect with you if you have shared your QR code?
  • Whilst it seems unlikely that someone you meet at a business event won’t have a smartphone, they may not have internet access for some reason.

Conclusions

My personal feeling is that, certainly at the moment, it is probably better to have a business card but to be ready to offer the QR option as well. It could be quite a talking point, particularly at the moment when to offer it is less common.

If you are going to go down the LinkedIn QR route, I would recommend that you ask to scan the QR code of the person you meet (rather than offer to share your own) as then you will be able to take the next step of asking to connect. If you leave this to the people you meet, they may forget.

Finally the availability of the QR option is just another reason why professional people should have and – just as importantly maintain – an online presence. If you want to restrict this to your organisation’s website then so be it. However, not having a LinkedIn profile these days puts you (I would suggest) at a disadvantage.