How to measure whether your business card is actually being used
Compare scans of your card in the weeks around an event, and count how many people sent their details back through the contact form. Scan counts tell you the code is being opened and when. They do not tell you who opened it, and they are not sales.
Takes: 15 minutes to set up, then a few minutes a week
Decide what you are trying to find out
A scan count answers one question, and it is easy to ask it the wrong way. Pick the question first, and the numbers will have somewhere to land.
- 1
Are people scanning the card at all?
A total over a period answers this. If you handed out a box of cards and the count barely moves, nothing is being opened, and the problem is likely the code, the line beside it, or the cards not reaching anyone.
- 2
Did this event or batch produce interest?
Compare scans in the days of the event against the days before. A visible lift on the days it ran is a clear signal. A flat line after a networking evening is an equally honest one.
- 3
Did anyone want to talk to me?
Scans are curiosity. A reply through the contact form is intent. Count those separately, because a card can be scanned fifty times and produce no conversation at all.
Set it up so the numbers mean something
- 4
Use a separate card or code for each channel you want to compare
One code printed on every card tells you the total and nothing about where it came from. If you want to know whether conference cards worked better than shop-counter cards, make a separate card for each, and name them clearly in the dashboard.
- 5
Record the date you handed out a batch
Note when each batch started being given out, in a notebook or a spreadsheet. The dashboard shows dates of scans but not when you printed or gave away the cards.
- 6
Check the contact form works before you start
Replies arrive by email and are stored under Contacts in the dashboard. Send yourself a test reply first, because if the form is not working during the event, you lose the one signal that shows interest rather than curiosity.
Read the dashboard honestly
- 7
Open Analytics and pick a period
The page shows scan counts across 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or all time, and the cards with the most scans. Use a period long enough to include the weeks before your event as a comparison.
- 8
Look for spikes and match them to dates
A spike on a day you were at an event is a result. A spike with no explanation is usually you, a colleague or a test.
- 9
Discount the noise
Your own testing counts. Some link previews and automated checks may open a link without a person behind them. Treat small numbers as approximate and focus on clear patterns.
- 10
Compare contacts with scans
If forty scans produced three replies, that is your rough conversion. It is a useful number for you, for the same card, over time. It is not a benchmark for anyone else.
What these numbers cannot tell you
The counts show how often and when. They do not identify who scanned, they cannot tell a customer from a curious bystander, and they do not follow anyone into a sale. If you need to know which cards led to revenue, ask new customers how they found you and write it down, because no scan counter can answer that. VCardForever also does not offer a survey tool, a sales tracker or a view of who opened your card, and nothing here should be read as a promise that a high count means a good result.
Common questions
Can I see who scanned my card?
No. You see counts and dates. Only people who fill in the contact form on your card tell you who they are.
How many scans is good?
There is no universal number. It depends on how many cards you gave out, to whom, and what you wanted. Compare your own card against its own history, before and after something you changed.
Why does my scan count include my own visits?
Opening your own card or code counts like any other visit. Expect the first few scans to be your own testing and read the trend rather than the first handful.