LinkedIn and your digital business card: how to make them work together
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Sharing your card
LinkedIn already gives you a QR code. Here is what it does well, where a digital business card fills the gaps, and how to connect the two so nobody has to search for you.
If most of the people you meet are on LinkedIn, you might wonder whether you need a digital business card at all. LinkedIn already has a QR code for every member. The honest answer is that the two do different jobs, and they work best together.
This guide explains what LinkedIn's own QR code does, where a digital business card adds something, and five steps to connect them.
LinkedIn's built-in QR code
Every LinkedIn member has their own QR code in the mobile app. According to LinkedIn's help pages, you find it by opening the app, tapping the QR code icon in the search bar at the top of the home screen, and choosing the My code tab. From there you can share the code or save it to your photos. The Scan tab lets you scan someone else's.
When someone scans your code, it opens your LinkedIn profile, where they can connect with you or follow you. App screens change from time to time, so if the steps look different on your phone, look for the QR code icon near the search bar.
For a room full of people who all use LinkedIn, such as a recruitment fair or an industry conference, this works well and costs nothing.
Where LinkedIn's code falls short
A LinkedIn QR code opens a LinkedIn profile. That is its strength and its limit:
- It works best if the other person uses LinkedIn. A client, a customer, a supplier or a tradesperson may not, or may not want to connect with you there.
- It does not put you in their phone's contacts. They can connect with you, but your phone number and email are not saved to their address book.
- It shows your career, not your business. LinkedIn is good for your experience and posts. It is not built for your price list, a booking link, a portfolio of jobs or your opening hours.
- You choose what LinkedIn shows, within LinkedIn's layout. Your contact details are controlled by LinkedIn's visibility settings, which differ for connections and everyone else.
What a digital business card adds
A digital business card is a web page about you, shared by a link or QR code, that anyone can open in a phone browser without an account. A typical profile includes:
- your name, role, company, phone, email and address, with buttons to call, email and save you to contacts
- your social links, with LinkedIn usually first for professional services
- a gallery, documents such as a brochure or CV, and your products or services
- on business-focused plans, tools such as bookings, enquiry forms and lead capture
So the person you meet can save your number, look at your work and, if they use LinkedIn, tap through to connect with you there as well.
Five steps to connect LinkedIn and your card
Step 1: Tidy your LinkedIn public profile address
LinkedIn lets you edit the last part of your public profile address, so it reads as your name rather than a string of numbers. Look for the option to edit your public profile and URL in your profile settings. A clean address is easier to read aloud and looks better on a card.
Step 2: Add LinkedIn to your card's social links
Put your LinkedIn profile link in the social links section of your digital card. If LinkedIn matters most to the people you meet, move it to the top so it is the first link they see.
Step 3: Add your card link to LinkedIn
In LinkedIn's contact info you can add a website. Add your digital card's link there, so people who find you on LinkedIn can reach your phone number, booking page or portfolio in one tap. You can also add it as a link in the Featured section of your profile.
Step 4: Keep your headline and role consistent
Use the same job title, company name and photo on both. People who move from one to the other should feel they are in the same place.
Step 5: Decide which code to show when
A simple rule:
Situation | Show this
Recruitment fair or LinkedIn-heavy conference | Either; your card if you want them to save your number
Meeting a client, customer or supplier | Your digital card
Talk or webinar | Your digital card's QR code on the final slide, with LinkedIn linked from it
Online, after a call | Your card link by message or email
Because your card links to LinkedIn, showing the card never loses you a connection. Our guide to using a digital business card at events covers the face-to-face side in more detail.
When you change jobs
Update your digital card once and every QR code, email signature and saved link shows the new details, as long as the card's address stays the same. Update LinkedIn as well, and check the link between the two still points where you expect.
If you are setting up a card for the first time, our checklist of what to put on a digital business card covers the essentials.
Our plans
Our cards are digital profiles built and hosted by our platform partner. Brand Presence (£45, one-off) includes your details, social links, gallery, documents, templates and view analytics, which is enough for most people who mainly want to link LinkedIn and their contact details. The Business Plan (£90, one-off) adds bookings, enquiries, contact leads, a CRM and a card scanner for turning paper cards you are given into contacts. See the online business card page for details.
Read next: Six ways to share a digital business card, and when each one works best and QR codes that scan first time. You can also browse all our guides.
Looking for work rather than clients? Our guide to using a digital business card in your job search covers CVs, interviews and careers fairs.
Frequently asked questions
Does LinkedIn have its own QR code?
Yes. In the LinkedIn mobile app, tap the QR code icon in the search bar and open the My code tab. Scanning it opens your LinkedIn profile.
Do I need a digital business card if I have LinkedIn?
Not always. If everyone you meet uses LinkedIn, its QR code may be enough. A digital card helps when people need your phone number, want to save you to their contacts, or are customers rather than professional contacts.
Can I add my digital card to my LinkedIn profile?
Yes. Add the card's link as a website in your LinkedIn contact info, or as a link in your Featured section.
Will the other person need a LinkedIn account to open my digital card?
No. Your digital card opens in any phone browser. They only need LinkedIn if they choose to tap through to your LinkedIn profile.
Should I put my digital card link on my LinkedIn profile?
Yes. Add it to your contact info or featured section, so people who find you on LinkedIn can save your details and see your other links in one place.