TikTok and social media on your digital business card: which accounts to link and how to order them
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Setting up your card
Fewer, better links beat a row of icons. How to pick the accounts that matter, including TikTok, order them, check they work, and whether you need a TikTok display card at all.
Most people who add social media to a digital business card add every account they have. The result is a row of icons where the one that matters to your business sits next to an old personal account and a channel you have not posted on in two years. This guide explains how to choose which accounts to show, how to order them, and how to check the links actually work, whether your business runs on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn or none of them.
Start with what you want people to do
Social links are there to help someone take a next step with you. Before you add any, decide what that step is:
- If you want work or clients, the most useful link is usually the account where people can see what you do and contact you, such as Instagram for a salon or LinkedIn for a consultant.
- If you want followers, for example as a creator or a brand building an audience, the account you are growing should be the first link, and perhaps the main button on your card.
- If you mainly want calls or bookings, social links are secondary. Keep them further down, below your contact details and booking button.
Our guide to laying out your profile explains what to put first and why.
Choose two or three accounts, not seven
Every extra icon makes the important one harder to find. A simple test is to ask, for each account: would I be happy if a new client looked at this today?
Keep an account if:
- it is about your business or your professional work;
- you have posted on it in the last few months;
- it shows something your card does not, such as videos of your work.
Leave it off if:
- it is personal, such as a private Facebook profile or a gaming account;
- it is inactive or out of date;
- it duplicates something already on your card.
For most small businesses that leaves two or three accounts. You can always change them later in the profile editor, and the same QR code and link keep working.
Put them in the right order
The visibility and order settings in Brand Presence let you hide or reorder sections of your profile, so you can move your social links up or down depending on how much they matter to your business, and hide them while you tidy them up. Within your links, lead with the account that matters most.
A few common orders:
- Consultant or salesperson: LinkedIn, then your website.
- Salon, barber or makeup artist: Instagram, then TikTok if you post there.
- Restaurant or café: Instagram, then Facebook if you post events there.
- Creator: the platform you are growing, then the one where you sell or take bookings.
Link to the right page, the right way
Broken or misleading social links are one of the most common problems we see. Check each one:
- Use the full web address of your profile, not just your handle. It should start with https:// and open your account when you paste it into a browser.
- Link to your business account, not a personal one with a similar name.
- Open each link on a phone where you are not signed in. That is what a new contact sees. If your account is private, they will see very little.
- Check it again after you change your handle or username. Changing a name on most platforms breaks old links to your profile.
One code, not one per platform
Most social platforms will create a QR code for your profile. It is tempting to print several, but a stand or window with four QR codes makes people stop and decide which to scan, and many will scan none. Show one QR code for your digital card instead, and let your card link to your accounts. Our QR code size and placement guide explains how to print it so it scans first time.
What about TikTok display cards?
You may have seen TikTok display cards or stands on shop counters: a small sign, often with an NFC chip and a QR code, that opens one TikTok profile so customers can follow. They are physical products, and we do not sell NFC cards or display stands.
A printed counter sign with your digital card's QR code can do the same job, and leads people to all your links, not just one. If your business is mainly on TikTok, put TikTok first on your card and say why to follow, for example "Behind-the-scenes cake decorating". Link to your profile address, in the form tiktok.com/@yourname, rather than to a single video, so the link keeps working.
Put your card in your bios too
The traffic should flow both ways. Most platforms let you add a website link to your profile. Putting your card link there means people who find you on social media can save your contact details, see your services and book, which most social profiles cannot do on their own. If you already link to your website, consider whether your card is the more useful link for people on their phones.
If you post for brands, label it
If your card links to an account where you promote other companies' products in return for payment, free products or other benefits, UK advertising rules expect those posts to be clearly labelled as advertising, for example with "Ad" at the start. The Advertising Standards Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority both publish guidance for influencers. The same honesty applies to your card: only show testimonials and reviews that are genuine, as explained in our guide to asking for Google reviews.
LinkedIn deserves its own plan
For professionals, LinkedIn often works best alongside your card rather than as one icon among many. Our guide to LinkedIn and your digital business card explains how to make them work together, including where to put your card link on your profile.
See what people actually use
The Analytics feature in Brand Presence shows activity on your card, which can help you decide whether a link is worth keeping. Give a change a few weeks before you judge it, and look at the trend rather than individual days.
Which accounts to link, by type of business
Business | Link first | Then
Hair, beauty or nails | Instagram | TikTok or Facebook
Trades and home services | Facebook | Google reviews link
Consultants and B2B | LinkedIn | Your website
Food, drink and venues | Instagram | TikTok
Which plan you need
Social links, ordering and analytics are all part of Brand Presence (£45, one-off), along with your details, documents, gallery, testimonials and templates. The Business Plan (£90, one-off) adds tools for turning interest into business, such as enquiries, bookings, contact leads, subscribers, forms and a CRM. Both are one-off payments, and profiles are built and hosted by our platform partner. If you are not sure whether a particular platform can be added, contact us before you order. You can compare both on our plans.
Read next: What to put on a digital business card and 10 digital business card mistakes, and how to fix each one. You can also browse all our guides, or see how an online business card works.
Deciding whether your bio link should point at your card or a link page? Our comparison of an online business card vs link in bio sets out when each one fits.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a TikTok display card for my business?
Not necessarily. A TikTok display card opens one profile. A sign with your digital business card's QR code can do the same job and lead people to all your links, with TikTok first if it is your main platform.
Which social media accounts should I put on my digital business card?
Two or three active accounts about your business, starting with the one where customers are most likely to contact you or see your work. Leave off personal and inactive accounts.
Can I put my TikTok on my digital business card?
Yes. Add the full web address of your TikTok profile as a social link, and put it first if growing that account is your main goal.
Should I print separate QR codes for each social account?
Usually not. Show one QR code for your digital card and let the card link to your accounts. Several codes side by side make people hesitate.
Can I change my social links after my card is live?
Yes. You edit them in the profile editor, and your QR code and link stay the same, so nothing you have already shared stops working.
Should my card link go in my social media bio?
It often helps. It lets people who find you on social media save your contact details, see your services and get in touch from one page.