QR Codes. Who’s Hungry?

October 20th, 2011
Doug Simpler, Graphic Designer
Doug Simpler
There may be no larger marketing dinner party to be invited to this year than the Quick Response (QR) code party. QR codes are everywhere. They are on your television, billboards, magazines, emails, even business cards.  They are quite effective. The audience has a real feeling of interaction and choice when a QR code is placed in front of them. Combine that fun factor with the popularity of smart phones and tablet PCs, and there may be no better way to generate an impulse purchase decision. But as QR codes become more popular among advertisers, so do their widespread misuse.

In this article I will explore the most common ways QR Codes are being misused and why misuse of a QR code could drive your customers away.

A few years ago, Brenda and I were invited to a dinner party. As we and the other guests arrived our host mentioned that she hadn’t really felt like cooking that day and she wasn’t going to prepare the main course. So there we sat, a house full of hungry guests expecting dinner and getting none. Needless to say, the party broke up early as everyone fled home to their refrigerator or nearest drive-thru.

In a similar manner a great percentage of QR code advertisers leave their audience hungry when inviting them to their website through a QR code scan. To put it simply, the consumer scans the code expecting dinner, and if they don’t get it, they will most likely find someplace else to eat. To keep your consumers eating out of your hand follow three simple solutions with QR code advertising: mobile in mobile out, customize and feeding time.

Mobile in mobile out. The most common QR code mistake is sending the user to a site that is not optimized for the mobile web. Yes, most website will display on a phone or tablet, but think about the end user experience. A mobile site is formatted specifically for the device it displays on. Sites that are designed for the mobile web are easy to read without zooming, the buttons are larger for touch screen interaction, and the content is pared down to the most important elements. If you plan on inviting your consumers to scan a code with their phone or tablet, please do not make the mistake of sending them to a site that is formatted for interacting with a personal computer.

Customize. Let’s face it, from a design standpoint; a QR code is a design nightmare. It takes up valuable space, it’s not very attractive, and those harsh angles and thick lines can turn an elegant white tablecloth place setting into Styrofoam plates and plastic forks before you can say, “Pass the ketchup.” But don’t fret, in the busy world of QR codes there are a few things that can make your checkerboard stand out from the competition. Due to the way QR codes are scanned, a designer can have a lot of fun being creative with a QR code in ways that bar codes never allowed. Try to include within your QR code the corporate logo, a company color scheme or photo, or work the code into your design in a unique way.

Feeding time. Now that you have a beautiful place setting and the casserole is in the oven, once the guests arrive, don’t forget to feed them. QR codes are about much more than generating another hit on your website’s homepage, so don’t send them there. Send them to a coupon for a percentage off, or free item with purchase or possibly even a drawing. If you don’t want to feed them with savings, feed them with information like tips, tricks and trivia, feed your consumers’ minds and pockets with information and savings that will keep them hungry for more.

Are you hungry for QR code marketing with your business? Do you need help optimizing your site for the mobile web? Are you interested in marketing with QR codes? Do you need help customizing a QR code for your business? The Simpler Group can help you with all of your mobile marketing needs with special business marketing packages that include custom built graphics that every company needs. Contact us today for a free estimate.

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About Doug Simpler — Doug manages the creative department at The Simpler Group, he strives to help customers turn vision into reality by creating unique and custom web designs.  He also does print design and video/photo production.  He loves the rock music, locally grown organic food, swimming, and reading.

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Roadblocks to effective social networking

October 6th, 2011
Brenda Simpler
Several years ago, when I began working with companies to implement online marketing and social networking the most common roadblocks that companies faced were time and resources.  Most companies were simply unequipped with the time or know-how to execute a social media campaign successfully.  In 2010, according to R2I data, 56 percent of companies did not have a refined social media strategy, 45 percent had no plans to hire dedicated staff to manage their social media marketing.  As we move towards 2012, another roadblock has emerged more frequently.  I see in larger companies a pervasive fear to opening up.  Social Media and online marketing move quickly – changing tools, trends and tastes mean an organization needs to adapt and implement quickly or get left behind.  Unfortunately, too many mid-level and junior-level employees are forced to spend a large amount of their time justifying things to their bosses and creating corporate policies that will calm executives’ nerves.  The medium of social networking simply doesn’t tolerate the standard corporate mentality.

Of these three roadblocks, time and money can easily be tackled by a company that is serious about looking at the marketing budget allocation and implementing a few hours a week of online marketing.  The hardest roadblock to move is company culture or a mentality of one sided communication.  I’ve found the best way to alleviate the executive concerns about opening up is to start with small steps.  Begin by gathering information about the conversation that is already taking place.  In most cases there is already a conversation well under way about your product or brand, via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums, message boards, and online review sites.  As a business you can choose to ignore the conversation or participate.  Participation frequently, with timely relevant content and a unified message is the best way to break down the roadblocks and achieve a successful social networking strategy.

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About Brenda Simpler — Brenda manages the marketing and business development at The Simpler Group, she works with customers to drive more traffic to their sites and grow their business with online marketing.  She loves The Beatles, gardening, walking her dog and reading.

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Social Media: The Strategy

September 15th, 2011
Doug Simpler, Graphic Designer
Doug Simpler
The goal through social media should be to become a recognized industry thought leader and the go-to resource for your customer base and potential customer base. Through polling your existing clients you can find what ponds your fish swim, then go fishing. Then develop a blog to post information that is useful and helpful to your clients and potential clients, driving traffic from your social media outlets to your web page. These social media tools allow you to open a dialogue with clients and potential clients with an open online forum. Through Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube, you can promote company culture, events, speaking engagements, white papers, videos, corporate congratulations, job opportunities, and other information that would be interesting and beneficial to the success of your clients and future clients. Through these avenues you should invite your followers and friends to your website via your blog and public forum. Your goals should be to establish your organization as the true leader in your industry, while creating brand recognition, turning into brand trial, then brand loyalty and keeping a continued focus on retention.

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About Doug Simpler — Doug manages the creative department at The Simpler Group, he strives to help customers turn vision into reality by creating unique and custom web designs.  He also does print design and video/photo production.  He loves the rock music, locally grown organic food, swimming, and reading.

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Social Networking: Chain Gang

September 8th, 2011
Doug Simpler, Graphic Designer
Doug Simpler

A LinkedIn account can open doors to new business partnerships, potentials clients, and a wealth of information to aid in building a business. Although it is not exactly rocket science, establishing strong relationships in LinkedIn is quickly replacing lunch meetings and cold calls.  The reason why is simple. You can easily meet and introduce yourself to a host of interesting and interested business contacts all with a few minutes. More importantly, you gain exposure to many other business owners and clients from across the street as well as across the world!

There is a failure for business owners when using LinkedIn! About 80% of LinkedIn profiles are filled with resume information instead of business information. If you are asking yourself why this matters, the answer is quite clear to any marketer within a hundred paces. You have to present yourself in such a way that it shows visitors why they would want to meet you and what you have to offer as a connection. Be realistic, when you look at your LinkedIn profile, do you see a business that is credible? Your LinkedIn profile should be the online equivalent of your elevator speech because you only get 9 seconds to impress the person who reads it. The definition of bad is if the person comes away from your profile unimpressed. Worse would be if someone elects not to read it at all.

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About Doug Simpler — Doug manages the creative department at The Simpler Group, he strives to help customers turn vision into reality by creating unique and custom web designs.  He also does print design and video/photo production.  He loves the rock music, locally grown organic food, swimming, and reading.

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