QR Codes – Give Consumers A Reason To Scan

I would consider myself to be a fairly tech-savvy person but when I was first introduced to QR codes by a 40-something real estate agent, who had used it on the back of his business card, I had to ask – “What do I do with this?” The agent explained that if I scanned the code with my smart phone it would direct me to a website with his listings. A great idea, however the mere fact that he had to take the time to explain it was a huge drawback.

A recent study of college students found that many students found the QR code process to be cumbersome. Many were confused as to how to scan the code or tried apps that didn’t work and eventually lost interest. The study found:

• 81% of students owned a smartphone
• 80% of students had previously seen a QR code
• 21% of students successfully scanned our QR code example.
• 75% of students said they are “Not Likely” to scan a QR code in the future.

There are many other examples where companies have ineffectively used QR Codes because they leave the consumer in the dark. There is no direction, no call to action and/or no incentive for consumers to take action and scan the code. Too many companies have naively assumed that by simply using QR Codes in its marketing or on its product that they are now instantly hip and relevant, and consumers will want to participate. Wrong! Consumers are busy and with thousands of apps available to them on their mobile phone, scanning a companies QR Code is not likely high on their priorities.

Consumers need an incentive to scan the QR codes and companies need to think creatively to entice them to do so. Companies have to answer the key question most consumers will have, “What’s in it for me?” Simply redirecting your consumer to a mobile website or the company’s Facebook page is not worthwhile to most consumers, however providing them with coupons or entering them in a contest provides more of a draw. Other opportunities include provide a way for your consumers to interact with your company in a way that is more convenient through their mobile phone. A wonderful example of this is a grocery store in South Korea, that used QR Codes in transit advertising to promote grocery products that consumers can quickly scan the corresponding product QR code and instantly add the item to their online shopping cart, allowing them to get their grocery shopping done on the while commuting to or from work. It’s a creative use of QR codes with a clear purpose that adds value to the consumers experience and saves them time. Click here to see how it works.

J.C. Penney’s also gets high marks for its creative use of QR Codes this holiday season. The company has created a QR gift tag where the gift giver can record a mobile voicemail message for the gift recipient. The QR Code is placed on the gift, as a gift tag, and the recipient can then scan the code to hear a customized message just for them. It is an especially great idea for gifts for friends and family far from home. The concept is simple, yet unique and the call to action is clear. The company has given consumers are reason to want to interact with its QR Codes. Check it out!

The important thing to remember is that even though its new and hip, its still advertising and part of the daily clutter that consumers are exposed to (and trying to avoid). It MUST stand out , have clear purpose and be unique enough to capture consumers attention.

What is the Deal with Check-In Deals?

Most mobile Facebook users are familiar with Facebook’s Check-In feature. Facebook users can use the Facebook app on their smart phone, to let their friends know where they are, what they are doing and who they are with. Why is this important to businesses? Because there are  200 million active Facebook mobile users using Facebook’s Check-In feature and each Facebook user has an average of 130 friends, many have quite a bit more and that is a lot of word-of-mouth advertising.

In April 2011, Facebook experimented with Daily Deals, similar to Groupon, where users had to Check-In to redeem their Daily Deal on Facebook. After four months of testing, Facebook decided to do away with its Daily Deals but decided to keep the Facebook Check-In Deals program for businesses to use as a marketing tool to reach mobile Facebook users and gain more exposure. “Check-in Deals gives businesses the opportunity to reward customers when they check in on Facebook, and this helps generate awareness, encourage in-store traffic and build customer loyalty. And right now, check-in deals are free for businesses to create.” When a consumer visits a companies physical location, such as a retail store, restaurant, etc., that company can offer the users Check-In deal that will entice them to Check-In and spread the word to all of their friends. Voila – viral marketing! Consumers receive an incentive and companies receive free advertising.

There are four types of Check-In Deals:

Individual Check-In Deals is a one time deal for new & existing customers.

Loyalty Check-In Deals is a deal where you can reward frequent customers after a set number of Check-Ins.

Friend Check-In Deals is a deal to reward groups of up to 8 people, when they check in together.

Charity Check-In Deals can be set up to help companies build community by donating a set amount of money to a charity of their choosing when a customer Checks-In at their business.

Check out Facebook’s Check-In Deals guide to learn how to set one up for your business. Get in on the action early though, Facebook is not yet charging for this service but that is subject to change.

Here is how it works for consumers:

Mobilizing Your Website with Google Sites

“According to data from Google and the market research company Ipsos, almost a third of all mobile phones are now smartphones (including many using Google’s Android operating system), and 89 percent of smartphone owners say they use them throughout the day. Also, eMarketer predicts that marketers will spend $4.4 billion on mobile advertising by 2015, compared with $1.2 billion projected for this year.”  It is clear that more consumers are looking to their smartphones to stay connected and this is an obvious opportunity for businesses. Ebay, for example, averages one sale every second through its mobile site. Despite the overwhelming demand and opportunity in mobile advertising, 70% of companies have yet to create a mobile friendly site. “There is ‘enormous growth, explosive growth’ the use of mobile devices, said Jason Spero, head of mobile ads for the Americas at Google, but ‘businesses aren’t ready’ for those changes because too many are still offering consumers ‘desktop Web sites for mobile.'”

Google is making it easier for companies to create a mobile website with Google sites to engage with customers on the go and the best part is it’s FREE. You do not have to be versed in coding to create a mobile optimized site with Google. Google offers several templates and incorporates the suite of Google products to enhance your page. Want to include a map? Add a Google Map. Want customers to be able to call you on the go? Add click-to-call button. Want to collect emails for your newsletter? Add a Google form for lead generation. Companies can also include their social media links to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for further engagement. With the Google Checkout feature, companies can increase sales revenue through mobile phones. It is a win-win situation – companies can reach the growing number of mobile consumers at no additional costs and Google can promote its suite of products. Google analytics can be added to measure the results of the companies mobile marketing efforts.

It is simple, quick and FREE so companies have no excuse but to go mobile!

Mobile Marketing of Presidential Proportion

The facts about mobile marketing:

• According to a Nielsen study, approximately 30% of US mobile users have a smartphone in 2010.
• Smartphones will grow by about one third to 43% of mobile users by 2015 according to eMarketer.
• In 2010 & 2011, marketers have used or are planning to use a variety of mobile marketing techniques in 2010 and 2011 however less than half of them have a mobile website according to Forrester Research via eMarketer. (See my blog about Mobile Websites)
• Be aware – your competition is closer than you think! 46% of shoppers checked competitors’ website using a mobile device while in bricks and mortar stores, ForeSee found.
• 95 % of text messages are read and most within 4-5 minutes after receiving the message.
• Response rates: SMS (15%-30%); Email (5%); Direct mail (2.61%)

Research clearly demonstrates the need for marketers to carefully consider its mobile marketing strategy going forward. Mobile marketing is both cost effective and an efficient way to reach consumers. In one of the most effective mobile marketing campaigns to date, President Barack Obama rallied young voters  to win in a historic election. Here is what we, as marketers, can learn from the Obama campaign:

Obama’s campaign strategy team used a combination of mobile marketing strategies to reach young voters including SMS text messaging, mobile Web site, interactive voice response, mobile video and mobile banner ads. The team understood that this was a powerful medium to reach young voters because most young people have their phones on them 24/7 and because of the immediacy of the messaging that they have come to expect. They used mobile to rally voters to attend rallies, to announce Joe Biden as the Vice Presidential candidate (before announcing to the press), and to thank voters when President Obama won the election. One of the key factors to the mobile message was that it was simple and personal. “Mobile marketers should keep their messages succinct and simple and include a specific call to action”, said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing for the mobile ad network AdMob. President Obama’s thank you message was sent just minutes after winning the election and read: “”We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion to this campaign. All of this happened because of you. Barack.” The supporters felt connected to Barack Obama in a way that neither television nor print advertising can accomplish as effectively.

Mobile marketing is a great tool to reach many customers because of the immediacy and direct access to the consumer, however SMS mobile messaging is not appropriate for all campaigns and should be used sparingly and with the appropriate message. Product Marketing Manager for the ExactTarget firm, R.J. Talyor, warns, “The cellphone is the last area that a person feels is still private. The people who have your cellphone number are typically your friends and family, so people are wary to give out numbers to people they know will market to them.”  Mr. Talyor uses the Obama campaign strategy to reinforce the idea of using text messaging for marketing only when the message is “urgent and portable.”  “The Obama campaign has identified a message that is urgent and needs to reach subscribers wherever they are.” Lastly, consumers ability to both opt-in and opt-out of messages at anytime. Spam will only serve to annoy customers and drive them to your competition.

Whether you are a fan of President Obama or not, one would have to agree that his marketing strategy was a winning one!

NetworkedBlogs

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that would automatically sync your blog with your Facebook page? As I pondered that question, I did a quick Google search and discovered there is (of course!) – NetworkedBlogs. The app allows you to easily syndicate your blog to Facebook and Twitter, so you can share with your friends your recent blog posts.

Here is how you can register your blog with NetworkedBlogs and get more exposure for your blog:

1) Visit http://www.networkedblogs.com

2) Click “Register a Blog”

3) Submit your blog name

4) You will be required to verify that you are the owner of the blog by inputting HTML code onto your blog. They have included instructions for various types of blog applications including WordPress.

5) Once you have verified your blog, you will than select the channels you want to syndicate your blog to. If you have Facebook Fanpage or groups you can syndicate specifically to those groups.

6) Get blogging! Now that your blog is being syndicated your followers will be able to view your blog via Facebook or Twitter.

You can follow my blog on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/collaborativemediamarketing.

Here is a link to my NetworkedBlog page: http://networkedblogs.com/qm7dt The page includes widgets to share the blog post with friends through email, Twitter or Facebook.

Find a Hot Spot to Market To

As I was connecting to the “free” WiFi at John Wayne Airport in sunny California, I saw the typical “This service is provided” by promotion but something new peaked my interest. Before I could connect I had to watch a 30 second commercial from one of the WiFi sponsors – brilliant!

We all know nothing is free these days, therefore the exchange of value in this case is the company provides you with free WiFi while you wait for your flight and in return you take 30 seconds of your time to view its commercial. It seems like a fair trade.

According to HypeWiFi, the typical demographic for WiFi hotspot users is 18- 35, affluent and brand loyal. Based on the WiFi location a demographic profile of the area will be provided to the company in order to create site specific campaigns in order to tailor a companies marketing. Companies can also collect demographic information by creating questions based on the criteria it is most interested in. Additionally advertisers can use a pay-per-response method in order to attract its target market. For example, as consumers answer survey questions if their responses don’t match the qualities of a companies target market then the will not be directed to that advertisers message.

WiFi costs can quickly add up while traveling between different cities and many consumers are more willing to answer surveys and view advertising in order to have free internet access.

Here is an example of a Flonase advertisement used in a Doctor’s office:

Disney and YouTube Partnership

Today Walt Disney Co. announced a new partnership with YouTube, to release original video series produced by Disney for YouTube.com, as well as Disney.com. With rapidly declining sales and web traffic, Disney knew it had to look to other outlets to reach its consumers. With more than 30 billion views a day, YouTube is a powerhouse of online video content and an extraordinarily viable platform for advertisers. Co-President of Disney Interactive told the New York Times “It’s imperative to go where our audience is,” He added that the idea is to ‘bring Disney’s legacy of storytelling to a new generation of families and Disney enthusiasts on the platforms they prefer.'” The first web series will be based on Disney’s popular iPad/iPhone app “Where’s My Water?” with Swampy the alligator – click here to see.

Clearly the viewers are on YouTube, but is this the right medium for the wholesome Disney brand and will parents be apt to allow their children to spend long periods of time viewing video content on YouTube? According to CommenSenseMedia.org 42% of parents say language is an issue they are concerned about on YouTube’s site, while 38% say they are worried about sexual content that children may be exposed to. Their concerns are valid given the broad range of user generated content available on the site however YouTube has taken measures to address parents concerns by offering an opt-in Safety Mode feature to filter out the content you do not want children to view. Ultimately it is up to the parents to monitor the content their children view online.

YouTube hopes to use this project as a catalyst for more original content channels, for example comedians, sports and other celebrity entertainers. “The investments in the channels reflect Google’s belief that the Internet is the third phase of the television business, after network TV (with a few channels) and cable TV (with hundreds).” No surprise there! So how will competitors like Hulu respond, I guess we’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Thanks for joining me on my adventures in blogging – I am new to this so bare with me!

I am currently studying Integrated Marketing Communications at West Virginia University and this semester we are exploring Emerging Media & the Market. Over the semester, I will be writing about various forms of Emerging Media (or Collaborative Media, as I have nicknamed it) and how it affects us as marketers.

So what is Emerging Media you ask? Emerging Media is new technology that allows us to reach our consumers online in new and innovative ways. Examples of Emerging Media are social marketing, banner ads, blogs, pop-ups, podcasts, Webcasts, email and video. This dramatic media shift over the past ten years has empowered consumers to engage in a two-way conversation with companies. As a result consumers have played an important roll in shaping the marketing message and in some cases even the product.

“A recent study from IBM media research found that we’re moving from ‘traditional devices’ to ‘connected experiences,’ that media consumers from all generations, but especially the younger ones, are moving from passive to ‘involved’ consumption of media, and from limited to open access. Consumers around the world, it finds, increasingly expect to control and participate in their media.” – PBS.com/MediaShift

Today’s consumers are media junkies – many of whom have 24/7 access to the web via their computers, tablets or mobile phones. Consumers are now watching tv, shopping, reading, interacting with friends, catching up on news, gossip and accessing a wealth of information online; which presents marketers with the opportunity to reach its consumers in innovative ways and build real relationships.

Consumers have made it loud and clear – they want to be heard! Are you listening?