Blog - Page 19 of 19 - Dan Beldowicz

5 Steps to QR Code Marketing Success

What is the QR code

QR stands for quick response so a quick response code is one of those postage stamp looking codes you seem to see all over the place recently. Simply scan it with your phone and it takes you to place on the web.

QR codes have been around for years, on the back of most of our licenses we have small QR codes. They hold a lot more information inside them, so our license holds a lot more information about who we are instead of just a linear or 1D UPC code.

So why are they also becoming popular?

With the advent of smart phones and people putting cameras into smart phones suddenly the general public is able to read information that you would’ve needed an optical scanner in order to use, which most people don’t have. Now with a smart phone, you scan the code and it brings you to a website. Sometimes you need a few technologies to come together in order to make something mainstream.

Most people are just at the early stages of QR code marketing so what people are mainly using it for right now is to send people to a website. You typically see these in newspapers, or on postcards, mailers and up on billboards.

A big industry that is taking interest in this is actually the vending industry. They need to present nutritional and allergy information to consumers before they purchase products. Some vending machines can have many different products stocked so keeping a nutrition guide is not an alternative since the products are always changing. Now they can have a list of items with a QR code next to each, then the consumer can easily scan before they buy to get all the facts.

How are Businesses Using QR Codes in Marketing

Most businesses at this point are using simple techniques, sending people to a website or a coupon. So you see a QR code inside of an advertisement you scan the code with

your smart phone and it takes you to their website. That’s a great start but putting some marketing strategies behind it we can start to accomplish more and get more out of the promotion.

While it’s very easy to setup a QR code the first mistake most people make is using the free QR code generator. The free versions have an expiration on them, so if you plan to use them over any period of time, us a QR Code generating service. This will also allow for metrics, also crucial in any marketing campaign.

Strategic QR Code Marketing

Business owners need to become a bit more sophisticated about how they use QR codes. Gathering intelligence and marketing effectively will make QR Code campaigns generate more business. Here are the 5 Steps to a Successful QR Code Marketing Strategy.

Define your Goal

In anything you do always start with the end in mind, so unless you know what your goal ultimately is when somebody scanned the QR code, think about what you actually want them to do. Do you want them to subscribe to your mailing list, do you want them to get a coupon, do you want them to download an app, fill out a form, buy something, get information…what do you want them to do?

Develop your Offer

Now that you know what you want them to do, how are you going to get them to do it? Is this going on a printed piece will this be on car magnets, where is this actually going, how are you going to reach your audience? Once you do that, what’s going to get them to actually scan the code? Unless you tell them what to do next nobody’s going to do it. Yes these QR codes are popular but you still have to have a strong call to action. Ie. Scan this code to get a 25% OFF Coupon NOW.

Design your Funnel

In order to design your funnel you have to have a website and the QR code generator. You’ll need to get the QR code in front of your audience so promoting the QR code you’ll need to you need a strong offer to get people to scan the QR code then you’ll need to drive them to a website and a way to capture their information. This should not be a one transaction deal, getting that person on your e-mail list is worth more than a one-time transaction so you’re able to market to them time and time again.

Test

Once you have your funnel set up your going to actually need to test if it works properly. That will include asking people with different types of phones to check browser compatability and that the process works seamlessly.

Measure

The final two pieces, test and measure go hand-in-hand, when you test something out you not only test that the funnel actually worked, but you will also test the offer and the landing page. You want to be sure to be capturing peoples name and email for future marketing. Measure response rates, opt in rates and how many new customers you develop from the campaign.

With these 5 Steps you can be sure to be successful with any QR Code Marketing you take on.

The Lost Book of Social Media

Leverage the Power of Facebook…Get More Followers on Twitter…Influence More People on YouTube!

Too many people jump on the social media bandwagon and instantly barrage you with sales messages, and advertisements. They think that Twitter and Facebook are advertising platforms, they’re NOT! They are a place where people go to make connections and find like-minded people ultimately, to build relationships with those people.

People in general do not go online to look for ads… unless of course, it’s a hysterical commercial from the Super Bowl.

When you first meet a person do you immediately jump into explaining what you do and talking about the services or products they can buy from you? Of Corse NOT…or at least I hope not! You would look like a jerk.

There are thousands of so called Social Media Experts out there, all preaching how to get 19,523 followers in one week, but what they all seem to be missing is the relationship side of social media. They seem to be taking the direct marketing approach to social media, and sure you can get a certain number of customers doing this, but you will not build loyal customers.

Here are the real facts; people buy from people they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST. The big question is how do you accomplish that when you have never met the person face to face? Think about it, how many times have you seen a person and then met with them before you felt you knew, liked and, most importantly, trusted them? It takes a while, right? So why do we lose this thought process online?

The only “guru” you truly need to follow is a guy that was born in 1888…yes that would make him over 121 years old. And he wrote a little book out there that I am re-naming, “The Lost Book on Social Media”. This book covers everything you need to know about making better connections on Facebook, gaining more followers on Twitter and how to win with YouTube. The crazy part about this book is that it was written over 70 years ago, well before social networking, the internet, and even before the first real television broadcast of the 1936 Olympic Games of Berlin.

The book I’m referring to is Dale Carnegie’s classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

This classic, read by millions of people is the official guide to Social Media. You can get it on Amazon, or in Barnes & Noble, go out and get a copy now.

Some of the highlights that you can use in Social Media immediately are principals like, “Give Honest and Sincere Appreciation,” “Become Genuinely Interested in Other People,” and my favorite, “Smile.” These are just three of the principles outlined in the book but are truly at the heart of social media, it is about building relationships, not about blasting out your advertisement.

Maybe I should start a series called “How to Win Followers and Influence Tweeple.”

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What is Facebook Edgerank?

Facebook for business is an increasingly popular way to connect with your current and potential customers. Starting a Facebook page for your business is one thing, but effectively managing a Facebook ad campaign is another story.

In this video, I will give you tips for effective management of a Facebook ad campaign. Developing a Facebook ad campaign is a good way to increase brand awareness and the potential for incoming leads. Facebook ad campaigns can also help to increase your Facebook Edgerank score.

Still not sure if running a Facebook ad campaign is right for your business? Not sure what a Facebook Edgerank score is? Watch this video for great tips on Facebook for business!

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Last Minute Marketing for 2012

Now if you haven’t started planning for new marketing initiatives in 2012, you still have some time left. But that time is quickly slipping away. Discover the ONE thing that will actually make a difference in your business next year.

The marketing that has gotten you this far, is NOT the marketing that will propel you forward and take you to the next level.

While most businesses have had their head in the sand the past 3 years, there is a group that has stepped up and marketed the hell out of their businesses. Those businesses are the ones that seem to defy the economy, they are the ones that have actually grown and been profitable.

Now this seems to defy logic, because if business were a direct reflection of the economy, then all businesses would be down. Know this, the same wind blows on us all, the economic wind, the political wind…the difference is the set of your sail. The difference in where you arrive in one year, three years, five years, is NOT the blowing of the wind, but the set of your sail.

As business owners you need to learn to set a better sail, you cannot count on what has worked in the past. You have to try new means of getting in front of your prospects, try harder, try longer, try new things, your customers have changed. Have you?

Here is a simple 5 Step Process to take you from Search to Success

Identify
Who is your target audience? Instead of following what your competition is doing or listening to your teenager about social media, redefine your target by looking at your current clients. By looking at your current client you can see the type of business or customer that has stayed with you. Next would be to decide if that is who you want as your customer, if yes, then congrats, you can move on to step 2. If you found that you want different clients or customers, it’s time to define what you want, until you do that, do NOT move on.
Target
Now that you know who you are trying to get as clients and customers, you can start to research where they might be. No sense in starting Facebook campaign if your target isn’t there. Yes, the internet guy just said that you don’t have to be in Facebook. Look at how you have been getting the right customers, where were they, trade shows, referrals, partners, online, LinkedIn, cold calls?Just about everything you can do online originated from something we do offline. Websites were just brochures, social networking came from face-to-face networking, email from snail mail, Twitter from a news wire service, webinars from actual sales presentations, nothing new, just new mediums.
Capture
Now days marketing is all about your list and your relationship with that list, how are you capturing people attention, then their information so you can market to them over time? You can offer a free report, estimate, consultation, something in exchange for their Name, Email address or Mobile Number. Instead of trying to deliver your sales message all in one shot, try delivering it over time.Study after study show that prospect need to be touched, or see your message close to 9 times before they make a decision to go with you. Create more points to help you convert.
Convert
This is the most important part of the process, if you cannot convert, you will be out of business. Taking a prospect to a customer is the most import part of the process. Be sure to remove all of your prospect objections, position yourself as the solution to their problem, provide them with a clear vision of what it will be like using your product or services. Influence their decision by providing social proof, proof that others are using your products or services and loving it. Finally tell people what you want them to do. Ask the sale.
Retain
Once you have a customer the best way to grow your business is to keep that customer. Period. Now the best way to keep customers and keep them happy is by providing the results they want. As you build new customers you should retain your existing customers because the best source for new customers is actually your existing customer base.