QRiouser and QRiouser | QR Codes

Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Internet Marketing, Online Learning, QR Codes, Social Media Marketing on June 24, 2011

Nope, it’s not from Alice in Wonderland, it’s a reference to the upsurge in the use of QR codes in the marketplace.

If you are unfamiliar with QR codes here is a quick primer from Jeff Korhan.

How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business

By Jeff Korhan

Quick Response codes (QR codes) and other two-dimensional codes are expected to achieve widespread use this year – and for good reason. Consumers want immediate access to what’s relevant and QR codes are being used to make that possible.

QR Codes 101

If you’re not yet familiar with QR codes, they’re similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products at the point of sale. The key difference between the two is the amount of data they can hold or share.

Bar codes are linear one-dimensional codes and can only hold up to 20 numerical digits, whereas QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them practical for small businesses.

When you scan or read a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone, you can link to digital content on the web; activate a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS; and connect the mobile device to a web browser.

Any of these desired functions are easily achieved by properly creating your QR code.

The ability of QR codes to connect people with each other and to multimedia digital content is very useful for businesses and consumers alike.

The Origins of QR Codes

While QR codes are still considered a novelty here in the United States, they’ve been actively used for over a decade in Japan where they were invented. QR is a registered trademark of Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota. Denso Wave has elected not to exercise their patent rights of QR codes and that has encouraged their widespread use.

There are other software companies that have created 2D codes that work much like QR codes, with Microsoft being the most notable. Microsoft developed their own proprietary software to create codes known as MS tags. Unlike QR codes, which can be read by a number of different readers, MS tags can only be read by the Microsoft Tag Reader.

MS tag to Microsoft Tag Reader app.

Choosing to use QR codes or MS tags is a personal choice. It seems that MS tags presently allow for more possibilities for creative graphic designs, such as incorporating images and logos into the tag. Nevertheless, those capabilities have to be weighed against the reach and ease of use of open-source QR codes.

Practical Uses of QR Codes

Here are some ways for using QR codes that are mostly in practice now, as well as a few that I believe we will be seeing in the very near future.

Where

QR Codes could be used:

The back (or front and back) of your business card.
Your brochures and other marketing materials.
The sides of trucks and trailers.
Product tags and packaging
Convention and event nametags
Restaurant menus
Event ticket stubs
Point-of-sale receipts

QR Code at the Naperville, IL Public Library assists visitors with helpful advice.

What

QR Codes could link to:

Installation instructions
Sources for replacement parts and service
Directions to your business
The process for hiring your professional services
Valuable coupons and special offers
Recommendations for complementary products and services
Free mp3 downloads
Customer feedback forms

A QR code on a café in Seattle, WA links to Google Places and reviews on Yelp and around the web.

How you can you maximize your effectiveness with QR codes:

Provide explanations about their use and benefits
Encourage actions that support your marketing plan
Assuage the fears of the technically challenged
Give reasons to come back
Experiment with the size, location, and color of your QR codes
Study your analytics
Make the process fun, such as a QR code scavenger hunt
Experiment

The Images Group will be running a workshop on creating and using QR codes in August 2011, so if you would to know more, please email us on james@theimagesroup.co.uk and we will give you the time and date for this event.

or try scanning this:

About the Author, Jeff Korhan

Jeff Korhan is a professional speaker, consultant, and columnist on new media and small business marketing. Other posts by Jeff Korhan »

About James McRoy

Web marketer, entrepreneur, traveller

345No CommentsQRiouser+and+QRiouser2011-06-24+12%3A14%3A17James

Would You Buy a Used Car from…This Website? | Building Trust

Posted by James in Hints and Tips, Important Notice, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation on June 9, 2011

As buying and selling moves into the ether though websites, blogs, emails, videos and all other digital sales and marketing devices that bombard us constantly with a myriad of messages, it seems that website owners really need to go back to basics to put their house in order and build on the prime deal-clincher – TRUST.

Building Trust with clients is something we all used to do, in fact if we didn’t build trust, we didn’t get the deal, they didn’t sign the order – they went somewhere else. Now going somewhere else in a physical location can be a real pain, but if you didn’t get the right vibes in your face-to-face negotiation (or should I say confrontation) with the company sales person, you took your money and your buying decisions elsewhere to start the whole process all over again. It could take a long time before you found the perfect buying scenario, but you would persevere if you were serious about buying.

Nowadays, you can go ‘elsewhere’ in a split second; see something that doesn’t gel, something that offends or something that raises your suspicions just a little and you are gone, just by clicking your mouse. Easy.

The internet is so full of horror stories that trust really has to be earned – and nowadays displayed. And to earn that trust with a new visitor can be really difficult. Reassure them. Give them the Social Proof that others have dealt with you and you didn’t steal their first born, that your clients were happy with the service. Get testimonials and use them on your site. Display your client’s logos on your site (if they will permit this).

If you are taking money from them online, let them know that you have taken as many security precautions as possible to stop their details falling into the hands of criminals. Join the Better Business Bureau, use Trustmarks – anything that indicates you are a member of a regulated organisation helps. These organisations will boot you out if you don’t treat your clients well and displaying their logos on your site indicates that you do have some integrity, a half-decent track record and that you won’t be inclined to rip your clients off.

The rise of social media ensures that your tiniest dispute could become the hot topic on a plethora of sites around the globe; monitor your status and reputation constantly- there are many monitoring tools available – and correct any misconceptions as fast as you can.

Get the look that exudes trust. Look at your site objectively. Tastes and styles change and so should your site. What may have been cool four years ago could be so jarringly bad nowadays that your visitors might just get the wrong impression of your business. First impressions from a website can be implanted in fractions of a second and may never be removed from the site visitor’s mind. Give your site a makeover if necessary, but always, always ensure you are making changes for the better, changes that make it easier for your visitors to find what they want, changes that lead your site visitors to a call to action, a call to action that ultimately you have determined they will take – either call you, subscribe to your newsletter, even buy something.

Your website must work for you and not the other way round!

Finally, stand 100% behind your products and services. Give guarantees and honour them. Refunding a few unhappy customers will cost you a little; being obdurate when you handle them and refusing to listen to their complaints will cost you your reputation and ultimately your business.

Have a great week.