You may have a few tools in your marketing tool belt, but you haven’t connected all the dots quite yet…
Today we’re going to connect 2 of those dots.
The first dot is print – whatever you see on a postcard, yard sign, billboard, or other hard copy. The second dot is electronic marketing – websites, videos, and other dynamic content.
How do we connect these dots? Quite simply, with a QR code (aka Quick Rate Code).
There is a lot of hype about QR Codes. Even the Post Office jumped on the bandwagon this last summer and said if you used QR codes for a short period of time on your mail pieces, you could get a discount on your bulk mail rates.
QR Codes can be found on table top ads at a restaurant, in the newspaper, on a direct mail piece, or even on a Billboard.
If you don’t remember what they look like – Here is one:
So what’s the big deal with this new Code?
You can tie dynamic electronic media to your static mail piece. You can make it LIVE ! It can talk to you, it can show you a video, it can do all kinds of things!
Here are the “Catches:”
1. People have to have a Smart Phone that will:
a. Have internet accessibility (a data plan)
b. Have a camera to take an image of the QR Code.
2. People have to know what a QR code is and how to use it.
To Help you through this process.. we’re going to GIVE you some secrets to use in your marketing.
Secret #1: Make it Fun
Let’s face it, people will engage more if they see the ‘fun’ in an activity. No one wants to be bored, unless they can see the big value. Fun ideas are:
• Riddle Answers
• Preview Music
• Preview Video
• Directions to GO Somewhere
• Historical Facts
• Treasure Hunt
• Random Scan Contest
• Trivia Questions
Any of these can be put in a setting to engage your customers in a QR Activity.
Secret #2: Make it Worthwhile
What NOT to do: NO one wants to go to your website just to go to your website. DO NOT just put your website as the connection to your QR Code.
So What is Worthwhile? It has to be Meaningful to them. Relevant to them. It has to have WORTH to them.
Lot’s of things, like:
• Take a Survey – You could have them take a survey about food, the quality of service, the ambiance. They are sitting there anyway- what else are they going to do?
• Get a Coupon for dollars OFF this order or next order. Everybody loves a discount. They’ll take a discount for later, but they would really like one now (stay tuned for later in this post, on how to offer it now, and still get what you want).
• Restaurant Menus Let’s say you have people strolling by the restaurant, and you had a QR code in the window that says: “Scan this Code for our latest Menu” Wow ! They could view the latest menu, see photos and price, all from the website connected to your QR Code.
• For Sale or Rent Home or Office Information. What if people driving by your home for sale, or building for rent saw a BIG QR Code that would give them information about the listing instantly? They could see all the details, including, how much the rent or price is, how to get hold of you or the realtor, the square feet, number of beds and baths, other amenities, etc.
What if they could see a virtual tour of the inside of the home or building, all by clicking on your QR Code. Fantastic?! YES!
“So What Do I Get Out of This?”
That’s the key – you need to capture some information on the customer, so you can market to them again… and again… and again.
How do you do that?
Simple: At the beginning of your webpage connection, you collect the key information you want from them. It can’t be too much, or you will lose them. Customers are skittish about giving out too much information to an untrusted source.
At Bedrock, we suggest 3 key Data Elements:
• First Name
• Email Address
• Phone
They may not give you their phone, but they will more than likely share their First Name and Email Address. And that, my friend, is much better than nothing.
Your are already reaching out in print in some form already, why not tie electronic media to it through QR Codes, that can make your dollars – “Stand up and Sing.”
Call Bedrock today at 1-888-363-3377, and we’ll put a whistle in your step, and a humm in your tune… all the way to the bank.
