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Summer Doesn't Have to be Your Slow Season
Summer is upon us and many small business
owners assume there is not much they can do to generate sales when
people are out-of-town, on vacation. The truth is there are plenty of
consumers out there. The trick is to give them what they want, while
giving yourself what you need.
It Starts with a Selfish Mindset
Successful business comes down to being able to give your customers
what they want when they want it. So, when it comes to creating a
successful marketing plan for the summer, the first question you should
ask yourself is "what do I need for this marketing campaign to do for
me?" In this particular instance, being selfish is not about holding
something back, but rather, having a clear vision of what you need to do
to increase your bottom line during slow periods. Below are working examples of à la carte options you can use in a mobile web page to achieve this.
- RESTAURANT - If you run a restaurant and your goal is to bring in a late night crowd - use a text engine
relay (aka SMS) to extend happy hour pricing. For example, "show this
text message to recieve happy hour prices until 11pm tonight only". Note: This works without knowing your customers phone number. Include social media and Map It! - so they know where to find you.
- BOUTIQUE - If you own a retail boutique and you want to reward loyal customers - use opt-in email or SMS to reach them with a digital coupon.
- DEALERSHIP - If you manage an auto dealership and your goal is to sell more cars - use streaming videos and image galleries along with Click-to-Call to help people get in touch with you.
- NON-PROFIT - If you run a non-profit agency and your goal is to increase awareness and donations - use mobile YouTube and PayPal tie-ins along with opt-in email to get people on board.
- DOCTOR / PRACTITIONER - If you run a busy doctor's office or clinic and your goal is to provide a nice experience for your waiting patients - use radio station tie-ins (scan code if not already on mobile device) to help them relax and social media to help them share the experience with their friends.
- SPECIAL EVENT - If you are promoting a special event or grand
opening and you want to increase foot traffic - use social media,
digital coupons and GeoLocation (scan code if not already on mobile device) to help them find you from their current location.
- HOTEL / RESORT - If you manage a resort or hotel and you want to achieve maximum capacity - use social media, mobile reservations and a mobile feedback form to gauge your visitors experience.
- PROFESSIONAL - If you are a working professional who wants to
establish your image - use social media along with an introduction
video on mobile YouTube to leave users with a good impression.
More Mobile Calls-to-Action
The above examples represent just a few of the ways you can use
mobile features to generate more interest and income during the slow
summer months. See the full line-up of PRINT2D mobile calls-to-action and let us know how we can help.
Summer Slump Sale in Action
Save 30% off all PRINT2D services now through the end of August. TEXT print2d TO 368266 (DOTCOM)
Directing consumers on smartphones to non-mobile content can make for a
long and frustrating journey - leaving your message and brand stranded
along the proverbial information superhighway. When it comes to
smartphone advertising, it's not the journey, it's the destination that
matters most. Consumers using smartphones expect immediate
gratification. Make the user-experience worth their while - make it
mobile.
It's not just about the code
It's not just about the code. QR Codes have received a bad reputation for
disappointing users who have had a poor experience after scanning them.
Yet, by directing the user to some form of content, the code has served
its purpose. Only in the event that a code doesn't scan (mistake #2)
should it be the focal point of concern. In most cases, I have found,
that it is the content that should receive the majority of the scrutiny.
Keeping that in mind, here are the five most common mistakes
advertisers make with QR Codes.
The five most common mistakes advertisers make with QR Code advertisements are:
- There is no testing before roll-out, otherwise, I would not be
making the next four points. Always test your codes and mobile campaigns
on as many different mobile devices as possible before you go live. For
example, poorly created Designer QR Codes may scan on an iPhone, but
not an Android or Blackberry.
- There is no call-to-action, offer or incentive to scan the code. In
almost all cases, there should be some from of instruction accompanying
each code letting the user know what to expect.
- Code will not scan - The code has been improperly designed, printed
or applied. Understanding the constraints of QR Codes will help you
avoid mistakes. Code size, density, color, contrast and substrate for
printing all must be considered.
- Content to which the code points is not mobile-friendly or easy to
browse on a mobile device. Knowing people are going to use a smartphone
to scan the code, why would you direct them to anything less than a
mobile optimized experience? Make sure your layout and content are
mobile-friendly.
- Codes are placed in areas with no connectivity. Make sure your
campaigns can be accessed in the actual areas you plan to advertise.
Again, this goes back to testing #1.
A rebirth for QR Codes
There is a second wave of interest in QR Codes among big brands,
especially in package design. Brands don't see bar codes going away
anytime soon and they are benefiting on everything from Postal discounts
to better user engagement by using them.
In closing, there's a lot more to QR Codes than meets the eye.
Understanding how to use them to engage users correctly goes a long way
in determining how useful your audience will find them to be.
See original blog post Jan 23, 2015 by Philip Warbasse
http://www.print2d.com/dt/about_blog9.shtml
