The graphics below (courtesy of Microsoft Tag) tell an interesting story about coupon use globally and how smartphones are involved.

Smart businesses are using QR codes to make their marketing more interactive by delivering instant coupons, bonuses and other mechanisms to promote customer loyalty and retention. Here are just a few ideas you could borrow to use QR codes effectively in your business:

• Browse a website URL
• Watch a YouTube Video
• Post to Twitter
• Visit a Facebook page
• Send discounts, rewards, coupons and special offers
• Go to an iTunes link
• Order via a paypal Buy Now link
• Call a telephone number
• Send/receive sms messages
• Send an email
• Subscribe to an autoresponder
• Direct to a product page on a website
• Submit contact details
• Book an event
• Wifi login (android)
• Enter a google maps location
• Receive any text message/instructions

The study polled 1,500 consumers in the United States and was executed by Equation Research.  For more go here: Mobile Commerce Daily

When a person is reminded to come for service or an oil change, they will typically respond positively when it is convenient for them. But this poses a problem.  Can every service center afford to hire someone to call and do appointment reminders?  In many cases, the answer is no.  If  so, can the mechanic or one of their staff take time away from servicing cars in order to look up records and make calls to those who are due for routine service?  They could, but that would probably not be a good use of their time.

What if the service centre could send out accurate reminders to its customers without having to hire someone or without having to take time away from repairing cars? What if those reminders were automated, so that every time a car owner came in, that customer would be automatically placed in a database and reminded when their time for service came up? What if the setup happened one time and the service center owner did not have to manage the system?  This would definitely be worth the time and investment for the service center owner, if it could be made affordable for them wouldn’t it?

SMS Marketing makes all of this possible and affordable.  The reason is simple. SMS Text Messaging can be automated and is cost-effective. And it is much more likely that a business owner will reach someone by their mobile phone than through other methods.  Current statistics state that over 50% of people connecting to the internet, do so on their mobile phone. That means that people are spending time on their phones and can be reached with a text message.

Stats also tell us that 95% of all text messages that are sent, are actually opened and read by the person receiving them.  So making sure that a customer gets a reminder at the three or four month point for their oil change is as simple as collecting their mobile phone number when they get their car serviced.

The same is true of required service and warranty reminders.  With a good automated SMS system, customers can get messages from a service shop that they will appreciate because its helping them to take care of their investment.

Some auto dealers and mechanics take the concept one step further and send out a text messages when a repaired vehicle is ready for pickup.  This is quicker than a phone call and ensures that the notice will reach the customer and (usually) read.  This increases customer satisfaction and sets the service center apart from others in the same city or town.

More and more auto service centres are adding text messaging services to their marketing thrust. The reason is simple — it works!

Combining SMS list building (using cell phones) with Groupon is an excellent way to encourage them to return by texting them new offers. If the offers are good enough, you may be able to convert them to a regular customer. And the best part is that you don’t have to share any of the subsequent profits with Groupon. Here is the article on how Gelato Spot ran their campaign:

A QR code can contain various forms of data:

• Text
• Hyperlink
• Telephone number (Phone call)
• SMS/MMS message
• Email (Send message)
• Contact entry (vCard or meCard)
• Calendar entry (vCalendar)

QR codes can be placed in many forms of media:

• Billboards
• Newspaper
• Magazines
• Web pages
• Product packaging
• Tattoos

If you are leading someone to a destination like a web page, the page can be edited to add new information — no need to edit the QR code. This is helpful if you have printed your code on more permanent items like real estate signage.

QR code scanning requires a smart phone. Scanning is on the rise, but new users need some guidance on how to download a QR coder reader. These applications are available free on the web.

If you are creating a QR code, keep it simple as too much data creates more complex codes which may not be read easily by more basic smart phones. Also remember that size is important — don’t make them too small, and always test your code before publishing.

A final note: provide your readers with useful information to make scanning your code worthwhile. For example, don’t lead them to a non-mobile friendly website. This makes no sense at all.

For the full 14 top ‘things’ you can learn about QR codes, follow the link at the top of this article. Happy QRing…

It isn’t as bad as it sounds (New Google Bot Targeting Smart Phones). If you didn’t know, search engine ‘bots’ (robots) are all over the web, crawling sites to index pages and gather information on what a site is about.

Current news is that Google are ramping up their crawling efforts in order to deliver better search results for smart phone searches on the web. Google recognizes that more users are accessing the web via their smart phones, and has a new bot to help. The new crawler will help deliver content for smartphones on the web more efficiently.

Of course, Google is in business to make money, and is keen to provide a better user experience on the ‘mobile web’ and encourage mobile website owners to place Google ads on their sites.

Here are some recent stats taken from Search Engine Watch:

According to Google:

• 79% of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, to finding more product info, to locating a retailer.
• 70% use their smartphones while in a store.
• 77% have contacted a business via mobile, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business.
• 44% of searches for last minute gifts this holiday season will come through mobile phones.
• Mobile searches on Black Friday rose 200% from last year.
• Tablet traffic grew 440% in 2011 from 2010.

What these stats show (among other things) is that smart phone use is rapidly on the rise. Smart phone sales are expected to be very good this Christmas. For merchants, this means that doing without a mobile website is not really an option any more — at least not if they want to benefit from Google’s new search emphasis on mobile-friendly websites, and the higher customer engagement and sales that can result.

Are you a business owner? If so, do you have a mobile website yet?

Mobile retail Web sites have emerged as an in-store shopping companion. Consumers are relying on their devices to locate the products they want, search for coupons and special discounts, and compare prices at competitors’ stores.

“Increasingly, shoppers are using their mobile devices – in particular, mobile retail Web sites – when they shop,” said Eric Harber, chief operating officer of Hipcricket, Kirkland, WA. “This is true for etailers, but it also in the bricks-and-mortar retail world.

“Retailers need to remember that consumers always have these devices at arms’ length, and aren’t afraid to check to see if a competitor has better inventory or lower prices,” he said. “But this is an opportunity, too – retailers should embrace this.

“A great example is the Macy’s Backstage program that Hipcricket powers – there are QR codes and SMS calls-to-action to connect shoppers in the store with relevant content and offers as they shop. Shoppers are ready to interact.”

The 2011 Hipcricket Mobile Marketing Survey is a national survey designed to provide insight into consumer behavior and attitudes towards mobile marketing. The survey was conducted in October via email and is based on 607 respondents.

Mobile retail
Sixty-three percent of smartphone users have visited a retailer’s Web site from their mobile device, compared to 53 percent in 2010. Additionally, 41 percent have done so while in the retail store.

Interestingly, 50 percent have checked a competitor’s mobile Web site while in another store.

Historically, mobile retail sites were lightweight versions of retailers’ PC Web sites. They were mostly relied on for information such as store locations, directions and hours.

All of that has changed. Today, consumers expect mobile-specific retail sites to provide significant benefits to them. And, retailers need to be using their mobile Web sites as a tool to move consumers through the purchase funnel.

Seventy percent of all smartphone users use their device regularly to access the mobile Web.

Smartphone users are accessing mobile retail Web sites to research prices (46 percent), search for coupons and offers (36 percent), research products (28 percent) and purchase products (13 percent).

“Remember, you’re a guest on your customers’ mobile device,” Mr. Harber said. “Be respectful of the opt-in nature of mobile marketing but don’t overstay your welcome.

“Give them useful, compelling content – tips to save time at the holidays, special recipes – and special offers on things you know they want to buy,” he said.

“Whenever possible, use the data in your CRM systems in combination with mobile in order to stay relevant.”

Loyalty
Only 9 percent of survey respondents reported they are being marketed to by their favorite brands on mobile.

However, respondents showed a willingness to join mobile customer relationship management or loyalty programs for their favorite brands. In fact, 33 percent would be interested in joining such a program, but only 12 percent currently participate in one.

Additionally, 75 percent of consumers found value from participating in mobile loyalty clubs.

During the holidays, 61 percent of consumers will likely use their mobile device as a shopping companion.

Overall, 31 percent of all mobile phone users have interacted with a brand through their mobile device and 59 percent of smartphone users have done so.

Also notable, 33 percent of mobile phones users are interested in receiving offers based on time and location. For example, a coupon delivered at noon for $5 off a pizza at a local shop.

“Mobile’s got a seat at the table now – it’s a critical, cross-channel marketing element, rather than a discrete, siloed activity,” Mr. Harber said.

“Increasingly, our customers are seeing the benefits of connecting customer-facing mobile marketing technologies such as mobile retail sites or ongoing SMS campaigns with back-end CRM and enterprise marketing automation solutions,” he said.

“It’s not just about single campaigns any more. Savvy marketers are often beginning with mobile advertising and tying it into a post-click engagement strategy to build an ongoing relationship with customers and prospects.”

Story by Giselle Tsirulnik (senior editor at Mobile Commerce Daily and Mobile Marketer). Story here: Mobile Loyalty Program

Although Google says that “the number of advertisers running mobile specific campaigns has more than doubled since January,” a large percentage are sending people to pages that don’t look good on smartphones. So rather than wait for marketers to get around to it, Google is providing an “incentive” to create mobile sites and landing pages.

Operating as both a carrot and a stick, Google announced this afternoon that it’s going to factor an advertiser’s mobile presence (site or landing page) into its ads quality score for mobile campaigns:

In the coming weeks, we will be introducing the mobile optimization of a website as a new factor of ads quality for AdWords campaigns that are driving mobile search traffic. As a result of this change, ads that have mobile optimized landing pages will perform better in AdWords — they will generally drive more mobile traffic at a lower cost.

Google also reiterated today that mobile-only campaigns drive 11.5 percent more CTRs than campaigns simply imported from PC AdWords.

I asked Surojit Chatterjee, product manager for local mobile ads at Google, what’s behind this 11.5 percent lift. He said that it’s probably a number of variables, including use of location and phone extensions in many cases — and the greater relevance and more precise targeting of mobile.

The hot mobile statistic of the week is that there will likely be more mobile internet users in 2015 than PC users, according to IDC. Whether or not that turns out to be an accurate prediction it’s going to be true at some point, and probably within five years at the outside.

In mobile search you need to reach the top ad positions to be seen. To that end, Google says the following about mobile-only campaign bidding:

Ensure you are bidding for positions 1-2 on mobile. Start by increasing your mobile bids to 2x your desktop bids and optimize your ads accordingly for CPA

With the new mobile quality score rule the company is going to get the attention of marketers and their agencies. The message now is: mobilize your sites and landing pages or your ads probably won’t be seen.

From an article by Greg Sterling: full article here: Search Engine Land