5 Ways QR Codes Can Be Used To Promote Your Business

QR Codes As A Marketing Tool

Custom QR Code with Logo

If you are responsible for marketing your local business, then you have most likely heard about QR codes, and it is even more likely that you have noticed these unique-looking “codes” popping up all over the place.

Those pixilated boxes on coupons, advertisements, signs and more are QR codes.  And those codes are your next great marketing ploy.

Keeping up in today’s technology-based culture means staying abreast of the latest marketing advancements, and QR codes are at the top of that list.

Interested in what QR codes can do for you?

Here are five great ways you can use QR codes for your local business:

Showcasing your goods.  Do you have a new product or service that you really want to promote? Then link a QR code to an online product presentation. Feature your business offering in full color and detail, so that when customers scan your code, they are put face to face with your tempting advertisement.

Offering special deals.  One great way to get people to scan your QR code, and to in turn win them over as customers, is to offer a special deal via QR code. Link to a coupon or web-only offer and watch the new business roll in.

Measuring marketing effectiveness.  Using QR codes to market your business offers you a unique opportunity to measure the effectiveness of that marketing. When you use QR codes, it is easy to track turnover rates, so that you can alter your marketing as needed to improve your results.

Branding.  One very creative way of using QR codes to better your business marketing is by branding them. How do you brand a QR code? Well, you can actually incorporate your business’ logo into the QR code, itself, to create a lasting impression on your customers. How much of your competition is making use of QR codes in this way? Not much (if any).  Now that’s staying ahead of the pack!

Social media.  There’s no argument that social media marketing is pertinent to the success of your local business. Link a QR code to your social media accounts to increase your followers, and thereby increase your reach and strengthen your Internet presence.

QR codes are a great way to increase your local business’ customer base. The best thing is that QR code marketing campaigns are extremely cost-efficient, as well as extremely effective.

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The Time To Go Mobile Is Now

Fundamentals For Building A Mobile Website

It is old news that any business that wants to compete in today’s

techno-centric market must have a strong Internet presence,

which generally centers on an effective website.

One fast-growing trend effecting web design is the optimization of sites to make them more easily accessible and viewable for mobile phone users. But just how important is it that people are able to access your business website from their mobile devices?

Given the statistics, it’s very important.

These days, people actually access the web from their smart phones much more often than they do their desktops or laptops. Therefore, it pays to have a site that caters to those people.

Here are the fundamentals for building a mobile website:

Simplicity.  There are number of reasons for why you must keep a mobile website as simple and sparse as possible. First off, people who use mobile devices to access the web must often pay data transfer fees. The more graphics you use, and the more complex the content, the more it is going to cost mobile users to view your website. They will not appreciate that. Additionally, mobile devices feature small screens; therefore, the more you try cramming into your mobile website, the harder it will be to view.

Navigation.  Whereas traditional websites allow viewers to navigate a page vertically, mobile websites utilize horizontal navigation. Generally speaking, navigating left should lead back to the home (or previous) page, and navigating right should lead to the next page.

Content.  Again, due to data transfer fees and viewability, it is important to fine-tune your mobile website’s content. Avoid flowery language, over-explanation, and anything else that is not absolutely necessary to imparting the ideas you want with your text. Your content should be short and concise – just enough to get the point across.

Graphics.  When it comes to graphics, it is important that you keep loading times and clarity in mind.  Complex graphics will not view well on a small screen, nor will they load quickly. Use graphics sparingly. A good rule of thumb when it comes to graphics and mobile web design is to avoid the use of purely decorative graphics, and to stick to using only super-simple graphics that are either necessary to illustrating the site’s textual content or navigating through the site.

Thumb friendliness.  Build your mobile website with the touch screen in mind. Use large navigation devices like buttons and arrows to make it easy for even big thumbs to get from point A to point B on your site. 

Building a mobile website is not that much different from building a traditional website, when it comes to the technical aspects.

However, when it comes to the creative design aspects, it’s a whole different ballgame.

To get the most out of your next mobile web project, contact us, CompuAssist.ca.  We may be contacted via email, info@compuassist.ca, or at 705-828-7411.

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How A Website Can Help Grow Your Business

SELLING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS ONLINE

Your website is one of the most powerful marketing tools you have. By itself it may not produce the results you’re looking for, but when combined with your other marketing initiatives it can be a vital source for your lead generation campaign while helping you increase sales, reduce advertising costs, and produce a higher return on investment. The key is including your website in all your marketing pieces. Whether you engage in online, print, TV, radio, or affiliate marketing, all roads must lead back to your website in order to maximize your return on investment.

1. Your website is a reflection of who you are as a company.

    Your design is worth a million words, so make it count by ensuring it is specifically geared and tailored to your target market. A good design should capture visitors’ attention the moment they arrive on your site.

2. Engage your visitors with a compelling message with instant impact

     Once you have captured visitors’ attention with your design, your marketing message is the key to getting them to stay on and learn more about your company and what you have to offer. Keep it short and include a problem statement and your solution.

3. Ensure your website has a Call To Action

     Whatever action you want visitors to take once they arrive on your website should be clearly stated and highlighted. Say it once and say it again, not just on your home page but throughout your website and at every opportunity you get to increase your chances of converting your website visitors into leads.

4. Use ethical bribes to boost lead generation

     You will maximize your return on investment and reduce advertising cost if you are able to convert more of your Web visitors into leads, which will in turn allow you to establish credibility and build a relationship. The best way to accomplish this goal is to use ethical bribes that are irresistible in exchange for their contact information. Try things like "free trials," "free reports," or "free consultations."

5. Nurture leads easily and effortlessly with website marketing automation

     Integrate your website forms with a marketing automation tool that saves you time and money. You can easily schedule a series of follow up e-mails or phone calls to stay in touch with prospects and move them further along in the pipeline and into a sale.

6. Increase number of customers, frequency of purchase, average spend

Increasing market share means demand will grow, in fact, it might even boom, even if only in bursts. Make sure your internal systems, processes and customer support infrastructure can cope with the increased demand. A sudden increase in business can bring down a company as easily as no sales can. Be sure to add extra staff and be able to increase the product/s or service to cope with demand. Again, market research is invaluable in forecasting what will be needed.

Increase the number of customers:

This may not be the easiest of the three choices but it can be done. Enticing more customers to try your product may not be all that difficult, but to keep their custom and not have them revert to their original supplier means you need to offer more than a quick buy one get one free sale. Know who your competitors are and find out their marketing strengths and weaknesses. What product advantage do you have to attract their customers? Speak with staff about customer feedback and what they might like or dislike about a specific product you or your competitor may offer.

Increase the frequency of purchases:

Existing customers can be easier to sell to, but you still need to get the marketing right to get them coming in more often.For example, supermarkets often place the bread at the opposite side of the store to the milk with hopes you will pick up more items travelling between the two things.The more times customers come in, the more they will buy.Have any customers stopped buying your products/services altogether? What is needed to win them back? Make it easy for people to do business with you e.g. easy purchase process, easy to understand price structure, different options for payment, information or knowledge available at point of sale (whether its face to face, via telephone, order form or a web page). Communicate frequently, make sure it's personalized. Always promote the benefits of your business/product/service. Tell customers how they'll benefit from buying from you again. Offer the customers encouragement to buy, such as alliances or referrals with other organisations, or adopting new products and services.

Increase the average spend of each transaction:

Once a customer has chosen to buy, you should consider suitable ways of increasing the value of the transaction. You should take care at this stage not to offend or seem too pushy. The emphasis should be on the benefit to the customer. Offer volume discounts. Customers who spend "x" number of dollars can buy another product at a reduced price, and as an extra incentive put an expiry date on the offer. Use suggestion selling techniques. Offer advice on additional products e.g. a customer has bought a torch, what about the batteries?

You get the idea!

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SEO For Small Business

Here's Why Your Business Should Be Online

Businesses on the web 

grow considerably faster

than those that haven't got a website.

Of these businesses on the web,

those with mobile sites and apps

will grow up to 75% faster

Small business can benefit tremendously from SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

and those that don't practise it as if it were a religion are much worse off than larger companies that invest in SEO marketing campaigns.

Just What Is SEO?

A set of rules that can be followed by website owners to optimize their websites for search engines in order to improve their search engine rankings. It also greatly increases the quality of websites by making them user-friendly, and easier to navigate. In short, a framework consisting of guidelines, stages, and a set of controls measured by a variety of analytical means.

SEO BENEFITS For Small Business

More User-Friendly Website Makes It A Better Website

SEO is not only about search engine rankings, it's also about the user. When your site is better, faster, and friendlier, your visitors are much happier resulting in both short and long-term benefits.

Grow Your Audience + Increase Your Profits

Your main reason in having a website is to increase and divide your customer base - that is, to separate those who are followers and those who simply walk in off the street. SEO means more targeted visits due to search engine rankings and most important - more customers.

Opening New Markets

In the world economy, the web is one of the fastest growing markets. This makes a good SEO campaign critical for growth and success. But, social media and mobile marketplaces can take your traffic (online and offline) to a whole different level - in turn, boosting your SEO performance overall.

Improved Conversion Rates

Since an SEO optimized website is fast, easy to use, and compatible with mobile and tablet devices, better conversions mean more loyal visitors, customers, and subscribers.

Building Brand Awareness

Users are more like to trust a brand with a better search engine ranking when seeking a brand as compared to brands that don't have a good web presence. This hidden advantage helps to build brand awareness , in your local area, your region, and even nationally. So it's easy to see how and why SEO can both build and destroy your brand.

Using Newsletters To Build A Dedicated Fanbase

RSS feeds and newsletters, as a means to grow your audience, existed long before social media and so, are important sources for traffic. Email lists and campaigns share no less equal importance than social media, so be sure to add a newsletter box to your site and respond to your subscribers.

Beating The Competition

Imagine to sites selling similar products at similar prices, which one do you think will do better with the application of good SEO techniques? Which company will grow fater and gain more customers - the one ranked higher in search engines of course. You should assume your competitors are practising SEO and employing social media marketing. And if they aren't doing both, you will certainly have a huge overall advantage.

Unlimited Business Hours

Any business open 24 hours per day and 7 days per week gets more traffic and potential customers even when the business is closed. This is another hidden benefit of the internet and SEO.

Huge Benefits For Social Media

Clearly, higher rankings mean more social media exposure. Similarly, good social media exposure converts to higher search engine rankings. A win-win situation. The perfect symbiotic relationship used to increase LIKES, Tweets and Re-Tweets, and Google+ additions for your website.

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