Tag Archive for: Small Business Marketing

QR codes have many different use cases and with a little creativity, the possibilities are endless. In this article, I share how to make the use of QR codes effective, things you’ll need to consider and common mistakes to avoid. 

Ready? Then let’s delve in!

QR codes are a great way to remove the boundary between print and online media. QR code is short for ‘quick respond code‘ and the reason they have gained in popularity in recent years is that it’s much easier and faster for someone to scan a code using their phone than it is to enter a long URL into the browser bar. 

Some time ago, you were required to have a special QR code reader app in order to scan one, but Apple, Google and Co have since integrated this functionality into their native camera apps, eliminating the hurdle of having to download a separate app.

5 Ways to use QR codes in your business and marketing activities

Here are a few ideas for how you can effectively use QR codes in your business.

1. Link to your menu or list of services

You can use QR codes to link directly to a menu or services page on your website. Many cafes and restaurants have adopted this technology, as it makes it a lot easier to update their menus on the fly without having to reprint them every time. Some even take it a step further and link to an online ordering platform, so customers can order directly through their phone.

2. Offer a free download, a free trial or a discount coupon

QR codes make a fantastic tool for lead generation. Whether you’re running a brick and mortar business with a shop front, a popup store or a market stall, you can use QR technology to link to a simple landing page where people can enter their details (usually their name and email) in return for a freebie. This is a great way to fast-track your lead generation – even on the go.

3. Use it to let your customers make a booking or schedule a meeting

Know those times you have to email back and forth multiple times just to find a suitable time to meet? This can easily be avoided with a simple scheduling tool like Calendly, for example. Once set up, you can have the QR code take your customers straight to the booking page. You can have the QR code printed on your business cards, brochures, even billboards.

4. Visit a specific page on your website

Sometimes, you may like to explain or showcase more than fits on a brochure or product fact sheet. Using a QR code, you can link directly to any page of your website, allowing people to discover more about your services or products. There’s so much more you can do on a webpage than you could ever do in print. For example, you can embed videos, use forms to collect feedback or other information, offer an interactive quiz, display helpful charts or animations, and so much more to help your customers connect.

5. Link to your social media accounts

QR codes are a quick and easy way to connect your audience with your social media accounts. Link directly to your Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn account – or why not create a page that links to all of the above and more? 

BONUS TIP:

One of the fastest ways to grow your audience is using a giveaway or competition. Use a QR code to a dedicated landing page where people can enter to win. If you don’t know how to create a professional landing page or add pages to your website, this can be easily achieved with a free Google Form.

Common mistakes when using QR Codes

Now that you know how you can effectively use QR codes in your business, let’s look at some common mistakes we should avoid.

1. Using a low-quality image

When printing low-quality graphics, they can quickly look unclear and become unscannable. When creating your QR code, be sure to download it in high resolution (300dpi or more) to ensure it looks clear when printed.

2. Not testing your QR code before printing

It is advisable to print a sample of your brochure or business card to check if your QR code scans properly and actually takes people to the correct link. Especially when printing multiple marketing materials that use different codes, it’s easy to get mixed up. Test each one separately to make sure each code is in its rightful place.

3. Using QR codes on Facebook or in other mobile apps

The whole purpose of a QR code is to take people from one device onto their own smartphone. Posting a QR code on Facebook or Instagram makes little sense, as people are most likely be looking at it on their phone already. In this case, a simple clickable link will make much more sense. 

For some of my clients, I have embedded a QR code to schedule appointments on their contact page. However, it only shows when viewed on a desktop computer. When the page is opened on a mobile device, it changes to a button they can simply click.

Always ask yourself if it will be easier for people to scan a QR code or if a simple link may be a more elegant solution.

How do I create a QR code?

Creating your own unique QR code is easy and fast. There are a number of websites available that let you create QR codes for free. Some even let you customise your QR code by changing colours, embedding a logo and more.

Note: The important thing is that you download the generated code in high resolution (300dpi or more) to make sure it looks clear and scans correctly when printed.

Here are a few websites offering free online QR code generators:

https://www.qrcode-monkey.com

https://www.qr-code-generator.com

https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com

 

Have you used QR codes in your business before? If so, how?

Customer Journey: Attract, Convert, Close, Delight

Marketing is a bit of a mystery for many small business owners. After all, most of us didn’t go into business to market and sell, but to do whatever we are great at and love doing. 

But when we break it down, marketing really isn’t such an overly complicated thing. There are very specific steps you can follow to implement a successful marketing strategy in your business and set yourself up for success. More specifically, there are four pieces to the marketing puzzle.

The big marketing mistake

Most business owners make the mistake to try and “close” people before they are ready to buy. You can see this reflected in most advertising. Whether that’s on TV, on the radio, in magazines or online ads, the message is pretty much always “buy our product now!”.

But before someone is ready to do business with you, we should consider a couple of other steps and implement a system that helps us to turn strangers into visitors, visitors into leads and leads into customers.

Free Download: The 4 stages of a complete inbound marketing strategy

Inbound marketing strategy for small business - Small business marketing by David Lee-Schneider
Download 1-Page Marketing Cycle (PDF)

Let me explain each stage in a little more detail.

1. Attract

First of all, every business needs the ability to continuously attract new potential customers. No customer, no business. It’s pretty self-explanatory. We need to have visitors before we can have customers — whether that’s online or in-store.

Ways to increase traffic and get more visitors

  • Have a great website
  • Share valuable and relevant information on your blog
  • Search Engine Optimisation to attract organic traffic
  • Engaging Social Media Content (with the goal to drive people back to your website/blog)
  • Paid advertising (i.e. Facebook ads, Google ads, print ads, TV ads, radio ads etc.
  • Joint Ventures (partnering with complementary businesses to help each other grow)

2. Convert

Secondly, we need to be able to somehow “capture” these potential customers, so that we can reach out to them again to build a relationship with them. This is where we talk about leads. People who have given us permission to contact them, but haven’t bought from us yet.

Ways to convert visitors into leads

  • Offer a free download (i.e. e-book, checklist, cheat sheet, discount voucher, video etc.)
  • Use optimised landing pages to increase your conversion rate 
  • Split-test your free offer to identify the most effective one
  • Re-targeting ads to past visitors

3. Close

Thirdly, and probably most importantly, we need to be able to turn these leads into actual customers. Because all the visitors and leads in the world won’t help if we can’t get them to buy our product or service. 

Ways to turn leads into customers

  • Use automated email sequences to nurture your leads and help them with their buying decision
  • Keep educating your leads to increase their understanding and awareness
  • Send out irresistible offers that will get people to take action
  • Use multiple channels to initiate a conversation with prospects
  • Re-targeting ads designed to move your leads closer to the purchase

Now, this is where most businesses stop. But there’s one more crucial step that makes your marketing strategy so much more effective.

4. Delight

Would your customers buy from you again? This is an important question that you should be able to confidently answer with a big fat “yes”. You want to wow your customers and aim to over-deliver, so that the great customer experience you deliver will be reflected in customer reviews, repeat business and word-of-mouth. 

Ways to turn customers into advocates

  • Deliver a great and consistent customer experience 
  • Aim to over-deliver and surprise your customers
  • Collect feedback to constantly improve your product or service
  • Invite those who gave great feedback to leave reviews on Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor
  • Showcase customer testimonials on your website and social media channels

This fourth step will close the cycle and, in turn, generate even more organic traffic, leads and customers, ultimately helping you to grow your business perpetually.

With these four elements in place, you will have built a strong marketing foundation that will allow you to take your business to new heights and maximise your return on every marketing activity in your business.

To help you with claiming and setting up your Google My Business listing, we have created 3 short videos to walk you through the entire process.

Important: If you haven’t downloaded the free step-by-step PDF guide to go with these videos, click here to download it now.

1/3 – How To Claim & Verify Your Google My Business Listing

Claiming your listing is necessary to control and complete the information that is displayed when people search for you online. Complete and verified listings always rank higher than non-verified or incomplete listings.

2/3 – Categorising Your Business For Increased Visibility

Choosing the right categories for your Google My Business listing is crucial to ensure that it shows up when people search for your business on Google. In this video, we walk you through the exact steps to properly categorise your business and maximise your exposure.

3/3 – Posts, Messages & Insights Explained

Learn about the importance of posts, messages and insights to maximise your business’ exposure on Google.