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Mistakes To Avoid in Your QR Code Marketing

Consumers from QR codes are hitting hard this summer of American society. Despite the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats, many well-intentioned sellers are crippling their campaigns with simple errors. This is a big reason why QR codes still have a bad reputation for some people. QR codes themselves are fundamentally good or bad, are only a means to an end: a mechanism for distributing offline to online. This is what is beyond the code that usually determines whether the experience will delight or disappoint. Unfortunately, many traders of the early adopters are not fully versed in best practices and optimal use cases. Adventurer who is the consumer suffers from growing pains.



Mistake 1: No Test Code
Law of common sense? Until it is able to read a QR code by looking at it, you should always test trials with a variety of smart phones and scanning applications before releasing a campaign.

This is the easiest way to detect problems scanning. For example, placement of small (less than one inch) will often be too dense to consider whether a URL is encoded longer, but goo.gl bit.ly or to automatically generate a short URL QR code is an easy solution .

Since QR codes according to an Mistake correction rate of 30%, there is flexibility to make creative adjustments. However, if the designer accidentally went too far, the screening test is an easy way to be the hero of the office that day.

For example, the picture above is taken from "15 beautiful and creative QR codes. "Although visually interesting, I'm pretty sure this is not scanable.

Mistake 2: Getting Too Fancy text

If your goal is to get people to a mobile Web experience, you should only ever a short URL code. It does not include any text, as many barcode scanners (including gold standards ShopSavvy) is not unravel the link. If you are expecting a user to copy / paste into a mobile device, do not bet on it.

Consider the QR code as a physical hyperlink all barcode scanners should be able to immediately "click". If the QR code requires the user to do much more than a point and exploration to reach the desired content, it probably is doing wrong.

Take the image above. I love the Olsen twins as much as anyone, but these results QR codes very problematic in string + combo link. No extra: The site always appears invalid security certificate Mistakes.

Mistake 3: Serving Non-Mobile Pages
Your explores QR code successfully, but you pointed out that the user to a standard desktop web site, where 99.9% of QR codes are scanned by a mobile device. No.

Familiar with HTML5 to give your mobile web application feel native application. You can hire a developer to build your mobile site or use a non-technical modular CMS (content management system) as Paperlinks if it suits the objectives of your campaign.

The heart of this QR code Coca-Cola is in the right place (the program MyCokeRewards), but the result mobile website is almost impossible to navigate.

Mistake 4: Put the QR codes, where no data signal

Where your ad is as important as how to implement it.

Recent QR code Tesco "supermarket" on the subway in Korea worked very well, because these platforms are Wi-Fi. This is not the case in the U.S. The placement of QR codes in places without Internet access is a safe way for your audience discomfort. Make sure you know which ads are, and if possible, conduct tests to ensure they are visible and continue to operate.

For example, QR code Red Bull last season was in the subway in New York, so I have no idea what it does.

Mistake 5: do not offer enough value

This point is very subjective, but also probably the most important. The proper mindset is to reward users to scan the QR code. This "reward", however, will change depending on what you're trying to promote.

Try to avoid redundancy (a digital copy of your steering wheel), irrelevance or clumsiness (company management of the street). Take the image above. U.S. Marine Corps. QR Code promises a great experience, but leads to a wallpaper download and a commercial.

When combined with a clearly articulated call to action near QR code, we found most attractive campaigns tend to offer one or more of the following:

Exclusive videos and photos Multimedia
Exclusive access or time-sensitive
Or booty free downloads
"Instant Win" contest
Special offers, coupons and gifts
"Secret" information
Deep integration with social networks to enable viral loops

AOL Launches Editions

AOL has released 'issue', a news reading application for the iPad social, owners of furniture device with another way to get your dose of news. As precursors and Zite Flipboard, Ediciones data strip their social networks (in this case, Facebook and Twitter) to help deliver a personalized news service in a magazine-style format. As with Zite, users can improve performance simply by reading, the application will learn what the issues and sources of readers tend to gravitate towards. You can teach the application by identifying the sources they like and dislike, and keywords that are and are not interested in, both in the configuration panel and when they wake up individual items.



The items are rendered in a browser application, which means that all the original ads and the format is shown - and it often takes a while to load. (It seems that AOL noted earlier misstep Zite in this department.) Readers can share articles via Facebook, Twitter and email, and bookmark stories for later reading.

This is pretty standard. Also, several steps behind their competitors. Flipboard, for example, allows users to pull the feeding of several additional social networks - including LinkedIn, Instagram in your RSS reader. It also allows users to search through all items in the application.

But there's more. AOL Editions in other applications improved social news reading, and playing habits of traditional newspaper readers and readers of IPAD.

On the one hand, provides a more holistic approach, organized source of news. Instead of just throwing my interests, which leaves me with a mixture of media, technology, fashion news and little else, to pass through the Top News section to collect the headlines of major in all sections of the last 24 hours.

Similarly, you can visit the local news section to get an idea of ​​what is happening in my neighborhood. That part is a welcome supplement because I, like many others, no longer subscribe to a local newspaper.

GroupMe Goes Global, Adds Direct Messaging

Group text messaging application GroupM is the version 3.0 of the service. It adds a lot of changes, including direct mail, a feature new beta called "Questions" and global access to the application. GroupM launched last fall as a group messaging solution - a sort of SMS chat room. During the last year, has amplified its features to compete with similar services such as the Society of Beluga Facebook Fast and the property, adding bells and whistles such as location and share photos.


Society has been consistently fast deployment of new additions and - more recently video - but Beluga seems to have stopped in March. Apple, meanwhile, is planning to launch a new messaging service called IMessage (including group messaging) - the IOS, 5.

To keep up with the times, is more GroupM with a few tweaks to round 3.0, which is available on the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows 7 Phone devices.

Changes include:

Availability in 90 countries on + 900 + carriers.
Improvements in Web application to be fully functional.
The ability to send messages to a person (yes, like a text message).
A "Questions" feature that allows users to create groups of opt-in and adds the ability of audiences on Facebook and Twitter survey.

Facebook buys Push Pop Press

Push Pop Facebook has bought stakes in digital media, the companies announced today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Pop Push press made a name for itself by developing a version of IOS implementation of the book of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, "Our Choice". The request received numerous critical acclaim and won the company an Apple design award earlier this year.
But that does not mean that Facebook will enter the digital publishing business. According to Press Push Pop, Facebook is the acquisition of its technology, which will be used in any way in the largest social network in the world.



"Although Facebook does not intend to start publishing digital books, ideas and technology behind Push Press Pop integrates with Facebook, giving the richest people ways to share their stories," Push Pop release, said in a statement. "With millions of people who post on Facebook every day, we think it will be a great home for Pop Push Press."
Facebook echoed that sentiment in his own statement in the acquisition, saying Press Push Pop "co-founders, Mike Matas and Tsinteris Kimon, will bring some of their ideas to the social network.
"We are delighted to confirm that we have acquired Media Push Pop, a start-up whose innovative software changes the way you publish and consume digital content," a Facebook representative of CNET in a statement via email. "We can not wait for the co-founders Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris to start, and for some of the technologies, ideas and inspiration behind Pop Push Press to become part of how millions of people connect and share with Facebook others. "