One  of the most fun and interesting things about business web design and online marketing is that it's a bit like fashion or art: Every once in a while, something that's been around for a long time comes back in a new form, and more effective than ever. We've already seen it in pay per click advertising, search engine marketing, and social media.

Now, the same thing is happening with barcodes... only this time, they're just a little bit different. Make no mistake, though, marketing through QR codes can be a wonderful way to attract more buyers, and more sales.

If you haven't tried QR codes before, or aren't entirely sure what they are, here's what you need to know: Although they look somewhat like traditional barcodes, QR codes are actually small images that customers can photograph or scan with their smart phones. Once they do, the QR code takes them to a specific Internet destination – one that you have specified.

In that way, QR codes bridge the gap between print advertising, mobile business web design, and online marketing. Where can QR codes be placed? There aren't many limits, since they can work almost anywhere that your customers can take a picture of them or scan them in their smart phones. That could include a billboard, your storefront window, on shelf space, on your business card and pamphlets, or in a print advertisement, to name just a few examples.

What makes QR code so exciting, however, isn't just that they can go almost anywhere, but that they can be used for almost anything. Here are just a few of the ways successful marketers have already put QR codes to use:

To offer shoppers further product info. Let's say your customer is looking around your store, and you would like them to have more information on the featured product. Simply place a QR code next to it, and they can find all the relevant details online in seconds.

To offer a coupon. Likewise, a QR code placed at the front of your retail shop, or in a print ad, could offer users an instant coupon or special web price. That's great for sales, and also allows you to track the QR code's effectiveness.

To take customers straight to online reviews. If you want shoppers to see how popular your products have been with others, simply use a QR code to show them the relevant reviews. Again, it only takes a second, and can make the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

To let customers compare prices. If you have the lowest prices, then don't keep it a secret. Your QR code could take visitors to a page showing your prices next to your competitors’.

To download a document. If you have the kind of product or service that can be promoted with a special report, article, flier, or other document, why not use QR code advertising to let customers access it or download it?

To sign up for something. From newsletters to events, QR codes are perfect for bringing customers to registration pages and sign-up sheets, and to your social media pages to get more “like”s, “follows”, network connections, “subscribes”, etc.

These are just a few uses for QR codes, and there are probably thousands more that exist, and thousands of new ideas currently being investigated. Their use is really just beginning to evolve.

Owners of all size businesses should have a mobile marketing plan that takes advantage of the tremendous opportunities available in the mobile technology environment. If you would like to sit down and discuss these opportunities, you should contact WSI since we have been helping small and medium size businesses grow through professionally developed mobile and online strategies for many years.

If you're in the Madison Wisconsin area, give us a call today at (608) 523-4255 and let's discuss these opportunities right away!

Best Regards,

Thomas J. Holzkopf
Certified Internet & Digital Marketing Consultant
Tom@WSIPrositebuilder.com
www.WSIPrositebuilder.com
Office: 608-523-4255

As we wrote recently, the sheer numbers of smart phones being sold – and subsequently, the numbers of people accessing the Internet through them – practically scream for business owners to launch mobile versions of their websites. But at the same time, it isn't enough to simply have a mobile version of your site online; to really profit, you need to conform to the medium.

To help you understand why and how, here are four things that we have noticed in truly great mobile business websites:

They load quickly and consistently. It shouldn't matter whether your customer has an iPhone or a Droid. Either way, they want your mobile business site to load quickly and cleanly, and without putting a huge dent in their data plan.

They have lots of easy to access calls to action. On a mobile business website, don't ask people to download a lengthy white paper or read dozens of product details. Instead, give them the choice to do things like "add to cart”, "click to call us now”, “download coupon”, “subscribe for discounts”, or “scan QR code” (more on this in our next blog post!). These are much easier to manage on a smart phone, and make more sense for customers using one.

They allow users to click through to everything. Speaking of which, the more of these actions that are available through a single click or tap of the screen, the more of them your customers will take advantage of. So, if you really want to boost the profitability of your mobile business website, then make it very easy for users to do what you're asking.

They are reduced to what's necessary. In the vast majority of cases, a mobile business website can easily be squeezed into four or five brief pages. Again, it's important to remember that your mobile customers have a limited amount of time and bandwidth at their disposal, so make sure you aren't asking them to waste either one.

Owners of all size businesses should have a mobile marketing plan that takes advantage of the tremendous opportunities available in the mobile technology environment. If you would like to sit down and discuss these opportunities, you should contact WSI since we have been helping small and medium size businesses grow through professionally developed mobile and online strategies for many years. If you're in the Madison Wisconsin area, give us a call today at (608) 523-4255 and let's discuss these opportunities right away!
Best Regards,




Thomas J. Holzkopf
Certified Internet & Digital Marketing Consultant
Tom@WSIPrositebuilder.com
www.WSIPrositebuilder.com
Office: 608-523-4255

Why You Need to Have a Mobile Website for Your Business

In case you're wondering what that figure represents, that's the number of Google Android smart phones being sold every single day. Add to that a similar number of iPhones, not to mention iPads, tablets and other web-ready mobile devices, and it's easy to see why mobile business websites aren't the passing trend or fad that a lot of companies want to treat them as.

With that in mind, there are two important implications for every company that is serious about online marketing:

First, that you really do need a mobile version of your business website. Estimates are difficult, because the market is changing so quickly, but it's clear that hundreds of millions of people are already accessing the web via smart phones. In fact, more of them will go online through mobile devices than they will through traditional laptop and desktop computers in the next few years. If you want to capture some of that market – and you should – then a mobile business website is a necessity.

And secondly, that your mobile business website shouldn't just be a smaller version of your existing site.  In a rush to "go mobile," a lot of companies are simply shrinking down their existing websites. That's not a good idea, because mobile users want speed and accessibility that they can't get from simply shrinking a standard-sized business website.

Rather than just going small, look for a way to condense the most valuable elements of your current website into a smaller, four- or five-page design. Once you've done that, you'll have a mobile business website that's more useful for your visitors, and more profitable for your company.

Look for our next post where we'll talk more about how to leverage your mobile website.

Owners of all size businesses should have an online marketing plan that takes advantage of the tremendous opportunities available in the online environment. If you would like to sit down and discuss these opportunities or have us review your existing online plan, you should contact WSI since we have been helping small and medium size businesses grow through professionally developed online strategies for many years. If you're in the Madison Wisconsin area, give us a call today at (608) 523-4255 and let's discuss these opportunities right away!
Best Regards,




Thomas J. Holzkopf
Certified Internet & Digital Marketing Consultant
Tom@WSIPrositebuilder.com
www.WSIPrositebuilder.com
Office: 608-523-4255