1) Light University Online came out of a DVD training program with over 160,000 students.  Not only are we starting to send out QR Codes on the mailing materials, but on each of the DVDs that get sent out as well!  These codes lead back to a ‘Scholarship’ landing page with a special offer for discounted tuition.

2) A few of our realtors will be posting Open House signs with QR Codes with details.  Visitors can drive by, snap a shot of the sign, and read all they need to know about the home!

3) A restaurant owner is posting a weekly menu with QR codes that offer specials for Tue/Thrs Early Bird to help pick up non-weekend business. 

There are so many cool, useful ways to take advantage of these.  Think through what you do, how people find you, and let’s hear some creative ways you’ve come up with!

Light University Application QR Code

Light University found a great way to take advantage of QR Codes, (read more about them here) by including a QR code that directs potential students right to the online application.  This QR code is going out on all promotional materials, brochures, and DVD courses that are being bought.  Have you thought about how you can use these to help your business?

This is going to be an exciting, fun project with lots of cool moving parts. The website is going to be a leading source of event information, training tips, and record keeping. There will be ecommerce, event registration, BLOGs, social media…and more! Stay Tuned!

Web Trends 2012: QR Codes

Following along with our Mobile Web them, the adoption of QR codes Adoption picked up dramatically in 2011 as compared to 2010.  By the end of the year you were seeing them on billboards, magazines, candy bars, and even on TV! If you aren’t sure what they are yet, they’re similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory, but they can hold so much more data which is why they can be such a great marketing tool for small businesses.  Small business can create a custom QR Code, stick it on an ad, or a business card, and link it to a custom landing page, or a video, or whatever call to action you come up with. 

How about an Auto Service shop linking one in the newspaper to an Oil Filter special?  How about an online university linking it to an online scholarship page?  How about a restaurant with one on the menu linking back to a special discount on a Facebook welcome page or tab??  So many useful ways to help use the web in your marketing efforts.

QR Codes can even increase your SEO and social media optimization.  It’s still growing, and seems to have no end, so it’s time for you take a serious look at this and see how you might take advantage of it in your business.

Mobile Trends 2012

As we’ve already touched on, 2011 really started the trend towads having business websites at least be accessible on mobile devices.  Where 2012 is going though is creating mobile-ready websites that are optimized for the mobile platforms.  With more than 50% of all US mobile users having smart phones, it’s projected that 1/4 of all web searches in 2012 will be done from these devices.  One quarter of all users!  Having your website be viewable on a mobile device is one thing, but it’s at the point now where you need to make sure your website has modified content for mobile-ready devices as well.  Less content, less imagery, targeted information, etc.

QR Codes is another mobile trend that has to be accounted for.  If you haven’t seen them yet, they are a form of barcode that holds a lot more information and can connect users directly to your website.  They are popping up on billboards, magazine ads, and even TV!  Imagine putting a QR Code on your business cards that links your vcard and/or connects directly to a Like button on your Facebook Fan Page?  There is a lot that can be done with these, and we’ll have a specific article on this coming soon.

Don’t miss out.  Get your website ready or at least start the planning process.  There’s a whole new world of opportunity out there that involves better serving your existing customers, and reaching new ones as well.

Over the course of the next week we’ll outline for you 5 web trends for 2012 that can help you take your business website to the next level!  First up…Mobile Web!

According to Gartner Web, by 2013, more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online. In mid-2011 consumers were spending more time on their mobile devices than on their PCs, and according to a recent Search Engine Land report, more than 1/5 of all searches will be conducted on mobile devices this year.  Just as companies realized back in 1995 that they needed to create a website to remain relevant, history is repeating itself with mobile. Less than 20% of businesses have a mobile version of their site.

More and more businesses will take their websites to the small screen. Because of this, it’s crucial that your website be available for reading on a small cell phone screen and offer easy navigation.  Your phone and tablet will view most websites on a small screen, but if it’s not optimized for the small screen they probably won’t see what you want them to see.  The content isn’t sized, the flash won’t work, etc.  You want to put the right content in front of them at the right time and in way that they can easily see and navigate.  This isn’t one trend you want to sit on!