Are QR Codes ready for primetime?

According to a recent article in Biz Report, "a survey conducted by research firm Russell Herder found that over half of repeat QR Code scanners only 'sometimes' feel they have received something of value for their efforts."

The article adds that when asked if they felt scanning a QR code was worthwhile, consumers responded:

• Always 3%
• Usually 28%
• Sometimes 52%
• Rarely 15%
• Never 2%

These findings don't necessarily indicate that QR codes don't work.  They only highlight that some businesses are using them effectively while others are not.  Even though QR codes are being used successfully in Europe, the technology is still new to retailers in the U.S.  So, much like other forms of digital marketing, there is going to be a learning curve.  Retailers just need to learn where the benefit threshold is for scanners, while showing patience as adoption of the technology attempts to takes root. 

We have experimented with QR codes at Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW).  We post flyers in our stores with QR codes linking back to GGW's Foursquare site where users receive an exclusive discount.  It's a faster way of accessing the Foursquare offer without having to log onto the site through traditional channels.  While the scans have been limited so far, it doesn't cost us anything and provides an additional opportunity for customers to benefit from shopping at Goodwill.

We also recently added a QR code to a targeted direct mail piece that was delivered to several thousand college students living on the campus of a university near one of our new stores.  The DM piece offered a substantial discount, and if the student scanned the QR code, the discount increased by 10%.  The campaign dropped the first day of the fall semester to a technologically savvy crowd.  We expected a high redemption rate.  Instead it was negligable. 

We have some theories as to why the effort wasn't effective, and we'll adapt the next time we use QR codes in a similar campaign.

We've not given up on QR codes yet since there is no cost as we experiment and learn, but we understand that initial results are not going to be as strong as we had originally hoped, even with a tech savvy audience looking for bargains.

I think the key words when experimenting with QR codes are, "patience", "understanding" and "value".  Be patient with the ROI, and be sure to understand your audience while maximizing the expected value.

*The opinions shared on this blog are solely those of its author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Goodwill of Greater Washington or its affiliates.

Print media needs more than diversification to survive!

According to a recent Biz Report article by Kristina Knight, A new report from the American Press Institute and ITZBelden shows that the flagging print media industry can survive if it diversifies the channels it is offering its advertisers.

The API/ITZBelden report states that "media companies - newspapers, magazines, etc. - offering a broad range of services - online, print, etc. - serve the needs of local businesses better. Local businesses, according to the report, are looking for a kind of ad-agency-approach, which newspapers can offer by giving more choices to the local advertiser."  The key, according to the report, "is in understanding where each local business will get the biggest advertising benefit."

Forgive my cynicism, but is this really a surprise to anyone?  I suppose it's nice that the report confirms what every print media outlet (and most marketers) have known for quite some time now, but I don't think this is a watershed moment.

There are two bigger issues that the print media industry needs to address to solve its advertising challenges, as I see it.

First, finding sales and marketing teams that know how to sell a diverse advertising portfolio; and second, finding a way to compete with other traditional and burgeoning marketing channels that are much less expensive.

The cost of a full page black and white ad in The Washington Post can go for as much as $100,000.  For the same amount of money in the DC market, I can buy a fairly robust six month radio campaign with a frequency much greater than "1", or a very large, geo-targeted Facebook campaign generating millions of impressions and thousands of click throughs.  To be fair, the price of a print ad will be less in smaller markets, but so will the cost of other advertising channels.  Print advertising is still wildly overpriced for a dying medium even when packaged with digital offerings. 

So - can print advertising survive through diversification?  Sure.  But at what point do you stop calling it "print"?

Can Social Media Improve Face-to-Face Interaction?

A recent article in BizReport shared the results of an ExactTarget and CoTweet study that found that many avid social media users are actually spending more time with their friends and colleagues offline even though they are also spending more time online.

According to the article by Helen Leggatt, "Over a quarter of those surveyed (27%) said they had spent more time with their fellow human beings, in person, despite also using Facebook more. Only 13% said their face-to-face time with friends had decreased.  Likewise, of those who are using Twitter more, almost half (46%) hang out with their friends more often and only 7% do so less."

Like many, I have always shared concerns about whether social media will have a long-lasting negative impact on the social skills of future generations.  However, these findings not only provide me with a muted sense of relief, but also reinforce what I've always believed is a strength of social media from a business standpoint:  To bring people together both on and offline.

Smart organizations will integrate social media with their offline social initiatives such as learning events, advocacy and fundraising gatherings, or simple meet-ups.  There are few communications platforms that can generate a call-to-action response faster than social media due to its reach and immediacy.

One well known example is the use of Twitter to mobilize international support and communicate what was actually happening behind the Iranian curtain following the country's disputed 2009 elections and government crackdown.  Massive protests sprung up around the world within days; some within hours!

With businesses strategically adopting more socially conscious missions today, they can and should use their large social media networks for purposes beyond just product promotion.  By supporting social causes both on and offline that are important to their stakeholders, companies can build greater goodwill with their constituents ultimately strengthening their corporate reputations. 

Therefore, don't limit your social media strategies to the online world.  To maximize their effectiveness, try to find ways to integrate them with offline and community based efforts as well.