Cloud 9 Digital Design ltd » Ash

What are QR codes and how can I use them for my business?

Ash — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:11:46 +0000

QR codes (or Quick Response codes) have been around for a while and arrived here via Japan, where they are very common place. It’s not been until the massive uptake of smartphones in recent years however that we have now started to see them used in the UK.

What are QR codes used for?

In simple terms, when a QR code is scanned into your smartphone it will prompt your device to automatically do one of a number of things such as:

Send you to a website
Dial a phone number
Set up a text message
Pass a email address
Send email messages
Transfer contact details to your phone
Add events to your calendar
Show a location on a map (via Google maps)
Direct you to a PayPal link

These are just a few of the things that can be done using QR codes; when they direct you to a website the possibilities are endless.

How do QR codes work?

Well, that’s a big question to answer, and you may not be all that interested in the technical explanation, but if you do want to know there is a good description at QRme that will explain in detail.

The simple answer is that it’s a graphical representation of encoded data, which your smartphone can decode with the use of a QR code reader app, like this one.

It takes literally just one minute for someone with a smartphone to find and install the reader.

Once you have acquired one of the apps, you load it up and then you point your smartphone camera at the QR code. It then scans it and takes the action that is encoded within the QR code.

Why use them?

There are many reasons why you should be taking advantage of QR codes as part of your marketing activity. The most important is that it provides the ability to transfer your message/product from an analogue (printed) media to a digital medium such as the one that most people carry around in their pocket! They also allow you to increase response rates (almost anyone who knows what they are finds it difficult to resist scanning them).

Measure the effectiveness of your campaign; different QR codes can be generated for each individual project and tracked.
Integrate print, mobile and Internet marketing with three “touch points”, in one printed item.
Plus, you will be at the cutting edge of a marketing strategy that is still relatively new in the United Kingdom.

How you might use them

Your business can use QR codes by adding them to any print advertising such as flyers, posters, invitations, advertisements in the printed media and they can contain:

Product details
Contact details
Offer details
Event details
Competition details
A coupon
Twitter or Facebook engagement
A link to your YouTube video

Will your customers use them?

Usage numbers are growing rapidly and people are becoming more inquisitive. Those that already use QR codes will undoubtedly be receptive to your presence on the web, your Twitter Facebook, YouTube presence etc.

If you’re still not sure about QR codes, here is a video that may encourage you to try for yourself.

http://youtu.be/B3lrcOhmp9g

Or contact Cloud 9 and let us help you to develop a strategy to build QR codes into your marketing campaign.

Some examples

Move, Eat, Learn

Ash — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:45:20 +0000

I came across these three short videos.

Not only are they great videos, but they also make me want to see more of the world, and all the great things in it.

Their words…

3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage…
all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ….into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films….. = a trip of a lifetime.

Graze, I love it

Ash — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:03:41 +0000

I have a secret, I love packaging, but to be more specific, I love clever, well designed packaging. But today my secret love was combined with my other (not so secret) love – Food.

Last week I signed up to Graze, a food company that aims to get you eating more healthily, while you’re at your desk. The whole experience is a joy and I recommend it to anyone.

[Show as slideshow]

Please forgive my poor quality photos, as all I had to hand was the iPhone.

One man and his dog (oh & Lyns too)

Ash — Fri, 27 May 2011 15:44:25 +0000

Lynsey & Bentley

I haven’t got much planned for this weekend, we had thought about going back to the mother land of Devon, but that would have meant madness on the M5. So we have opted to stay at home in Leamington Spa.

I expect that there will be some wedding planning going on and some gardening (starting to grow some of our own veg!), but Lyns (my fiancée) & I will find a point where we can get out and take Bentley for a good run.

Bentley power

Lately I have got Bentley to run along with me on my bike, which is great for him as he loves to run fast, and seeing as he is 6st of muscle, it’s great for me as I don’t have to pedal

I might also get out with my camera, and take some photos of the sunny weekend (I hope!).

What size should my emails be?

Ash — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:06:25 +0000

We have been asked a lot about “What size should a email be?” Well you may think that as websites have got wider, due to screen resolutions getting bigger, emails would follow suit. Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Seeing as a website can only be viewed with a web browser, it is easier to know how much space you have to play with. Emails however can be displayed both online and offline, in a multitude of email clients & devices.

You’ve probably also noticed that the majority of email newsletters you receive these days are designed with a fixed width as opposed to a ‘fluid’ layout.

This is because the most email clients and web-based email providers don’t use the full width of your screen to display an email message. Whether it’s advertising on Gmail, a menu in Hotmail or your Inbox in Outlook, a chunk of screen real estate is often already being used.

Remember, your recipients are busy and impatient, so horizontal scroll bars are even more of a no-no in email than a web page. Because of this, it is a good idea to keep your emails to a fixed width of no more than 550-600 pixels. This should ensure that in the majority of cases, your subscribers can view your email as you intended.

What about height?

Obviously the height of each email you send will vary depending on the amount of content. At the same time, it’s good to keep in mind that a lot of your recipients may scan your email in a preview pane before they decide to read the entire thing.

The average preview pane is around 300-500 pixels high, so make sure you include any important bits of your email in this area. First impressions count. A good way to check how your email looks in a variety of email readers is to use ourdesign and spam testing tool, which gives you screenshots of your campaign as it will appear.

We all love a bit of Auto-tuning

Ash — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:42:05 +0000

Our auto-turner is out of action (Mike over used it )

Cookie Monster sang about Google 27 years ago

Ash — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:37:56 +0000

Yes, it came 16 years before Google ever existed and yes, technically the song is about Cookie Monsters googly eyes, but some how it still sorta fits as tribute to the search engine giant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdRkdvKy5WI

The Google Story

Ash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:03:02 +0000

We all love Google right? Of course you do. Ever wondered to yourself “Man I wish I could see the history of Google in a really cool animated way. Maybe like a scrapbook style?”.

Well lucky you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjN5avRvApk

Great Examples of Packaging Design

Ash — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:54:44 +0000

These are some really great examples of how package design should be done. I wish we had more products in our shops that had packaging like this.

Make sure you see the last one in the list!

Coke Vintage Packaging

Old times, old times. We really miss packaging like this.

Pepsi Can

Anti-Theft Lunch Bags

Best animation I have seen yet.

Ash — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:22:01 +0000

This must have taken an age to do. Noteboek from Evelien Lohbeck on Vimeo.