“43% of online adults said they'd give up beer for a month in exchange for internet access via smartphone.”

In fact, recent research shows consumers prefer mobile browsers for banking, travel, shopping, local info, news, video, sports and blogs and prefer apps for games, social media, maps and music—and that one-in-seven searches now originates from a mobile device.

For mobile, 2012 is the year of measurability.

At one point, QR codes were just looked at as cool and fun.  But now, they are proving to be reliable way to share information. 

1. Front Door or Host/Hostess Area:

2. Foursquare:

Mark Donovan, senior vice president of mobile and senior analyst with comScore, believes that the popularity of QR codes is ramping up because of the increasing popularity of smartphones. “I think that we’re seeing things like QR codes just start to reach critical mass,” said Donovan. “Today, one in three people in the U.S. owns a smartphone. It’s a good and fairly ubiquitous way to reach those people and there’s still some novelty to it, which can be interesting to consumers.”

The main benefit of QR codes is that they make it easy to direct the consumer wherever you want to lead them. Anything businesses can do to engage potential customers will enhance the “stickiness” of that company in a person’s mind. With enough compelling engagement on your part, potential customers just may become lifelong customers.

the study confirmed that Twitter followers are more likely to buy from brands they follow (37% vs. 21%), and recommend brands to friends (33% vs. 21%).

Yet the Facebook advertising opportunity for brands is unparalleled. With 550 million members worldwide (165 million in the U.S. alone) Facebook is a powerhouse of connectivity where content can be shared among friends

While both social media channels are interactive, one important distinction is the "push" vs. "pull" marketing dynamic deployed on Facebook and Twitter.

There are two ways to access applications on a mobile device. The first is to simply fire up the mobile Web browser and load a Web application. Existing Web sites are designed for mouse interaction. Mobile interaction is with the finger, thus most Web sites need to be optimized for the mobile Web.

It is thought by many that mobile marketing may become mandatory for business success. As mobile web usage continues to explode, business owners must realize the advantages to mobile-friendly sites are many.

ScanLife’s Q3 Trend Report showed a 440 percent increase in scans year-over-year from the third quarter of 2010, indicating consumers are more willing to interact and engage with content delivered through QR codes.

reveals that more than 20 million scans have been recorded through the quarter. 

Recouping even the typically modest investment needed to deploy a QR code often depends on a few key steps. One is offering those who read the code something they can use. "The codes are a bridge," Strack says. "When the user crosses the bridge, there needs to be something of value." That might be useful information, a coupon or another promotion.

Similarly, the site to which the code leads should be developed specifically for mobile phones. A website designed for computer monitors usually is difficult to view on a phone, Pinto notes.

Finally, in order to reap the full benefits of a QR code, you want to find some way to gather information from the user, such as an email address, so that you can contact them again. The QR codes and the scanning applications don't capture this information.

According to a survey by DDB Worldwide, 27% of people who have liked a brand on Facebook say they often click that little thumbs-up button, and an additional 49% do it occasionally.

Consumers are more willing to interact with branded pages.

Interactions with branded pages will be a key metric to watch in 2011.

Make it easy to share.

Don't assume your name for something should remain its name.

Keep an eye on trends.

Some 5 percent of Americans — and 15 percent of smartphone owners — have scanned such a code in the last three months, according to new figures due to be released on Monday by Forrester. A year ago, only 1 percent of Americans had been willing or able to do so.

codes provide an efficient and cheap means to link the online and offline worlds.

Digimarc, are pushing methods for embedding the codes into the page so that they don’t disturb the visual layout. The challenge, though, is that it is harder for readers to know that there is more content available.