MobileWeb2Go

URLs are out, and QR codes are in. With technology advancing daily, people want things instantly and effortlessly. QR codes do exactly that.

An article in USA Today laid out the process in three short steps. First, download a free QR code reader application to a smartphone. Many Android, Nokia and Blackberry phones come with QR code readers pre-installed.

Apple held 61.64% of the mobile/tablet OS market in October, according to Net Applications, up from 54.65% in the prior month, and a hike of more than 12 percentage points from December 2010. Android, in contrast, accounted for 18.9% of the market in October, up from 16.3% in September, an increase of just over 7 percentage points from December.

QR code gift tags (image below) called Santa Tags by J. C. Penney will be available free from customer service at any of their 1,100 stores this holiday season. The QR code gift tags allow gift givers to scan a QR code, record a personal voice message and affix the tag to their gift. When their gift recipient scans the QR code on the gift they can hear the personal voice message from the gift give

“We exceeded expectations with over 190,000 downloads within the first six seeks, a 6% response to ‘Donate $10 Now’ and a 3.9% response to volunteer submissions,” said Bernica Kalan, Marketing Director at GetJar, who helped to implement to QR code campaign.

Some nonprofits are using QR codes in newsletter and other publications  Readers who scan the QR code are taken to a webpage where they can sign up for e-Newsletters or online magazines.

QR codes on the labels of shipped products or invoices can help generate repeat orders and facilitate online payments.

QR codes on postcards can direct potential buyers instantly to an online catalog, optimized for mobile device viewing, to review available products and services.

If your product or service requires a demonstration, a QR code can direct your prospects to an online video.

Newly released figures from Scanbuy show that during a six-week period this summer consumers who bought a large drink or meal at Taco Bell scanned a two-dimensional bar code on the items 427,994 times, making the Taco Bell/MTV promotion the biggest single campaign this year for Scanbuy Inc.

Check your web analytics and you’ll likely find between 5% and 20% of your traffic is from mobile users.

In this article we’ll cover at a high level 3 critical use cases essential for every marketer to understand: Mobile email Mobile search Mobile social media

Did you know that the U.S. now has more wireless customer connections than people? There are currently estimated to be 327.6 million active wireless customer connections in the U.S. The nation’s population is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be roughly 312 million. This means that today there are now more active broadband tablets, cell phones, and mobile devices than people in this country.

If you represent a big brand or even a medium size business, you should take this as a strong signal that if you don’t have a mobile strategy now is the time to figure one out. Right now, you are potentially missing out on a consumer base that is accessing the mobile Web in masses and is growing rapidly.

Google Android: 38.1% Apple: 26.6% RIM: 24.7% Microsoft: 5.8% Symbian: 2.1%

Mobile websites are becoming an increasingly necessary tool as more consumers get their Internet information via their mobile devices such as cell phones, tablets and smaller portable laptops.

"In essence the Internet as we know it is changing now and will continue to do so dramatically over the next two to three years," said Lee Weiner, Co-Founder of Direct Marketing Concierge

Mobile websites, strategic implementation of QR codes and full in-house produced marketing campaigns have set Tampa-based Direct Marketing Concierge apart as a unique player in the changing landscape of cutting-edge marketing.

Is your website mobile ready?Have you tested it on a mobile device?  If you don’t have an iPhone, iPad, or other smart phone device – find one!  You might be surprised to check your Google Analytics or other website traffic and learn how many people are viewing your website on these devices.

Have you claimed your business page on sites like Foursquare, Yelp, Google Places, etc.?Whether your customers have reviewed you on these sites already or not, these services may already have claimed your presence on these sites. By claiming your sites, you improve your search rankings and have some control over special offers and responses.

QR Codes are key to directing traffic in your sitePeople don’t remember or don’t have patience to type in long addresses into their mobile devices.  In addition, you want to direct people to take specific actions like see a specific page for mobile users, opt in to email or sms marketing, check in on your social media sites, and many other options.

What is mobile marketing? Mobile marketing is promotional activity designed for delivery to cell phones, smart phones and other handheld devices, usually as a component of a multi-channel campaign. Some mobile marketing is similar to advertising delivered over other electronic channels such as text, graphic and voice messages. SMS messaging is currently the most common delivery channel for mobile marketing. Search engine marketing is the second-most common channel, followed by display-based campaigns.