What’s more, many of the intended users of QR codes are still unaware of their real value or purpose so in this post I’m going to cover some of the basics and discuss the ways businesses can use QR codes within their marketing plans. 

What are QR codes?

The phrase QR code stands for “Quick Response” Code and in its most basic form a QR code is simply a barcode, in which you can encode many different forms of data which can then be read by a QR code reader.

How do they work?

QR codes are slightly different from barcodes, as although they are both a form of two-dimensional code, barcodes can only store data in a horizontal format (which is read through the spaces in between the vertical lines they are made up of), whereas QR codes can encode data both horizontally and vertically – meaning that much more data to be encoded in a smaller space.

How can you use them?

In order to view QR codes you need to download a QR code reader to your android phone (or smartphone as they are also known), and then use the scanner to take a picture of the QR code, which it will then scan and convert or direct you to whatever data has been stored in that code.

QR codes can be encoded with almost any form of data, which means that they can be scanned to show text, images, videos, maps or the entire content of a webpage.

In terms of using QR codes from a business perspective, there are numerous free QR code generators online through which you can create basic and permanent QR codes which you can then place onto any space you like, including giftware, advertising, clothing, printed products, packaging, signage, exhibition materials, as well as being placed in store windows – as they can even be scanned through glass.

You can also purchase QR code systems which can track the combined total of scans a particular code has received, as well as allowing you to produce one code that can have its data changed time and time again – meaning that you could print one code to be distributed and then update the data of this code every time you had a new offer or wanted to change the current promotion you were running, without having to generate and redistribute a new code for each.

How to download a reader to your smartphone

From a user’s point of view, there are a variety of QR code scanners that can be downloaded to most Android phones such as iPhone, Blackberry and HTC. Some newer models now have QR readers built in as standard as QR codes popularity and frequency of use increases.

iPhone

iPhone has a basic free QR code reader app by TapMedia Ltd, but you can upgrade to a HD version by DDQ for £0.69 and there are numerous other customisable versions to buy and download as well.

Blackberry

Blackberry Messenger 5.0 can read basic QR codes but if you are looking for something more sophisticated you can download either the Mobiletag scanner or the I-nigma app for free.

Mobiletag app allows you to create lists of results, track your decode history and search saved scans.

I-nigma allows you to save up to 50 decode results, which you can then share through SMS, Facebook and Twitter.

Other Android Phones

There is a whole heap of great free QR code readers available for other android phones, so here are some other suggestions:

·         QR Droid – free to use and can read, scan and generate QR codes,
·         Quickmark – fast scans and it reads both QR and Martix codes.
·         Redlaser – free, fast and superbly accurate.

QR codes are slowly catching on, as more and more businesses and users are starting to get to grips with how to use them to their advantage, but we seem to still be a fair way from the QR code becoming a staple of the UK marketing industry.

In future posts I will be discussing the ways businesses can really benefit from using QR codes as a legitimate marketing tool – so stay tuned for that.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

If you’re interested in taking your email marketing to the next level this year, consider these simple tests before you hit the send button.

Apply the Scientific Method

Treat your explorations in email marketing like scientific experiments. Apply the scientific method, so that you can be sure that you’re learning from everything you do. Do this by establishing a meaningful hypothesis, taking test samples, and taking accurate measurements.

If you can remember back to junior high school, a hypothesis is an educated guess of what you expect will happen. For instance, you could hypothesise that doubling the frequency of your email will drive your click-through rates from 20% to 50%. Or you could hypothesise that doubling your email frequency would cut 20% from your subscriber list over 2 weeks (in this case, you shouldn’t complete the experiment).

Test samples are a crucial part of the email marketing process. When you want to implement a slightly new strategy, you should never be sending it to your entire subscriber list at the same time. Instead, take a small sample, one who you think will be most receptive to the change, and send it only to them. Based on their response, you can then implement whatever changes in frequency or content you’ve made to your whole list.

Lastly, make sure that every change you’re making to your email marketing campaign is being measured for optimisation. This means that if you make a change in the frequency that you’re sending out emails, then you should be measuring the effects on click-through rates (hopefully higher) as well as the effect on subscriber rates (if too many people are un-subscribing based on a change you made, you may want to think about changing it back).

Add Value

The golden rule of marketing is doubly true over email. Only send your readers something if it is of value to them. And don’t forget the corollary to that rule – don’t send anything to you subscribers if it doesn’t have specific value to them.

The readers of your website, and the people who gave you their email addresses and asked you to send them information did so because they are interested in you, your information, and the products and services that you provide. Take that information and use it wisely. They want to be sold to, but only if you have something of value.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

Writing marketing materials for your business is a highly involved task.  There seems to be a whole subculture in current marketing that pushes business owners to provide only the facts.  Unfortunately, that does not work to drive sales.  The facts are needed, but they are not what push people into making a purchase.  While it is true that if your company provides excellent service or products, then they will retain more customers, simply telling consumers that you are the best will not get them in the door.

People make decisions based on emotional responses.  Most people like to think that they make reasoned, logical decisions, and in some way, they do.  However, the original motivating factor is an emotional response.  After the emotion comes the rationalisation and justification.  Simply giving consumers the facts does not create the necessary emotional connection.  Emotion is not always deep and lasting, sometimes it is merely a sense that a company cares and is invested in customer welfare.

Slant the Facts to Include Caring

You should always include the facts in your marketing content, but they should be couched in a way that shows your company cares about the consumer.  Do not simply tell them that you sell the best cars, instead talk about how your high safety ratings help keep their families safe.  Do not make statements about your status as an industry leader without tying it back to how that helps the consumer.  Consumers are not logical about purchasing, and they are more likely to do business with a company they perceive as interested in ensuring their satisfaction.

Do Not Expect Miracles

Marketing can help drive sales, but it cannot create them from whole cloth.  While it is true that consumers are not logical about where they make purchases, they rarely make large impulse purchases.  If you sell high ticket items or monthly subscriptions, consumers will take their time before committing to a sale.  They will research the product online and consider a variety of reviews.  They do take the time to investigate the product thoroughly before committing to a purchase.  However, once they decide on a purchase, where they purchase the item is often an emotional decision.  They ask themselves which company is most likely to provide them with what they need to feel satisfied with the purchase.  That is where they will close the sale.

Marketing cannot convince someone that just bought a new car that they need another one unless their life circumstances support it.  It can’t make a totally healthy person invest in a knee brace.  The product must be applicable to the client.  Marketing can help businesses find broader applications for products and increase target demographics.  No overly emotional appeals, but solid connections between a product and consumer, are all that is needed to improve sales.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

It’s one of the most fundamental and essential things that YOU SIMPLY MUST HAVE.

Why?

Well, without it approx 95%+ of your visitors will most likely never return to your website and you need to build an ongoing relationship with your prospects in order to sell to them over time.

Back in 2002 when I started out on the internet I started to build an email list for my business coaching business. At the end of year one I had around 980 people on the list.

I had continued to provide lots of valuable information to them over the course of the year and had great feedback. I did not send them one sales letter or invitation to purchase a product all year so I decided to try it out!

I ran a seminar in London called “Make 2003 your best year yet”

It was all about setting goals, making action plans etc

So I sent out an email and at that time I knew nothing about effective sales copy either so it was a “Hey, I’m running this seminar in December etc” type of email.

I got 30 orders paying me £200 each!

£6,000 for just one email.

That proved to me that the value is not in the list. It’s with the relationship that you have with your list.

If you build up a relationship with your list you don’t need to be an ace crack pot copywriter although it does help!

So, start to build your email list right now!

And then set about to build a valuable relationship with your list. Don’t make it a pitch fest all of the time.

Instead, give give and give some more and you will be rewarded down the line.

Happy email list building!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Internet Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker - Internet Marketing Courses

Today I want to share a few best practices you should keep in mind as you develop your email marketing campaign. They’ll help you to get through to your potential clients more effectively.

Make sure your email isn’t spam.

Everyone has some sort of spam protection software included in their email accounts these days. Your job is to learn about spam filters and the things they identify as spam so that you can avoid having your email sent straight to the junk box. For example, using the words “Free” or “Discount” in your subject line might get you flagged.

Personalise your emails.

Address your subscribers as individuals – not as generic groups. A person who feels like he’s being addressed as a single person is more likely to respond to you than someone who feels like he’s a nameless face in a crowd. It’s easy to slip some simple code into your email template so that the names in your address book pull through.

Make it easy to unsubscribe.

As silly as this sounds, making it easy to unsubscribe from an email list is paramount. The easier it is for a person to unsubscribe the less likely they will be to mark your email as spam or file a complaint with a better business bureau. The unsubscribe link should immediately take your subscriber to a page where they can opt out – no questions asked – no additional email confirmations necessary.

Send emails on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Tuesday and Wednesday are notorious for being the best days to send emails if you expect a high response rate. On these days people are already over the last weekend and they’re not yet planning for the next one. They’re open to communication and, in some cases, are looking for something to do.

Be consistent.

Be consistent in both your communication frequency and the look of your newsletter. If you promise to email your clients once per week – do it. No more, no less. People appreciate things that they can grow to expect and are sometimes resistant to change. Don’t change the format of your newsletter or email unless you’re absolutely sure it’s going to be viewed as an upgrade.

In the time it took me to write this post I received 5 emails, 3 of which are email newsletters that I’ve subscribed to. They arrive regularly each week and always offer tons of valuable information. Would I consider your email to be just as valuable?

Good luck setting up your email marketing campaign.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

When I first started out in business I was impressed at the effectiveness of e-mail marketing, but I soon realized that even the best laid out plan will be ineffective if there isn’t a list of e-mail addresses to use in the campaign. Sadly, it isn’t a matter of simply compiling a list of all of the e-mail addresses you can find. I quickly learned that putting together an effective e-mail list takes a good bit of quality time and effort.

It is important to remain professional and ethical when compiling a list of names for your marketing list. There are dozens of companies who pride themselves on tricking potential clients into joining because those people don’t realize that they have to opt out in order to not be included. These companies will follow one of two main methods, both of which are sneaky but likely things you have seen before:

• Their forms will have a list of documents and newsletters and you’ll have to check the box if you do NOT want to receive them. Most people think they have to check boxes to opt-in, so they usually misread the fine print.
• They’ll have a checkbox asking if you want to opt in, but it will be pre-filled and you’ll have to notice and uncheck the box to stay off the list.

This is NOT an effective way of building an e-mail marketing list. You want clients who are interested in what you have to say, and you’ll only be wasting your breath if you end up compiling a list of people who are going to be frustrated at seeing your “junk mail” in their inboxes everyday.

There are a few simple things you can do to effectively build your e-mail list to include people who want to hear what you have to say:

• Ask politely. This may seem silly but it’s the easiest thing to do. “Would you like to sign up for my e-mail list? I send an educational newsletter once a month – no spam!”
• If you are using offline forms, include a box that needs to be checked on your regular forms or leave a signup sheet in a high-traffic area of your store or office.
• Place a signup box on your website and/or include an unchecked box on your order page so that your clients have the option of receiving even more of your FREE and valuable information!

List building will take some time and effort, but if you ask for e-mail addresses the right way you’ll get better results and eventually have access to a relatively large targeted niche group. Now that’s marketing!

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

Email marketing is an incredibly powerful method of promoting your products or services. You can’t go wrong, in most cases, because most of your prospects will voluntarily sign up to receive your e-mails. Your challenge is finding an e-mail marketing software program that will allow you to easily and effectively market your campaign.

There are hundreds of different e-mail marketing software programs to choose from. You’ll want to start by deciding whether or not you want an online or offline software program. There are a few considerable differences you’ll need to think about.

Offline programs need to be installed on your computer and can only be used if you are logged onto that machine. On the upside, you have complete control over the way your program is set up and you can choose the email server you use to send messages. Unfortunately, you’re going to pay hundreds of pounds for an offline program and it takes a lot of time to set them up.

Online programs are either installed on your web server or on the company’s server and can be accessed from anywhere you are able to log onto the Internet. The software company has preprogrammed the software and you simply need to enter your lists, schedule your emails, and check your reports to confirm which emails are effective and which are not. The only drawbacks are that you have no control of what server you used and you may have to put up with occasional downtime if the company experiences any sort of technical difficulty.

So where can you find a good email marketing program? I recommend doing a little bit of research and comparing features to determine which are best for your individual needs. Start by doing an Internet search and compiling a list of services that look like they’ll work for you. Then visit a few online forums and ask other users what they think of each one. A particular e-mail marketing program may be the most popular, or the least expensive, but that doesn’t mean it will be right for you.

If you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, I recommend searching for and checking out a few of these popular programs:

• Constant Contact
• Vertical Response
• Elite Email
• Send Studio
• EXP Elite

These e-mail programs represent only a small handful, and I offer them not as recommendations for use, but as a guide to help you get started.

What programs do you use now and would you recommend them to others?

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

We’ve been discussing e-mail marketing and how to get your physical campaign started, but we haven’t really taken a close look at why you need to establish an effective strategy. Simply put, e-mail allows business owners to build strong relationships with those who are interested in their niche. These relationships will keep you at the top of a prospective client’s list of people to contact when he does finally decide he needs a product or service like yours.

First of all, in order to build a relationship your reader will need to know who you are. This aspect includes everything from the way your name appears in the “from” box to the way you identify yourself within the e-mail. Always use a simple name, such as the name of your company in the “from” box, but use your real name (or an alias that looks like a real name) within the context of your e-mail.

You’ll also want to make sure the relationships you are building are real. The best way to do this is to have your subscribers opt-in with either a double opt-in form or duplicate e-mail box. A double opt-in form will require your subscriber to type his e-mail address into a box, which will then prompt an e-mail with a link that must be clicked in order to confirm the subscription. A duplicate e-mail box will force your subscriber to type his e-mail address two times, ensuring that he isn’t typing it by accident because he thinks he is on another form. Both methods weed out accidental subscriptions, enabling you to focus on those who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

Respecting your subscribers is important as well. Your readers will trust you if you promise not to sell or give away their e-mail addresses – and then actually refrain from doing so. Avoid overwhelming your readers as well. Stick to whatever e-mail frequency you originally promised and your subscribers will keep reading.

Let your readers know who you are. Just because your newsletter is educational in nature does not mean you have to hide what you do for a living. Include a brief biography about yourself at the bottom of each message with a link to one or two websites you’d like them to visit. The more they trust you, the more likely they are to click-through. Eventually, this method will help you build trusting business relationships and expand your client base.

Like I said before, e-mail marketing is hard work, but it’s incredibly effective. You’ll be astounded at how simple the process can really be. Once you get used to your e-mail software program and establish a regular sending frequency, the subscribers will start rolling in.

Have a hot e-mail marketing tip you’d like to share? Sound off in the comments – we’d love to hear what you have to say.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat – Sales Guru & Marketing Expert

E-mail marketing can be incredibly profitable, but at the same time relatively tricky. Internet users get hundreds upon thousands of e-mails each day and yours will have to take its place in line. You will need to do everything possible in order to ensure that your e-mails stay out of the spam box and actually get read.

I’ve compiled a list of what I feel are the 10 most important things you need to consider when preparing the e-mails you’re going to send during your campaign….

1. Use an e-mail template. Most e-mail marketing programs will give you a myriad of colourful yet professional templates to choose from. If not, pick a text format and stick with it. Your readers will appreciate your uniformity.

2. Address your readers by name. Many software programs allow you to capture the first names of your subscribers. Use a template that automatically fills the first name into a greeting for a personalised feel.

3. Use proper punctuation. The quickest way to get your message deleted from my inbox is through the use of excessive punctuation or all capital letters. There is no reason to use either in a sentence. Ever.

4. Offer a signup bonus or incentive. Give your readers a reason to trust you and subscribe to your newsletter or e-mail list. Offer a free report, e-book, or discount to new subscribers.

5. Ask your readers to ask questions. If you readers are asking questions, you will always have content for your next newsletter, and it will always be educational materials that your subscribers want to see. This ties in well with the concept of educational based marketing.

6. Set a sending schedule and stick to it. You need to commit to a schedule, whether you choose to send your e-mails once a month, day, or week. Do not send e-mails less frequently than once per month or they’ll be ineffective.

7. Make it easy for your readers to unsubscribe. Seriously. If a reader no longer wants to receive your e-mails, make sure the unsubscribe button is easy to find and use. It’s better to let him go than have him submit your e-mail to a spam filter or tell all of his friends how unprofessional you are.

8. Respect holidays. Holidays are for friends, family, and celebration. You aren’t going to make a sale on a major holiday and if your e-mail arrives on a holiday it will likely get mixed up in a jumbled backlog that won’t be addressed until after the holiday, if at all. Take the day off and wait for the holiday to pass.

9. Read your spam e-mails and learn from them. If the e-mail you are getting ready to send looks like something you’d throw into your own spam box, do not send it.

10. Avoid overly aggressive sales promotions in your newsletters. Your readers expect quality writing and educational information. Give them what they’re looking for and the sales will follow on their own.

These are just a handful of tips you can use as a guide to get started. Carefully planning your e-mails will result in more readers and better click-through rates as your subscribers start visiting your website and cross-referencing information.

Happy Email Marketing!

Sean

Sean

Internet Marketing Consultant

“The Leading Authority On How To Market And Sell To The Sophisticated And Sales Savvy Buyer Of Today”