Your QR Code Landing Page…….FAIL Not an Option

You’ve probably encountered one already. Maybe you’ve even tried to snap a photo of one with your mobile phone. We’re talking about those square matrix QR (Quick Response) Codes that have become recently ubiquitous. Sure, you can stick them in your windows, on your direct mail or even your business cards, but it’s important to know where your prospects are going once they take the time to act.

Having a QR Code is one thing, but having a proper landing page to where your code directs is another. A landing page is a unique page on your website that typically has a single purpose, like capturing an e-mail address or selling a product. Take a look at how to get the most of your QR Codes by creating great landing pages that go with them.

Keep it Simple
Even though most networks are moving towards the G4. Most users don’t always have the luxury of a fast connection speed.  It’s important to keep the information you provide as simple as you can while still getting your point across, its amazing sometimes how the simplest statement with very few words will stick in a customers mind the most. Remember, your customers want to get to your information with as few as steps possible.

Un-Friendly Content
Not every mobile device works with FLASH. It will not work on all mobile devices. Apple mobile products do not currently support Flash while older Android devices do not support full Flash.

 

Usability
Navigation is hard to do on a mobile device. Often times drop down menus do not function well with a touch screen phone, because it’s harder to hover. This often causes frustration because the user sometimes is sent to a page he never really wanted.  Also large graphic files, instead of low resolution ones can mean your graphic intensive home page that loads quickly on someones home computer will not load quickly on their mobile device. If someone scans your QR code, they will not wait a long time for your page to load.

Data Overload
There is no need to publish your whole website to your mobile friendly website. Your page should show brief description.  Many will be reading your site on the go and just want to find the info they need quickly. You can always provide link back to your full website.

So while you are working on creating a great landing page that hopefully gives any user, simple navigation to what you have to offer, check out this QR Code and our offers.

 

 

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Color Me Gone….The Choice… Effects Your Sales and Business!

Whether you know it or not, your buying decisions are oftentimes based on color. The next time you’re looking at an advertisement or packaging for an item you’re considering, pay special attention to the colors you see. Observe how those colors make you feel. Once you understand the effects of color on buying habits, you can make marketing decisions based on that knowledge.

Shoppers put visual appearance and color above other factors when considering a purchase. According to research compiled by KISSmetrics, 85 percent of shoppers said color was a primary reason they made a buying decision. Additionally, 80 percent said that color increases brand recognition. Brand recognition improves consumer confidence. Before you make the next color choice for your brand, consider this:

RED
The colour the eye perceives the quickest. There’s probably a good reason as red creates a sense of urgency. Red is the energy color  and is known to raise your heart rate. Red usually draws attention first.

BLACK
Black is the color of power, luxury, elegance and authority. Now you know why so many luxury items have black in their marketing. However, black is also associated with death and evil and can evoke strong emotions, however if used in the right way (as it is often used with prestige/luxury products) such as when combined with gold, it can create a chic exclusive feel.

GREEN
Fresh and cool; associated with nature, growth, and hope, It’s also easy on the eyes and often used as a relaxing color in stores. Light green shows change while dark green shows balance.

BLUE
It can hint at trust, and reliability. so it’s often used in banking and business. Blue causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming. It is also associated with wisdom and loyalty. However, too much blue can make a message cold and uncaring.

ORANGE
A warm vibrant shade without being reminiscent of danger or aggression as in red, good for encouraging impulse purchases.

YELLOW
Warm and stimulating like the sun, and encourages feelings of happiness, laughter and creativity. Especially preferred by young people. It causes your body to release the feel-good chemical, serotonin.

PURPLE
Purple is the color of sophistication and prosperity. It is often associated with royalty. Purple can increase brain activity that helps with problem solving.

Even if you didn’t initially consider color to be an important sales/business factor, it’s not too late to do something about it, there’s no reason why you can’t work with your existing brand colours and perhaps work new colours into your scheme that will work harder to encourage those sales – infiltrating the correct colours through your brochures, web site, stationery and so on.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Your Direct Mail Piece Can Become Trash or Treasure?

Every day you go to your mailbox to see it you have mail. As you hover over the trashcan to sort, how do you decide what piece you’ll read and what piece will fall through your hands to its demise?

While direct mail is an effective tool in your marketing campaign, there are some easy ways to foil your efforts. Here are a few tips to keep your mail out of the recycle bin.

Wrong Time/Wrong Audience
First, you must understand your target audience. Second, you must find a way to obtain their mailing address. If you’re planning to purchase a list, look to your current customers as a source for demographic and psychographic information. Current customers are also more likely to respond to direct mail, so consider a campaign for repeat business. Timing is everything. Having the offer in the right hands at the right time is critical. Direct mail campaigns fail, even with qualified lists when they are launched at the wrong time.

Focus on the Offer
The whole purpose of direct mail is to get people to do something. For businesses, that usually means purchasing something from you.  Focus on the big stuff. When people glance at your mailing, they’re looking for what you’re selling and the deal you’re making to sell it. So make it good! Make it fast! And make it clear! Doubt fills trashcans.

Poor Design
The quickest way to get a person to look at your direct mail is by having a clean design. Conversely, the quickest way to get them to toss it is to have a design with no purpose. Here is where you want to call in the professionals who can create the perfect piece for your needs.

Tracking Results
How will you know whether your direct mail campaign was successful unless you include a way to track it? What do you want the customer to do?  Remember, the very objective of sending a DM piece is to generate a response.  You want the customer to call you, visit you, make an appointment or whatever else you may want them to do. Therefore, within your DM piece, clearly and concisely point out what you want the customer to do, when you want them to do it and the benefits of doing so quickly.

To sum it up…in direct mail, when people sort your mail, they’re quick. They’re brutal. And if you don’t instantly capture their attention, your direct mail becomes landfill!  Remember, you’re writing for a reader who is standing over a trash can.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Your Business Card.. Unique? Memorable? Make it Stand Out!

Take out the business cards that you’ve collected over the past few months, and include your own. You’ll notice that they’re all eerily similar. Lately, there have been a few that go against the common rectangular shape and size. If you have one of those among the cards you’ve collected, your eye will more than likely go to the unique card. Here are a few ideas on how to spice up your business card and make it memorable.

Put a face to the name.
Adding your photo to your business card makes it stand out, and there are benefits to this. Especially at events where you receive a lot of cards, you’ll get home and can’t remember who all these people are. Providing a photo ensures people won’t forget you and it gives your card a personality.

Out with the white. In with the bright.
If you’re holding ten business cards and nine are white and one is a different color, which one will you notice? So why would you make your business card so that is in the nine that aren’t noticed? Choose an interesting color that compliments your company’s brand and see how people respond to the difference.

Shape matters
It used to be that the standard business card size was important because people would file them in their Rolodex. Today, there is no rule for what shape your business card must be. Circles, triangles, and squares are all ways to get away from the standard shape. Consider a shape that ties your card to your business or shows your personality.

There are many ways that your business card can stand out. As you think of unique ways to improve your business card, be sure you don’t stray from your company’s brand. The more interesting, the more people will want your business card. Your cards may just get passed on to their friends and that should equal more business.

Is It Time for a Rebrand?

You know it’s time for a rebrand when your customers don’t recognize who you are anymore.

Pull out your business card right now. Compare that to the last direct mail piece you sent. Now take a look at your signage. Are they all sending a consistent message? Would your customers understand what your company does if they encountered your marketing? If the answer is “no” to these questions, it’s probably time to consider a rebrand of your business.

Rebranding can be a scary process. It could take a lot of time, cause confusion with your customers and cost you some money to make the transition. But it may be worth it if you’re not delivering the right message to the right audience to get more business. Before you take the leap, consider these rebranding tips.

It’s not me. Or is it?
Many people think that their brand consists of a logo, some signage and a business card. While these elements are key in identifying who you are, the brand goes well beyond a look. Your brand is your customers’ perception of your company, what their expectations and experiences have been in their interactions with you. Your brand is also the promises you make and deliver on everyday. Before you start making cosmetic changes, make sure you take a holistic approach to how you do business.

Get over yourself.
While it’s your brand, it’s not about you. It’s about your customers. Take a top-down approach and analyze your entire business, and who you want to be. Talk with the type of customers you want to attract and find out what they know about you and what they need from you. Look at what your competition is doing and differentiate, don’t copy.

Plan. Plan. Plan.
The rebranding process takes time and “flipping the switch” on a new brand could cause some issues. Make a transition plan and get key stakeholders involved such as customers and prospects. You have to get your employees behind the process and get them excited about their new image and, possibly, new attitude.

Finally, don’t cling onto your history, but make sure you take the good things you’re doing and keep them so your customers can still get a sense of familiarity. This will keep the customers you want coming back to do business with you.

- NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.