My Name is Kate

Five Essentials for Your Next QR Code Campaign

We recently finished helping a client run a QR code promotion. It was the first QR code campaign I worked on directly; it was also the client's first.  The campaign lasted a week and was loosely modelled on a scavenger hunt.  We placed eleven QR codes across a variety of print and online placements, using five partners in addition to the client's own properties. Twice a day we released clues on the client's Facebook fan page as to the locations of the codes. And for every QR code you found, you gained an entry into a draw for a prize.

A few things came up during the campaign that I thought I would share here for when you're doing your next QR Code campaign. Either things we anticipated, didn't think would be a big deal and turned into a big deal - or things we didn't really anticipate and had a bit of a scramble about.

Kate's Five Things You Should Do for Your Next QR Code Campaign

1. Always have a non-smartphone option for entry.

There's a reason we pay lawyers a lot of money. My client's lawyers, in reviewing the contest guidelines, made sure we had a way to enter the contest if you didn't have a smart phone. I wasn't too concerned because a) who DOESN'T have a smart phone (ahem, my own arrogance and naiveté) and b) if for some reason you didn't have a smartphone, I expected people to just say "Hmm, guess I won't enter" (more personal arrogance and naiveté).

I was SHOCKED by the number of people who left angry, angry comments on the Facebook wall about having to have a smart phone to enter. Accusations of discrimination and threats to boycott were rife. It was epic. The interesting thing was we actually put everywhere we promoted the contest, a note to see the Rules & Regs for a way to enter if you didn't have a smart phone. People don't read. So the community manager patiently (and in a much more friendly tone than I would have mustered) answered each accusation with a link to the Rules & Regs. What was especially awesome is that other fans started answering as well - which rekindled my faith in the self-policing of online communities.

But the point is, if we hadn't had that option in the Rules & Regs, it would have been quite a different story. So make sure if you're using a non-ubiquitous technology as a contest entry, that you have a lower-tech, alternate way to enter. 

2. Test test test, especially with your client's boss's boss's phone configuration.

All the case studies about running any kind of QR Code campaign or promotion says to test, Test, TEST! Different hardware, different OS versions, different QR Code readers. We did this. I even had a testing matrix. It was a thing of beauty. But, we approached our testing by figuring out which phone/OS combinations were the most popular - both in Canada (using data from ComScore's MobiLens) as well as with the client's stakeholders by checking their web stats. Here's the overview data from ComScore:

QR Codes in Central Park

I've been working with a client who is considering using QR codes for an upcoming campaign they have planned. So my eyes light up anytime I see an engaging use of them. I was delighted to find this program Central Park in NYC conducted last year. Last year on Arbour Day weekend, "Parkodes" (signs that looked like digital trees) took over the park where visitors could snap a pic of the QR codes to get historic pictures, replays of famous movie scenes or just more info about key areas in the park.

  

There is information available about the whole campain, The World Park, put together by Agency Magma. While I don't necessarily get engaged by the animals on Facebook, I appreciate the effort to do a fully integrated social media campaign.

h/t to Drew's Marketing Minute

Backyard Gardens, Hair Salons and Gas Prices … A Little Client News

I haven't blogged about clients lately.  Well, ok, about anything lately.  But there have been a few developments on the client front that I wanted to share.

FarmCity.ca

We just launched a redesign of FarmCity.ca.  FarmCity specializes in backyard and balcony organic gardening for Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.  Seaton and her team will inspect your proposed garden plot or garden, help you figure out what to grow, build the necessary structures and get you started on your path to urban gardening.  I'm particularly thrilled with their strawberry condos - the ability to grow strawberries in small places on a balcony: super cool!  

Also, Seaton is an amazing photographer.  We've got her started on Flickr, sharing photos of the fruits of her and her clients' labour. (Psst .. if you're getting this in the email or the feed, there is an embedded slideshow above you may not be seeing - please click through for amazing veggie photography!!)

Pellé Hair Salon

Another local business that we completed a new site for recently is Pellé Hair Salon. Marie was an independent hair stylist, but recently purchased her own hair salon in downtown Vancouver. In addition to setting her up with a new site, we've started her on Yelp and Google Local - essential elements for the marketing plan of any local business with a storefront. Our next step is to experiment with tools like Foursquare or Gowalla - to see if we can find a way to engage users of those tools.  

Oh, we also partnered with BBN3/Vancouver - a video platform that lets businesses engage video journalists, documentary makers and other experienced video producers to create fun narrative documentary-style business videos (as opposed to old-skool corporate talking heads vids). See the video below.

Petro-Canada

And finally, our client, Petro-Canada, launched an iPhone app called PetroFinder. We didn't build it (it was created by Thrillworks), but we like it and are excited that our client is getting into mobile apps. Using PetroFinder, you can (predictably) find a Petro-Canada station near you - it will also give you the current price of gas there as well as directions and any of the services/amenities they have on site.  

Handy!

Social Media Marketing Playbook, a new e-book from Capulet Communications

Social media mavens, Darren Barefoot and Jule Szabo from Capulet Communications, have launched their new e-book, Getting to First Base: A Social Media Marketing Playbook at the very reasonable price of $29 USD.

Darren and Julie are both fantastic writers and super-smart thinkers in this area, so I would have to believe that it is an excellent resource.  There are a couple of sample chapters on their site to give you a taste of their fresh writing style and real-world-example-laden content.  I've requested a review copy for One Degree - once we've gotten that, I'll post the review here as well.

They, of course, have a blog to promote the book as well as provide further material, case studies, etc.

My fav tactic that they are using to promote their book is personal videos to key social media bloggers on YouTube (think Scoble, Steve Rubel, Seth Godin).  I watched a couple .. seems the content is mostly the same, but the tags and titles play right into the ego-searches that most of us have going.

A number of folks have been asking for a clear, example-rich primer to Social Media Marketing ... you could do much worse than this book.  Even without having read the whole thing, knowing Julie and Darren, this is a quality piece.  Check it out!

rabble.ca launches new Canadian podcast network

Media in Canada reports that rabble.ca (an alternative Canadian news site) has launched the Rabble Podcast Network (RPN), a hub for independently-produced Canadian audio programs.  Inital offerings include reports from broadcast journalists, NodCast (story casting for kids of all ages), BookLounge, DIY articles and other features/channels/columns of note.  I wonder if we'll be seeing some of the folks from the CBC who got a taste of independent broadcasting during the lockout?

Apparently, RPN is also looking for a corporate sponsor(s).  Sponsorship of a network is a great opportunity for a marketer and one of the models that I think will work for podcasting.

One of the best things about RPN is their interface.  There are so many options for audio now ... RPN's individual shows pull it all together in a really great tight interface with links to: iTunes subscription, show notes, immediate download, and a "listen now" button.  Plus a little blurb about each show.  Looks really great.

GodCasting, coming to an iPod near you

The New York Times ran an article today called Missed Church? Download It to Your IPod [reg required] describing the adoption of podcasting by a number of religious organizations.

[...] the Rev. Mark Batterson, started podcasting, or "godcasting" as he prefers to call it, last month to spread the word about his congregation. The hourlong recordings of his weekly service, available on theaterchurch.com, have already brought new parishioners to his church, he said.

"I can't possibly have a conversation with everyone each Sunday. But this builds toward a digital discipleship," he said. "We're orthodox in belief but unorthodox in practice."

I have been regularly impressed by the religious groups who have exploited new technologies to get their messages out and heard, across the widest array of channels possible.  I struggle on a daily basis to get "old school" marketers to understand that this is no longer a broadcast, one-to-many world; that conversations with customers are key.  I LOVE that this guy gets it (and he is CUTE, to boot!).

New technology like podcasting updates the mission, although on a much smaller scale for now. But Pastor Batterson says he believes that podcasting will have an impact on the church as profound as that of the printing press when the first Bibles were printed in the 15th century.

"If you really believe in the message you're preaching, you want as many people as possible to listen," he said. He likes the idea of "spiritual multitasking" to keep people connected to their faith throughout the week. Before his podcasts, he also used his blog to connect with the 800 members of National Community Church, who gather for worship each Sunday in two movie theaters, one in Washington and the other in Alexandria, Va.

Good for him for reaching people where they choose to be and when they are ready to hear his message.  When my grandmother isn't able to attend church service, someone from the church faithfully delivers a cassette tape of the service.  It's a great service, but extraordinarily resource and labour intensive compared to the distribution reach.  Now I don't know if my grandmother would subscribe to a podcast at this point, but the distribution potential vs effort required is incredible.

Most religious podcasts can be subscribed to using R.S.S. [...] For godcasters who record prayers or psalms, the function is especially appealing, because it offers their listeners easy access to daily devotional readings. Pastor Batterson, for instance, is aiming to attract 10,000 subscribers in the next two years who are looking for doses of spirituality on demand.

The mp3 player is a particularly intimate device; it is with us everywhere we go and provides a soundtrack to our lives.  The co-opting of this technology and related behaviour is perfect for religious organizations.

Melissa Rogers, a visiting professor of religion and public policy at the Wake Forest University Divinity School, finds podcasting a good illustration of the entrepreneurial drive behind Christian evangelicals. Nevertheless, Ms. Rogers does not expect podcasts to replace going to church.

"Podcasts provide a way for people who are very busy these days to get their religion on the fly, but for most people this will be a supplement, not a substitute," she said.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  To me, one of the main draws of organized religion is the community.  Can more intimate communication provided at our seducible moments substitute for that community?