Tutto quello che un "marketer" deve sapere sui codici QR

Codici a barre, i codici QR, lettori codici a barre 2D (avete mai visto un codice a barre3D?). C'è un sacco di rumore nel mondo del marketing su quanto possano essere utili queste "immagini". Alcuni dicono che è tempo perso investirci risorse mentre altri, più semplicemente, affermano che non abbiamo compreso il loro uso e le potenzialità corrette dei codici QR.


Everything a Marketer Should Know About QR Code




Barcodes, QR codes, readers, 2D barcodes (have you ever seen a 3D barcode?). There’s a lot of debate in the marketing world about just how useful these scan-able images can be for businesses, and that debate continued on the May 13th episode of HubSpot’s Marketing Update with Karen Rubin and Mike Volpe. Opinions ranged from “who would waste their time using those?!” to “I just don’t think marketers have figured out how to use them yet.”

What the Heck is a QR Code?
QR stands for quick response, and barcodes are nothing new. But to clear up any confusion, a QR code is simply a matrix barcode that is readable by QR barcode readers that can be installed on smart phones. The information that is encoded by QR codes can include text, a URL, or other data. Barcodes have been around for quite some time, but their use as a mobile utility for accessing information is new in the scheme of things. Just like any new piece of technology, the mass market will show signs of resistance before it starts to adopt it. And while there will always be naysayers out there, the fact of the matter is that if QR codes catch on with consumers (and there is nothing that suggests they won’t), businesses – especially local ones – can really stand to benefit from them.
Even though the mass market has yet to fully embrace them, there are multiple reasons why local businesses should be embracing QR codes now as part of their mobile marketing strategy.

QR Codes Can Help You Stand Out From the Crowd
Differentiating your business from your competitors is definitely a marketing 101 lesson. The fact that QR codes have not yet been adopted by the masses means there are many people who see them and don’t know what they are. If used correctly, QR codes can spike the curiosity of your customers and prospects alike. Use this opportunity to link QR codes to exclusive offers or valuable content to carry that curiosity through to a sale.



Boston Photobooth Rental is a local shop that rents photo booths for all sorts of occasions. They recently redesigned their business cards and used the back of the business card to host two QR codes. One leads to their website and other to their reviews page. Tell me using this otherwise wasted real estate is not a good idea! [...]

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Fonte: Drew Fortin per Hubspot Blog

Il 68% dei "marketer" ha rinnovato il proprio sito nell'ultimo anno

Facendo seguito all'articolo precedente vi propongo anche questo che riguarda coloro che usano internet per il loro business. Una maggiore attenzione alle indicazioni degli specialisti, forse una maggiore attenzione anche alle esigenze del pubblico e ai suoi consigli, ha portato ad una percentuale rilevante di aggiornamenti dei siti internet. In questo caso, come in altri da me pubblicati, stiamo parlando del mercato americano e sarebbe interessante avere qualche riscontro anche da quello italiano. Anche in questo caso vi auguro una buona lettura.


68% of Marketers Did a Website Redesign in the Last 12 Months [Data]


Another statistic that shocked me while doing my research for the Science of Website Redesign webinar was that 68% of marketers said they redesigned their website in the last 12 months - 34% in the last 3 months plus another 34% from 4 to 12 months ago.  And, the marketing teams are the ones driving the majority of the website redesign projects, 55% of the website redesigns were initiated by the marketing team.



Are we as marketers in a constant state of website redesign?  Why?  Is this good?  Is this bad?  What do you think?  Leave a comment below to discuss, and join my Science of Website Redesign for more research like this, plus tips and tricks on what you should be doing with your website.


Per i commenti "originali" potete andare direttamente su Hubspot Blog, se avrete voglia di iniziare a commentare anche qui non avete che da scrivere ;o)


Fonte: Mike Volpe per Hubspot Blog

Come diventare il miglior marketer in ogni momento e... sempre

Una serie di semplici consigli per diventare il miglior marketer di sempre.
Come sempre il buon senso la fa da padrone ma serve anche convinzione nei propri mezzi e voglia di ascoltare il prossimo.

How to Become the Awesomest Marketer EVER
Nobody likes being interrupted. That includes your customers, leads, prospects, neighbors, children, etc. We used to tolerate intrusive advertising. These days, we don't have to.
Once upon a time, your audience could easily be found listening to the radio, watching TV, searching for your business in the yellow pages, attending a trade show, or sifting thoughtfully through a small stack of mail.

• 78% of people use search engines to conduct product research.
• 57% of US Adult Internet users conducted a search today.
• 93% of US Adult Internet users are on Facebook.
• One out of every eight minutes online is spent on Facebook.It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and outbound marketers are wearing steak-flavored underpants. 

In 2007, HubSpot had 10 beta customers, 5 employees, and generated roughly 60-90 leads per month. Today, we have 4,500 customers, 200 employees, and generate 40,000 leads per month. Much of that growth (and a large portion of those 40,000 leads) was produced by inbound marketing assets (like blog posts, ebooks, videos, presentations, podcasts, etc.) that were created four years ago by those first five employees.
Awesome marketers build awesome marketing teams. They recognize that in today's rapidly changing world, marketing experience matters less than digital chops, an analytical mindset, existing "reach," and the ability to create remarkable content. At HubSpot, we refer to this short list of attributes as "DARC" (Digital, Analytical, Reach, Content), and we actively recruit, hire, and develop awesome marketers that possess these very qualities.
Remember the good old "K.I.S.S." acronym? That's right—"Keep It Simple, Silly." The Awesomest Marketer Ever seeks to streamline and simplify her marketing tools and processes. Instead of using one product for analytics, another for social media, a third for SEO, a fourth for her website, a fifth for email, and three or four others for sales and CRM functions, she's smart enough to seek out the ONE that pulls them all together.

Want to become The Awesomest Marketer EVER? Here's a simple 5-step formula to guarantee your success.

STEP 1: Stop Interrupting People!
Which is probably why 91% of people have unsubscribed to an email they previously opted-in to, and why 86% of people skip TV ads, and at least 44% of direct mail goes straight into the recycling bin.
Instead of interrupting the things in which people are interested, awesome marketers work on becoming the things in which people are interested.
STEP 2. Be Where Your Audience Is.
NO LONGER.
Today's reality is both more fascinating and more challenging for many marketers, and it is this: your audience is online.
Get the idea?
Put another way, Google is your new business card, and Facebook is your new referral engine. If you are not AWESOME at using search engines and social networks to market your company/product/service, you are most definitely missing the proverbial boat.
STEP 3. Go inbound!
Outbound marketing—or the practice of paying for "impressions"—might appear to be the easiest, fastest way to reach your audience, but what happens when you stop paying?
Nothing, that's what.
Because outbound marketing does not create any reusable assets. It's the single-serving, disposal snack-pack of marketing.
Inbound marketing, by contrast, requires much less cash (if any) upfront, but more effort and time. Your results may not be instant, but they'll be lasting.
Example:
Collectively, HubSpot's library of inbound marketing assets have amassed over 7,000,000 views. Our monthly web traffic is more than double that of better-known, more established companies that are many times our size. Between blog subscribers, email lists, and social media fans/followers, our reach is more like that of a media company than a marketing software company.
All of this is true because we eat our own dogfood, and that awesome food happens to be called Inbound Marketing.
STEP 4. Build an awesome marketing team!
Read more about building an awesome marketing team here.
STEP 5: Simplify!
Come to think of it, it's quite likely that the Awesomest Marketer Ever is a HubSpot customer... or at the very least, is considering becoming one soon ;).
Fonte: Marta Kagan per Hubspot Blog