How we communicate is important in life, relationships and business. That's nothing new to anyone, right? Have you ever noticed those businesses you interact with that seem to have just missed it with a promotion, or way to communicate, that could have led to more business for them? I wanted to talk about three examples that I have noticed recently that if these people just tweaked their message, or delivery, just a touch, it could make life so much easier.
1. The QR Code
The QR Code is fantastic. It can engage people right then and there on their smartphones, and point them exactly where you want them to. But the QR Code is failing in the US. I saw advertisers using QR Codes in Japan when I was there in 2003. So where are people going wrong here?
I think that people don't think it all the way through. Usually they get 90% there, and call it good. Case in point, I saw a bottle of wine at a friends house that had a QR Code on it, and scanned it. It took me to the desktop version of their site, and I couldn't read a thing. I've scanned QR Codes that sent me to the 404 page. Or people have had them on their billboard adverts (really?!).
We're missing the "end user," the person on the other end actually scanning the QR Code. It's as if no one really asked, "What happens when they scan the QR Code, and what do we want them to do?" I put one in the image above that leads to my tumblr blog. It's mobile optimized, and works on your phone. You can have QR Codes direct you to a specific website, your twitter account, an email. Really anything you want. Check out the QR Code at the end that I created with Scan and see a cool applications you can use them for.
2. The 3% Charge
This delves more into the psychology of behavior. Have you ever encountered a business that had a sign posted "Credit Card Users will be charged a 3% additional fee"? I've seen this type of a sign at countless places, and it says the same thing to me every time: "We want your business, but on our own terms."
At this day and age, how many people really carry cash in their pockets? And honestly, if a business offers the ability to pay with a credit card, why publicly announce credit card users are penalized? The language of such a pronouncement declares that you as a customer are an inconvenience to their operations.
Here's an easy solution: Why not raise the price of all product 1.5%-2% across the board to cover the cost of doing business? Don't advertise the fact credit cards are an inconvenience, rather proclaim that you take any form of payment! Making it as easy as possible to buy your product will make people come back again and again. Ask yourself, when it was really difficult, or too much of a hassle to buy something, did you really want to go back to that establishment and give them your money?
3. The Hide and Go Seek Business
Gone are the days of Yellow Pages being your marketing strategy. The times, they are a' changing, and we/you/us/everyone needs to change and adapt with them. I think Brian Solis put it perfectly by penning the phrase, "Adapt or die." If a company/business/entity doesn't understand that people use the internet to search for everything now, or that Google and YouTube are the #1 and #2 search engines in the world, then they don't stand a good chance of being found.
It's time to realize that it's the 21st Century, the world is more connected than ever before, and that is how people find you. We're all connected and online. Not being searchable or having a website, or some kind of online strategy is one of the deadly sins in business today.
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