Feel smarter. Be trendy. Use QR Codes.

By Emily Spirek on August 8, 2011 at 11:40 am in freebies,General,Mobile Web

Yes, QR Codes are the new buzz in technology land. The question is, are you one of those smart people buzzing about it?

First, a lesson about what it is. Then, a lesson about what it is to you.

What is it?

QR Code = Quick Response Code. And they do mean quick.

It’s a simple 2D code that you generate (for free) and people scan it with their extremely intelligent, camera-enabled phones. Immediately after they scan the code, the application will direct them straight to your website.

Typing out a domain name? Psh. That’s in the past.

It can be used for other things as well, including, virtual business cards, phone numbers or even sending a text message.

We all know how creative the young generation is, and they will find plenty of uses for these codes. I even read an article about a guy putting a QR Code on his mother’s tombstone, which directed people to a memorial website he created for her. Weird, yet extremely innovative.

What is it to you?

1 in 2 Americans will have one of these super awesome smartphones by the end of 2011.

Meaning, people will have the ability to use these QR Codes…everywhere. Make it easier on your current and potential clients/customers – who doesn’t want instant gratification?

Karan Ediger, General Manager of the Edmond Business Times, wrote an article about this new phenomena. She admits that she’s “no genius when it comes to digital technology,” but she’s been quite impressed with this new fad.

She has great tips for incorporating the QR Code into your business’ marketing. She says to ask yourself, is it to:

  • Increase awareness about a new product or introduce a new service
  • Announce a big sale
  • Increase efforts on a charity fund drive

Decide your goal, and the QR Code has great potential to aid in the success of your business.

If you think the code is a bit ugly and would make your designs lose their snaz, remember, there is some room for experimentation. Check out these awesome business card designs (as well as ours pictured above). It might give you a little hope.

Consider this!

Once you add your QR Code to your business card, flyers, etc., think about what you’re directing your clients to. Most people are scanning these codes with their smartphone, meaning they’re navigating your website on their phone too.

Consider getting a mobile website design, which is a simplified version of your full site. One-touch calling and map functions are ideal for on-the-go purposes. Scan our QR Code above to check out the mobile version of our website!

If you subscribe to our Ezine in the bottom right corner of our site, we will give you a free business card design with your sparkly new QR Code! Just purchase a mobile website (starting at $595) by August 31st, and we’ll design you a new business card (200 awesomely-printed cards included).

There you have it. Two birds with one stone.

 

 

Google Names T&S Web Design a Favorite Place

By Tim Priebe on December 16, 2009 at 5:07 pm in General,Search Engine Optimization

We're a Favorite Place on Google

We’ve long thought of T&S as our favorite place. It looks like Google agrees with us. Well, Google users, anyway.

Google recently sent us a small package with a decal and letter in it to let us know that we’ve been selected as a Favorite Place on Google. Apparently less than 1% of the businesses in the United States were selected, based largely on their popularity on Google results.

Here’s how Google describes it on their FAQ page on the topic:

The list was determined based on the popularity of a business’ Local Business Center listing, as determined by how many times Google users looked for more information about a business, requested driving directions to get there, and more. Google users “decided” based on their actions, and we sent the decals.

…

Over 100,000 businesses were identified as Favorite Places, representing less than 1% of the 28 million U.S. businesses. We believe that our standards for selecting businesses are as selective or more selective than other companies which have run similar initiatives.

We're a Favorite Place on Google with BarcodeVery cool! The decal actually has a QR barcode pointing to our Google Business Listing.

Interested in an enhanced Google Business Listing for your business? We actually provide that as part of our SEO services. Contact us if you’re interested in knowing more.

Moving business processes online

By Tim Priebe on September 10, 2009 at 10:28 pm in Development

boyideaA website is unique from other marketing mediums (even social networking) in that it can actually handle some of your business processes in addition to being a marketing tool.

But how do you find processes you can move onto your website?

The best way is to go through your business processes with one of the following types of people (listed in order of preference):

  1. A web professional
  2. A friend who isn’t that familiar with your business
  3. Yourself

Regardless of who goes over it with you, make sure that you list every single process out that you can think of. Start at the marketing process, how you get leads or potential customers. Then move to the actual sales process. If you’re in a service-based industry, this will likely involve sales meetings. If you’re in retail, it will probably involve the potential customer actually shopping in your store.

After that, discuss the purchase process. Then if you’re creating something for the customer after the purchase, walk through that process, including both internal communication and communication with the customer. Finally, go through what happens when the project is complete. Through everything, describe the processes as completely as possible.

As you go through all those process, keep an eye out for processes that are calculable, or ones that are the same each time. Look for things that you’ve already see online. Forms, automatic calculations, disseminating information or anything that can be put into video form would be perfect.

You should be able to find a process or two that you can move online. Since your processes probably change over time, make sure you reevaluate every year or so.

Finally, make sure you don’t force a customer to go online if they try to call you for the information. Go with the flow Whatever method they want to use, go ahead and use it. Many people will prefer the website, but if one particular customer wants to just call you, let them.

Must-See Business Cards

By Emily Spirek on June 12, 2008 at 1:33 pm in General

To follow up on my previous post, I wanted to give you a taste of some cutting-edge business card designs, which will hopefully spark a few ideas for your personal cards. Whether or not the designs are feasible, it’s helpful to see the creative ideas out there!

Business Cards on Deviant Art

Business Cards on Stationary Style