Diamex Design

Many business owners have heard that they can use QR codes to market their business but have no idea how to do it.

I am going to illustrate a method in this article that should get your idea factories humming.

I just added a new marketing service to the list of services I offer here through Diamex Design and this site – Vince Courtney Online. I added a complete, turn key, mobile reservation marketing system for restaurants and will use it for this illustration.

Almost everyone these days has a cell phone and many of those are smart phones. The transition to smart phones will be steady and fast over the next few months which makes marketing with mobile all that much more attractive.

In this illustration I will show how to integrate various types of print advertising into online marketing strategies that allow restaurants to grow their market share and fill seats that would have otherwise been empty.

Scenario #1 would have a QR code printed on a business card that could be handed out to potential customers. The customer could then keep the card in their wallet and scan the card any time they wanted to make a reservation or see what specials were currently being offered.

Scenario #2 would have the QR code printed within a newspaper ad.

Scenario #3 would have the QR code printed on a flyer that was being delivered.

Scenario #4 would have the QR code shown on a web site ad. This could be on the owners site or could be placed anywhere online for that matter. QR codes can be scanned right off the screen.

So, let’s test this out. For this example, I have set up a demo restaurant and created a QR code to be used in advertising it. Scan it below and it will take you of to the mobile optimized website where you can make a fake reservation and browse the site to see what the menu is or what the specials are.

If you are browsing with a computer, click here and enter the QR ID# to access the reservation system.

Once a reservation is made, it shows as pending in the restaurant owners online admin panel where she or one of her staff can approve it or decline it with one click of the mouse.

A few exciting things happen at this point.

• After approval, an automated text message is sent to the customers phone informing them that the reservation is approved.
• Alternately, if the person chooses it, an automated email is sent instead with the same confirmation message. It is up to the customer to select what type of message they want to receive.
• If for some reason at that time, you couldn’t accommodate the reservation, an automated message is sent stating that fact as well.
• At any rate, the customer’s name, email and mobile number are now in your admin area so you can inform them at any time of special offers etc. and market to them on an ongoing basis.

Now, what if the customer has viewed your ad online while surfing with her computer? Well, if you have included a link to the page below the QR code as shown in the illustration above, it takes the customer to the same page right on their PC.

Then they have the option to enter the QR ID # (which can be seen below the QR code) into a box and the same reservation system is available to them online.

Try that now and see how it works.

I hope this little example has shown how effective using QR codes and mobile marketing can be for your business.

If you would like to know more about this service or how QR codes can fit into the marketing plan for your business, please contact me at the help desk here.

http://diamexholdings.com/support/

I will get back to you as soon as possible.