Mercedes Develops QR Code to Aid in Car Accident Rescues

Caitlyn Foster    Cool Stuff, QR Codes     Mercedes, QR Codes, rescue

Starting in September, Mercedes will be placing high-tech QR codes in all of their vehicles to help aid paramedics and firefighters in rescuing accident victims from their vehicles. Many auto-makers supply their vehicles with a car rescue sheet that includes printed instructions on how to best pry the car apart and to rescue any trapped passengers. Most car owners do not carry these hard-copy instructions in their cars, and even if the sheet is stored in the vehicle, it is often difficult for the rescue workers to locate among all the damage. Mercedes hopes that this QR code will eliminate any delay in the accident rescue process. The QR codes will be placed on the fuel tank flaps and on the other side of the car between the front and rear passenger doors for easy access. Rescue workers will simply have to scan the QR code with their smartphones to obtain these detailed rescue plans.

QR codes will be placed on the fuel tank flaps of all Mercedes vehicles.

QR codes can be used in a variety of ways to help make life easier for both consumers and businesses. For more information on how QR codes can help your business, visit Advanced Telecom Services.

Cinnabon Utilizes QR Codes in Breast Cancer Fundraiser

Caitlyn Foster    Cool Stuff, Mobile Websites, QR Codes, Uncategorized     mobile websites, QR Codes

On Friday, May 17, Cinnabon, a nationwide bakery with over 800 locations, launched a mobile-based campaign entitled “Sweet Support.” The campaign uses the company’s mobile website and specialized QR codes to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research.  When in the bakery, customers are encouraged to donate using their smartphones by visiting the mobile URL, give.mobi/cinnabon, or by scanning one of the QR codes featured throughout the stores. Cinnabon is planning on matching the first $10,000 in donations.

Cinnabon’s QR codes that customers can scan to donate.

Customers can also visit Cinnabon’s mobile website to donate.

Kristen Hartman, the Vice-President of Marketing for Cinnabon, attributed the mobile marketing-focused campaign on the easy-accessibility and user-friendly aspects of the QR code and the mobile site for customers. She stated, “Consumers are increasingly accessing more and more information through their mobile phones. Knowing that our Cinnabon guests are often toting their phones and our delicious treats around the mall, we sought a donation process that was easy and user friendly.”

Cinnabon’s use of a custom QR code, instead of a traditional black and white QR code, was a smart move for the company. Custom QR codes have a 2.3x greater response rate than the ordinary black and white QR codes. In addition to a higher scan rate, the custom QR codes catch the attention of customers and provide another platform for Cinnabon to further brand the company. Overall, utilizing custom QR codes was a win-win for Cinnabon.

QR codes are a powerful tool for inviting customers to interact with your brand. There is great potential in the future of the QR code system. Currently, only 40% of the QR code is being used in scans, which allows for future expansion in the QR code system. For more information on custom QR codes and how to create a custom QR code for your brand, visit Advanced Telecom Services.

Top 40 Tips for Mobile Marketing

Bob Bentz    Cell Phone, Technology, Cool Stuff, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Websites, Social Media, Technology, Text Message Marketing    

We asked 40 of today’s top mobile marketers for their #1 tip for success in mobile. Here’s what they said:

1. Erza Siegel – @ErzaMax of @Apptentive – “Without retention your mobile app will be swallowed up in the sea of apps. Customer retention is the most important thing a marketing department can focus on in mobile.”
2. Andrea Arco – @arcoassociates – “Claim your listing-and comprehensively complete it- in Google Places, Yahoo! Local, and Bing Business Portal.”
3. Jayme Pretzloff – @jpretz of @wixonjewelers – “As the digital divide evolves and segments web searches over different devices (phone, e-reader, tablet, computer) there is an increased necessity for adaptable websites that are cleanly viewed on each device.”
4. Serena Ehrlich – @Serena – “Go straight to multimedia text marketing (MMS messaging). Companies can deliver a fully branded experience, including coupons, product videos, lookbooks and more, to opted-in customers quickly and easily.”
5. Etay Gafni – @etaygafni – “Focus on insights (data + context) and answers and not on ‘Big data’ and generic analytics. Define key questions/KPI and get the right tools and process that would provide you with answers.”
6. Zach Russel – @protechig – “You should have a mobile friendly site. With recent updates in HTML and CSS in the past few years, it is possible to get a mobile-friendly site made at a reasonable cost. Launching a mobile-based online marketing campaign with a non-mobile friendly site can cut your conversion rate by percentages in the double digits.”
7. Kent Lewis – @kentjlewis of @AnvilMedia – “Increasing adoption and usage will mean increasingly more marketing opportunities and continued growth for mobile. By the end of the year, mobile will become a more strategic and must-have channel for many brands.”
8. Mike Wolfe – @WAMGolfs of @WAM_Enterprises – “Don’t overlook the importance of e-mail in your mobile marketing campaign. Is your website
   optimized so if someone clicks a link in your e-mail it will work on a
   mobile device? Whether you like it or not, e-mail is part of your mobile
   marketing campaign.”
9. Tiffany Monhollon – @tmonhollon of @ReachLocal – “When it comes to mobile marketing, it’s important to have some of the basics like a mobile-friendly website and mobile advertising to make sure your business is seen and can be found by local searchers. You also need to consider the ways consumers use apps and to make sure your business has a presence in some of the top apps consumers use to find local businesses – and map apps are chief among these.”
10. David Rush – @davidmrush of @evzdrop – “Location-based apps now allow businesses to engage customers and deepen relationships. Businesses can resolve issues with customers in real-time. This can lead to a whole new category of social CRM through mobile that will help increase retention rates and improve customer satisfaction.”
11. Nicole Buergers – @googleismybf of @TopSpotIMS – “If I could give one tip about mobile marketing in 2013, it would be look at your mobile analytics and develop your mobile marketing strategy accordingly.”
12. Gregg Stewart @greggstewart of @15miles – “Consider that mobile users increasingly navigate web content via touch screen input. Make your links to content large enough buttons or link target areas so that a user can tap to their information needs with their fingers.”
13. Mike Farmer of @leap2app – “Implementing social media posts and ads in the mobile marketing mix can help marketers stay relevant and in front of their target audiences as these users make the shift to social.”
14. Bill Parkes – @billparkes of @nfusion – “Do not neglect your email marketing – remember the person reading their iPhone in bed – it can be your most powerful channel if mobile optimized.”
15. Mel Carson @MelCarson writer of @DigiPioneers – “For maximum ROI in mobile marketing, think about the context your target audience finds themselves in. We’re watching TV and on our tablets more than ever now, so consider that context and tie in your marketing with content on the big box too.”
16. Steve Mehr of @WebShark360 – “My best tip would be to focus your call to action to its most minimal and spend more resources focusing on your local marketing and social media efforts.”
17. Steve Stratz – @sstratz of @illuminatepr – “Put the emphasis on creative, including sight, sound and motion, and telling a story. The opportunity isn’t to just advertise on mobile, it is to get back to marketing and it begins with creative and big, beautiful advertising.”
18. Zach Cusimano of @BiznessApps “Make sure your business, at a minimum, has a mobile friendly website if not a full mobile marketing strategy. Recent studies have show that 98% of SMB’s businesses and site are not mobile optimized.”
19. Alex Membrillo of @CardinalWS – “It’s vital your website is able to accommodate smart phones. So, my #1 tip for mobile marketing in 2013 is to maintain a clean interface when designing your mobile site. To accomplish this, incorporate less text, clear images, and add helpful features such as click to call.”
20. Brooke Benschoter – @bbenscho of @Torison_Mobile – “Think like your customer. If you do not deliver what they need and want when interacting with your brand on their mobile device, someone else will and you will lose them. So ditch the company history and pages of narrative about staff and make them want to reach out and contact you.”
21. Tom Le Bree – @tomlebree “Do it. If you look and the penetration of smartphones, all the places people are checking the email and social media, and the ability to use location, not to mention second screening; if you don’t you will miss out.”
22. Marko Muellner – @MarkoZM of @shopigniter – “Social is the best way to reach mobile consumers. Driven primarily by the massive growth in social media activity on mobile devices, social streams have become the best way to reach mobile consumers. I see a time in the not-so-distant future when advertising in social streams will replace traditional banners as the primary digital media spend, and mobile marketers will lead the revolution.”
23. Paul Tudor of @tabletbrochure – “Content that is appropriate for mobile devices is key, creating interactivity and content that really adds value to your audience’s experience. A mobile device is a new medium to showcase content in a new way, rather than a new way to send a customer a PDF.”
24. Nicole McGougan – @nmcgougan of @blackbaud – “2013 will be the year nonprofits will start to deliver the mobile experience. Supporters expect mobile-optimized sites and donation forms that make it easy to engage from a variety of devices.”
25. Dan Blacharski @Dan_Blacharski of @UglyDogMedia “Go beyond the ordinary. Incorporating full-featured mobile wallets that give consumers more choice-and the ability to find merchants and products in their immediate vicinity-will mark the future of mobile commerce as both consumers and merchants look to mobile technology to provide them with closer relationships and more convenient shopping options.”
26.  Connor Keenan of @Perfect_Search – In PPC campaigns, utilize the phone number extension setting. That way a potential customer doesn’t have to hunt your website for the business’ phone number, they can just call your business from their search query results. Decreases time to market and increases conversions.
27. Justin Miller – @tweetsbyjmiller – “My one tip would be to invest in simplicity. People have low patience online, they have even lower patience on their phone, so if you can make a mobile campaign that’s clean, simple, and functional, you’ve won.”
28. Larry Kim – @larrykim of @WordStream – “Mobile search differs from desktop search in that mobile users are often looking to take action immediately. The time between intent and action is much shorter on mobile actions. Focus on creating ads that are optimized for the user’s search context, including Location, Time, and Device. For example, think about creating mobile ads that offer directions to your store, or a 1-click-to-call phone number, or lunch specials, etc.”
29. Eric Litman – @ericlitman of @medialets “Challenge yourself to spend more. 1 out of every 3 consumer digital minutes is now spent in mobile and yet only 1% of ad dollars are spent in the channel. That leaves an enormous gap and a tremendous opportunity to pick up significant share of voice.”
30. Bob Egner of @episerver – “Make customer experience a priority when implementing mobile marketing strategies. > 66% of people indicate that a poor mobile experience can tarnish their opinion of a brand or company they really liked.”
31. Darren Herman – @dherman76 of @themediakitchen – “”In 2013, marketers should begin to experiment with different units for mobile marketing. I do not believe the standard display ad that works on the big screen is the right format for the smaller screen, and this will force marketers and their agencies to think a bit differently.”
32. Rodney Goldston – @RodneyGoldston @JugHeadMedia – “Increase sales and leads from mobile advertising with little known Google Adwords feature called Click-to-call, a clickable phone number right in your mobile ad which makes it as easy as possible for customers to connect directly to your business.”
33. Ted Weismann – @TedWeismann of @applause – “One tip for mobile marketers responsible for brand experience via mobile is to utilize analytics that explicitly measure user satisfaction.”
34. Steve Thomas of @Unidev – “Not all mobile is created equal.” A tablet customer is probably browsing for leisure, where a mobile customer wants something quick. Pay attention to how you lay out your website in order to please all mobile users.”
35. Justin Smith – @thefivetoes of @thundertech – “Stop thinking of it as ‘mobile.’ Consumers are using their devices everywhere, not just on the go.”
36. Tim Jensen – @timothyjjensen of @overit – “It’s crucial to realize not only
    how much people are using mobile devices but how often they are going back and forth among multiple devices. So when thinking about a mobile marketing plan, the most important factor is not to think of mobile not as separate from the rest of your marketing but to treat it as part of a whole branding strategy that covers all technology.”
37. Eric Newman of @digbymobile – “When it comes to mobile marketing, the best thing you can do is be contextually relevant. Crafting the right message for the right person at the right time and place increases engagement and builds relationships.”
38. Marcus Whitney @marcuswhitney of @Moontoast – “Don’t forget your social consumer. Leverage targeted social and mobile advertising apps to reach your consumers where they are – in the newsfeed.”
39. Ori Tzvielli @oritzvielli of @astralweb – “The first tip i would give to anyone regarding mobile is to create your site for the mobile platform as well. Most companies do NOT have a mobile design. This means that both loading time of slower phones needs to be considered as well as the design.”
40. John Keehler @johnkeehler of @RichardsGroup – “Mobile penetration has grown so rapidly that many organizations haven’t structured themselves in a way that will allow them to respond appropriately. Marketing departments often don’t have the people in place to drive best-in-class mobile strategy, and internal IT resources often aren’t equipped to create or support mobile platforms. 2013 is the year to put mobile leadership and partnerships in place to seriously address mobile demand.”

If there is one thing for certain, it is that mobile is already playing a HUGE role in 2013 and we’re still in Quarter 1!  Mobile Websites are crucial for businesses and brands to stay alive in the next year as highlighted by the professionals above. Mobile apps play a large part of shifting trends too, and even basic mobile marketing platforms, such as text message marketing, will even show how vital mobilization is. The word of the year in 2013 is Mobile.

Top 5 Tablets Under $500

Bob Bentz    Cool Stuff, Mobile Apps, Mobile Websites, Technology     tablets

With Christmas right around the corner, last minute shoppers can find the perfect tablet for $500 or less.  Here’s our list of the best, affordable tablets.

5. Amazon Kindle Fire    Price: $159 and up

Starting at just $159 for the 7″ LCD Display, Wi-Fi, and 8GB of memory, you can’t find a better deal.  Save both your money and time by ordering directly from Amazon.  Other models include features like 4G LTE and larger screens.

4. Google Nexus 10         Price: $399

The beautiful 10 inch display and a 2560-by-1600 high-resolution make the Nexus 10 very pretty to look at.  With Wi-Fi and 16 GB included,Google has created a beautiful competitor to the iPad.

3.  Microsoft Surface      Price: $499 and up

Microsoft’s entrance to the tablet world debut’s their newest Windows 8 operating system.  Although the base price only includes the tablet itself, it’s 32 GB memory and 10.8 inch screen, on top of its other unique features, make it valuable.

2. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1      Price: $499

Wow. The features associated with this tablet, like the S Pen, make this the most creative tablet on the list.  The possibilities are endless with the Galaxy Note and it rightly deserves its place on this list.  This is the biggest competitor to the number 1 tablet under $500.

1.  Apple iPad (&mini)    Price: $329 and up

Apple’s iPad, and new iPad mini, are the most reliable and well known tablets on the market.  They get the number 1 spot because although the other tablets are innovative, you cannot get better quality.  Despite the hype surrounding the Apple brand, these tablets live up to their name.

Now You Can Buy the World a Coke from Your Mobile Phone

Bob Bentz    Cool Stuff, Mobile Marketing     buy the world a coke, coke, mobile

When it comes to mobile, we are only limited by our imagination.  And, what we imagine today with mobile will become reality tomorrow.

Take a step back in time to the iconic “I’d like to teach the World to Sing” promotion by Coca-Cola and see what Coke could do, with today’s technology, to make it reality to “Buy the World a Coke.”  See how Coca-Cola’s “Hilltop” was re-imagined. Now you can send a Coke to a stranger across the world from your phone.

Around the ATS Office: Twitter Upgrade

Bob Bentz    Cool Stuff, Mobile Websites, Technology     Twitter

This week, Advanced Telecom Services @Advancedtelecom, Advanced Mobile @AdvancedMobile, 84444 @84444, and Cars2go @Cars2go_ began redesigning their Twitter accounts.  All four Twitters now have custom icons for their pictures which creates a cleaner appearance.

Also, new on each Twitter page is a custom background.  Rather than continue to use Twitter’s generic backgrounds, a colorful background now sticks out behind the news feed.  Each page has its own color scheme that coordinates with the other features that were redesigned including the icon and QR codes.

When you open the Advanced Telecom Twitter, one of the first things you notice is the QR code in the top left of the screen. This new addition to each page links directly to the respective site.  Accessing Advancedtele.com is just a QR scan away.

If you are following any of these Twitter pages, you may also notice the increase in content.  Boosting the number of tweets and retweets per hour has increased the number of followers on each page.  You can follow any of these pages by clicking their respective links above.

Really? How to Take Charge of Your Mobile Phone Problem

Bob Bentz    Cool Stuff     cell phones, mobile, windows

This humorous commercial from Windows Phone shows us just how crazy it is to be a mobile phone user today.

8 Things Santa Claus Does Better than Donald Trump

Bob Bentz    Cool Stuff     christmas, donald trump, santa

The Greatest Businessman of All-Time

North Pole –When you think about the greatest businessman of all-time, who comes to mind?

Ford?  Rockefeller?  Bill Gates?  Donald Trump?  Richard Branson?  Mark Zuckerberg?  Steve Jobs?

Give me a break.

The greatest businessman of all time is, without a doubt, Santa Claus.

8 Things That Santa Claus Does Better than Donald Trump

Think about it.  Santa’s customers return year after year.  He has a factory that churns out toys 24/7 with little overhead.  He has loyal and long tenured employees that work for near minimum wage.  Of course, there aren’t a lot of jobs in this tough global economy, so imagine how hard it is for vertically challenged elves these days.

Santa Claus has a promotions department that secures prime visibility in crowded malls and gets him grand marshal positions in parades all over the world.  He also has a publicity crew that writes songs, poems, and even produces movies and television shows with him as the star.  His stamina is amazing and there are no performance enhancing drugs in his body, unless you count the chocolate chip cookies!

He’s an advertising genius.  Just watch TV in December and see how many commercials he’s on.  I’ve seen him drinking Coca-Cola for years now and am still amazed how he can balance himself on that Norelco razor after all the junk food he eats!

And talk about customer service.  It’s the best in the world!  No waiting on hold to talk to his telemarketers “Ryan” from Sri Lanka.  He knows what you want, often without your even telling him.

The Biggest Mistakes Santa Claus Makes

But, sometimes I think Santa Claus is slipping a bit the past few years.  He hasn’t really embraced html5, social networking, apps, or cloud technology very well.