2010-06-11T04:10:00.000-07:00

Printing just keeps on changing.

Yesterday I was in our own pressroom, standing between our two newest machines, Canon imagePresses (1110 B/W and the C6000 Color), watching them both crank out some perfect printing. Collating, duplexing, inserting covers, saddlestitching, pulling paper out of multiple drawers, they just ran and ran. They sit in the pressroom, within a yard or two of the offset presses. Over just a few feet stands the old Heidelberg windmill letterpress. The windmill is a mechanical marvel; actually everything in the pressroom is.

Offset was, to letterpress shops years ago, the new kid on the block. Many old printers did not make that leap into offset, and they faded away. Digital has been around a long time now; some printers haven't embraced this technology - I can't imagine why. The quality is there; both of our new Canons deliver offset-quality output. Labor-saving finishing options on the digital machines alone would, in my mind, justify having digital in our arsenal. Collating, saddlestitching, on and on. It truly is amazing what these machines can do.

Larry, our electrician, was charged with the task of wiring the new beasts. To our surprise, we had to find new transformers and a place to put them. That's all behind us now. Larry stopped by yesterday while I was out back, and we talked about the machines. Xerography is a new concept in Larry's razor-sharp brain. "Amazing" kept popping out of his mouth as I answered each of his questions: "How does the image get on the paper? Does the drum get physically etched? Does the toner mix somewhere to get all the colors? How does the toner not get damaged before being fused to the sheet? " ... and more. Then we touched on VDP and mailing, and he had to walk away, just shaking his head.

I'm heading back out to the pressroom today. Wonder where we'll be in five years.

Mark

QR Codes: Reaching Customers through Mobile Marketing

2010-05-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

QR Codes: Reaching Customers through Mobile Marketing

A QR code is the newest technology to help businesses link the physical world to the cyber world and market their product and services. Using Smartphone technology, people can scan a special QR (Quick Response) code and have their telephone connect to a web address, download a MP3 file, dial a telephone number or prompt the email client with a sender address almost instantaneously.

Mobile marketing is changing the way consumer marketing occurs. Instead of a campaign-based approach, it creates a dialogue where consumers are willing to share information and companies are able to make use of that information in a more valuable way.

Mobile marketing has the ability to send the right message to the right person at the right time and so trigger a better response rate.

What makes mobile marketing with QR codes different is that it is permission-based. Unlike other forms of mass marketing, consumers need to give their permission before being marketed to. It is also targeted and live. Reponses can be processed to give real-time visibility of reaction to specific offers.

Mobile marketing is two-way. Using mobile devices, consumers can not only respond to offers but also request specific types of information or interest (for example, offers related to a brand or a category) as well as sharing information with their peers.

It is also considered a more trusted channel than email. Very strict rules have regulated marketing to mobile phones. As a result, unsolicited communication (spam) is not a problem in the same way that it is for email.

Who uses mobile marketing?

Any company selling a product and service can benefit from mobile marketing. Companies use it to extend their packaging. Consumers can access additional information about products through their mobile phone by scanning the QR code. It can be used to deliver content and purchase information. Some companies use mobile marketing to both capture and redeem coupons and discounts.

Consumers use mobile marketing to check whether or not a product is genuine and for reordering.
Some consumers even use mobile marketing for mobile self scanning to scan and check prices in local stores.

Many marketing experts are predicting mobile marketing and QR codes will become commonplace in North America as they are in Japan and Europe.

What do you need for mobile marketing?

Consumers need to have a mobile telephone that has a web browser and a camera. The consumer can download a QR code reader application in order to scan and read the QR code. The QR code readers can be found at the telephone company’s App Store and are usually free or available for less than $2. A complete list of telephones that support QR codes and links to their QR readers can be found at http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qrcode- software/.

Dairyland Printing can supply you with the actual QR code. Just provide us with the URL address (or other information to be tagged to the code) and a QR code can be created and added to your printed piece.

Why haven’t I heard of it?

You may not have heard about mobile marketing and QR codes because it is brand new in North America. If you will look around you, you will see that QR code use is growing.
You will notice them in magazine advertisements. Read the labels on products in the grocery store and you’ll probably see a QR code. Some airlines are using QR codes to replace boarding passes. Target stores are providing coupons and discounts to customers using QR codes.

We recommend starting now

We recommend our customers to start using QR codes now. Because they are new, companies using the QR codes will have a competitive advantage as mobile marketing grows.
Younger, upscale consumers are already discovering mobile marketing and you don’t want to be left behind.

If you like a demonstration on how mobile marketing can work for your company, give us a call at (608) 637-8301 or (888) 449-8301 toll-free. We can show you how you can combine printing and the Internet into a low cost solution to help you increase your sales.

Thank you for reading!

Dairyland Printing Online

QR Codes: Reaching Customers through Mobile Marketing