Lets Talk Code!

By Dwane Wall

CLOV President

So what is a QR Code®?
We are seeing them everywhere, those square, pixilated images that look like a maze.
QR stands for Quick Response code and basically it’s a barcode that can be customized by you and read by a smartphone.

Something you may not know:
“The term QR Code® is a registered trademark. While many in the industry have been using QR Code® as a generic term, it is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Please note that the trademark only refers to the term, not the technology. The technology is, in fact, open source.” for more information click on the provided link. QR Code®

How do I Read a QR Code®?
These codes can be read with a smartphone QR reader App. The adaption of smartphones globally is approaching 30% according to some statistics. Most of these apps are free and download directly to your smartphone. Some of these applications work better than others, so be sure to ask around or do some research.

Before jumping in and creating your own, here are some facts:
The more data you put into the code the smaller the dots (the dark pixel squares) become as the QR code® adjusts to information entered. Too much information has the potential of making it hard to scan. You should also keep in mind that QR Codes® are scanned on mobile phones, if you do not have a mobile friendly website, this technology may not be right for your business.

How small can it be on your label before it won’t scan?
The best results come from codes that are around 3/4”

Does it have to be black with a white background?
Contrast is key! Darker colors have a better chance of scanning than lighter colors.

How much space around the code do I need for it to read properly on my label?
If possible, leaving 1/4” space around all four sides seems to have a better scanning consistency rate. Placing your code on a dark colored background with no white space around it may cause failure to read because there is not enough contrast separating the two.
Test your code! It might be easy for you to scan but can others?

Tracking information:
As with any form of media interaction following the success is critical! It’s how we know what our customers like and what just doesn’t work. Are you captivating their interest or do they just glance over it? There are plenty of companies out there that offer such services such as InterlinkOne Once again, research is a key component for finding what works for you and your business. Just because QR codes® are effective for one business, does not mean they are a good fit for yours.

How should I use a QR Code®?
This is a great resource to interact with your customers. It gives you the ability to connect your offline product with your business online. However, there are a lot of bad examples out there that we can all learn from. For example scanning a QR code® simply to get directed to a plain text page of an address or a phone number will not entice your customers.  Let’s think outside the box and offer your customer a reason to scan this code. Perhaps offering a coupon? Or linking this code to a video about your company? If you have games on your website, you could consider linking the code to a game connected to the product, etc.

So, to wrap this up I found this funny video from “scandit.com” worth a glance for more insight in how NOT to use QR codes® with a twist of humor. If you have a few minutes, it’s definitely worth your time!

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Walking The Social Media Tight Rope

By Gail

CLOV Graphics/Motion design

 

As the behind the scenes person at Creative Labels of Vermont for graphics and motion design I was more than excited to work on our social medial campaign.

I felt up to the task of keeping the momentum going. After all, I consider myself fairly
detailed orientated. To-do lists are my friend and I absolutely love my “Mac Sitckies”,
The virtual post-it-notes!

Day 1:
I start the morning by opening up photoshop, titling the canvas of what I’m about to create for the new CLOV blog article and then happen to glance at my row of post-it-notes and see the reminder: “daily twitter posts”.  Hey, no problem, maybe I’ll just do a quick search on Technorati or read one “How To” article from Grow Socially,  Mashable  or Jeff Bullas as I sip my first cup of coffee.

Before I know it, that 1 article turns into 2 and I find myself with new lists, bookmarking interesting topics (to read later of course), updating the Creative Labels of Vermont status on various social media platforms and going through google alert emails on more interesting topics to inform our customers about. By now, the one cup of coffee has turned into four, it’s late afternoon, my canvas in photoshop is still blank and I’m exhausted!

For a newbie such as myself, stepping on to the social media tight rope and balancing
all the above mentioned vs. hours in the day is more than slightly overwhelming! Organization takes on a whole new meaning, focus is key or before you know it you’ve fallen into the abyss of information. Sure you’re more knowledgeable, but what good is that if it never gets implemented or passed on?

We are now a week into “Socializing”! I finally created the art for this blog post and even managed to come up with ideas for future posts as well as some video marketing. For now, we are taking steady steps forward. However, there’s a reason there are so many companies out there to help you with your social media campaign and I have absolutely no problem dialing our friends at Grow Socially, for the next phase of guidance if I feel like I’m loosing my balance!