January 11, 2012
Ready to go mo?
No, that isn’t an invitation to join the Mo Rocca fan club. It’s a rallying cry from Google to help get brands and organizations to mobilize (as in enable to behave nicely in mobile browsers) their web sites, and to do it now.
Sure, the fine folks at Google have an obvious self-interest in mobile, but that doesn’t change the fact that their site www.HowToGoMo.com is an excellent little starting place for the mo-curious (I’ll refrain from postulating on why the site doesn’t fully work in FireFox, Chrome’s biggest rival, but it’s interesting to note).
First and foremost, is making clear the distinction between simply being able to access a site on a mobile device, and a site that is designed to cater to the mobile experience, which is ruled by screen size and bandwidth.
Next, is appreciating the arguments for why going mobile has shifted from a nice-to-have to a must-have. Case in point: “By 2012, more people will use their mobile phones than PCs to get online.”
HowToGoMo also features a fun and useful tool – its GoMoMeter – to provide a sneak peak of how a given site looks on a smart phone, and to provide any top-line recommendations for how it could be improved for mobile browsing (hooray! The recently launched m.theshelterproject.org scores a perfect 4 out of 4!).
Recommendations are rooted in Google’s 10 Mobile Best Practices – a set of guidelines that is certainly in line with, and as good as any I’ve seen out there. To my eyes, there’s a sense of priority in how their best practices are ordered, so check out the top 5 below, and you’ll be off to a good start in understanding the nuances of what makes for a good mobile site.
Top 5 Mobile Best Practices from Google
- Keep it Quick: fast load time and copy/content that can be scanned quickly
- Simplify Navigation: a clear hierarchy, vertical only, a prominently available search box for complex sites
- Thumb-friendly: users lack the finer control of a mouse or stylus
- Design for visibility: use sufficient color contrast and plenty of negative space
- Make it accessible: site should work across all mobile devices and handset orientations. Avoid Flash – it doesn’t work on all devices.
Google’s full set of best practices is available as a handy-dandy PDF you can save and print as a reference.
July 15, 2011
Cracking the QR Code – Part 2
Now that you know all about QR codes, you may be considering using one as part of your social marketing campaign.
As with any tactic, consider your goals before slapping a QR code on all of your materials. They are a nifty way to connect the offline with the online, but should serve a purpose and be implemented thoughtfully. Consider these questions:
- What do you want users to do? Will a QR code help accomplish this?
- Can the call to action be accomplished using text messaging, allowing you to reach users without smart phones?
- Are you driving users to a website with the QR code? If so, is the site optimized for a mobile screen?
- How will you track your QR code performance? Will you use a service such as Scan Life?
- How much space will the QR code take up on the creative? Will there be too much clutter?
In case you’d like some food for thought, here are some examples of how non-profits have been using QR codes to support their efforts:
image via www.osocio.org
New York’s City Harvest incorporated QR codes into their outdoor advertisements. Users that scanned the QR codes were taken to the mobile site for more information about the organization and presented with options to donate online or click to call City Harvest.
The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) has partnered with mobile payment company Mobio to offer a donate via QR code option. The codes will be distributed via CMN’s corporate partners. For example, the codes will appear on cups at Dairy Queen.
American Cancer Society included QR codes on their outdoor advertisements. The codes directed users to a mobile website with more information about their Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk events.
Finally, a Canadian Environmental Group called The Big Wild employed the use of QR codes on outdoor ads. In fact, the QR code was the ad. The hope was that users would be enticed to scan the mysterious barcodes at which point they would be taken to a mobile site to learn more and sign an online petition.
What do you think of these examples? Has your non-profit used a QR code?
June 7, 2011
Cracking the QR Code – Part 1
QR codes are those funny looking barcodes that seems to be popping up everywhere lately from billboards and magazine ads to cereal boxes and t-shirts. They have been around since Japanese company Denso Wave invented them in 1994, but have only recently become popular here in the United States. In fact, according to a report from Mobio Identity Systems Inc, QR code scanning in the US increased 1200% during the second half of 2010 alone!
QR stands for “quick response” and scanning one of the 2D barcodes does just that. The code may direct your mobile browser to a specific URL, an online video, generate a text message or even make a phone call.
Scan to watch one of my favorite Ad Council PSAs
To scan a QR code a smartphone with a barcode reader is required. Some phones have this built into the camera application, but others such as the iPhone require the user to download a barcode scanning application like BeeTag or ScanLife.
To the right is a QR code I just created using the free a QR code generator from Kaywa Inc. Be sure to download a barcode scanning app if your smartphone did not come with one installed, and give it a whirl.
One major thing QR codes have going for them right now is the “cool factor.” People are curious to know what will happen when they scan a QR code and marketers are taking advantage of that.
For a QR code to work, I think it needs to be either fun, provide a utility, or offer an incentive to users. Here are some examples of each: (more…)
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