Posted January 1, 2016
Think Before You Leap
BY Geoffrey Karr
I came across this article today by Jason Heller, "Cracking the QR Code." Jason wisely points out what most of us regularly observe of mobile campaigns: "Unfortunately, most executions, well... suck." (Quoting Jason).
Technology can be a scary thing in the hands of the marketing novice who knows just enough to be dangerous. But how is it that so many marketing and advertising pros are getting sucked into using the “new, shiny tool in their marketing tool chest,” without giving careful consideration to whether or not the experience will deliver practical use, entertainment, information or assistance to the consumer. Please, please do not take me to the home page of your web site! Not interested; and probably not going to try it again.
Some of the more "successful" mobile experiences I’ve seen are contest and sweepstake entries, mobile coupons and multimedia content, like video. There are others with deep linking to related content, the ability to share with friends via email and Facebook, and even ways to complete a purchase, which is quite handy when you’re nowhere near a computer. I would give you examples; but by "successful," I don't really mean successful. In general, I believe we marketers have a bit more work to do to ensure highly engaging interactions that will WOW consumers (and better network speeds and performance wouldn’t hurt either).
Technology is a great enabler, but that is exactly what it is – a key enabling component of an overall solution. For those considering the use of new mobile technologies, think before you leap. The rewards are huge, but if you blow it the first time out, your audience may be a bit reluctant to trust you again. Think through the entire experience. Consumers have gotten the hang of downloading apps, but once they launch it, their experience should be instant, enjoyable and intuitive. And, the content they get back after initiating the interaction should be fun, exciting and useful – something they can’t wait to do again.