‘Tackle Your Health’ Social Marketing success story!

The ‘Tackle Your Health’ Social Marketing campaign has been a huge success!

The Campaign has passed the scheduled ‘300’ bench mark target. As a result, this innovative campaign has directed hundreds of men between the age of 30-74 towards their very own Professional Health Trainer that can be accessed for Free. The Tackle Your Health campaign has brought together a team of organisations that has enabled the campaign to reach out and engage with the local community.  From Schools to Supermarket participation, through to local businesses and at its heart AFC Telford Utd that is hosting a range of community engagement activities.

To read more about Telford and Wrekin Council’s success with ‘Tackle Your Health’ click here 

How is the market using QR codes?

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Crossville Inc:

Crossville Inc is an American tile manufacturing and distribution company. They are committed to responsible, eco-friendly practices and use QR codes as a sustainable alternative to traditional marketing in terms of providing tile samples to the market place. The QR codes are used for their Sustainable Samples Kit with all tiles featuring a QR code on the back to offer product details via smart phone. The app the QR code links to enables real product samples to be automatically ordered. Through the use of QR codes, Crossville Inc is able to track all scans and user activity for their whole system. The benefits that Crossville Inc has been able to realise through their use of QR codes are:

• Increased sustainability
• Reduced printing costs
• Better direct consumer interaction
• Greater market insights
• More value for distribution partners
• Positive industry buzz.

OFM:

OFM is a leading office and school furniture manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. For the first time they are using QR codes in their 2012 product catalog. Half of the QR codes featured link to informational product videos while the other half take users to product specification pages. Most companies in the furniture manufacturing industry do not utilise interactive technology meaning that OFM’s adoption of QR codes sets them apart from their competitors. The use of QR codes means their customers can access information about their products whenever and wherever.

The power of QR codes in manufacturing.

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A common benefit of the QR code in the manufacturing industry is increased efficiency. It saves the customer valuable time because they can access the information instantly whenever it is needed. For example, if a customer has purchased your product but is having trouble *sensored word - inappropriate language* it or needs some technical advice, having a QR code on your product which leads to a FAQ site or ‘how to videos’ will drastically enhance your customer service. Having saved hours of answering customer service questions or a hiring installation training staff, which is costly in both time and money, the company will instantly have more leverage to develop the business.

Metalcraft, a manufacturer of *sensored word - inappropriate language* labelling and tag products, have the ability to print QR codes on their products such as bar code labels and nameplates. This allows them to link to product information and other web-based resources like customer support and warranty tracking. Customers can also connect to a manual or video detailing operating or service instructions.

The above example details some of the ways in which QR codes can be used to connect customers with products and services to deliver a positive customer experience. Manufacturers are becoming more and more accustomed to extending their products and services to deliver transformational experiences for customers.  For example Apple deliver apps through their products that change people’s lives and Nike have developed their fitness equipment that can also link to online diagnostic tools. QR codes can take a product to a new level, offering a dynamic interactive experience for the customer.
Attaching a QR code with the product that links to a re-order form is another simple example. This is great for the busy customer as they can be lead straight to a customised re-order form in seconds. For the manufacturer the benefit is eradicating the need for the customer to browse online as they may easily stumble across competitors in the process. It is much easier to keep the customers that you already have than it is to try and find new ones.

When managed effectively utilising QR codes as part of a marketing campaign is the most current and effective way to drive traffic to your website; its effectiveness as a tactical tool is dependent upon several factors. A primary factor is relevance. Once that initial connection with the customer is made it is vital that their attention is held once they reach the website. It is extremely important that the client is directed to a well presented web page that is relevant to the advert they have clicked on.

QR codes are the best way to drive traffic to your website and by doing so expands your horizon to a new world of customers. A QR code that links to a relevant web page however is crucial because if the potential client clicks the link to your website and then bounces right off again it dramatically reduces your websites performance and search engine rankings! Conversely if they stay and browse it boosts your search engine!

Contact us if you would like to find out more about QR codes and how QR codes can be tailored and used to grow your business.

Why do QR codes have the power to transform your business?

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You may have seen some little black and white boxes in newspapers, on buses and even in shop windows and wondered what are they and what do they do? Those little black boxes are QR codes and have the power to transform any business. QR code stands for quick response code and although they are essentially a bar code, your regular barcode is 1D whereas a QR code is 2D and is converted into interactive text or a link. Most smart phones have downloadable QR readers which allow QR codes to be scanned and decoded on almost any surface. Having originally started in Japan, they are fast becoming widespread across the world as the latest way to connect potential customers to an interactive marketing campaign. 

An example of an interactive marketing campaign which has utilised QR codes is Toyota’s 2012 Corolla campaign. One of the targets was to expand conversations with potential Corolla consumers. A branded mobile QR code called Toyotag was created. Toyota consumers were encouraged to use their mobiles to take photos of the Toyotag. They were then prompted by SMS to download the Toyota shopping tool app. Once the app was downloaded, consumers could view Hatsune Miku singing next to the 2012 Corolla. This video was linked to many blogs to encourage further engagement and traffic.

The results?  The Hatsune Miku concert created a 600% increase in Toyota Shopping Tool app downloads. App downloads remained above normal rates for the following week and Toyota saw a 30% jump in Corolla leads in that same time period. Extending engagement past the concert was also a goal for the campaign, and both download rates and web traffic indicated Toyota was successful. Time spent on the Corolla/Hatsune Miku web page “outpaced” time spent on the entire Corolla section of Toyota’s site for the week following the virtual concert. The web traffic for the Corolla/Miku site increased 167% from the week of September 4th to the week of September 11th, and only returned to pre-campaign rates after 7 weeks.

Due to the success of this campaign TOYOTA MOTOR SALES U.S.A. is adopting interactive bar codes across all its marketing so mobile phone-carrying customers can quickly access sales promotions, vehicle quotes, videos, safety tips and similar information. “The ToyoTag allows customers to engage with us wherever and whenever they want information,” said Michael K. Nelson. The new tag, he said, will provide one-to-one interactions with customers at all stages of interest in their products. Eventually, automakers could use such tags on billboards or in print advertisements to link to exclusive video footage of a new car model or allow users to instantly book a test drive at their nearest dealership.

One advantage of using QR codes is that they are trackable and measurable; brands can clearly see how effective and successful the campaign has been and how much traffic and engagement they have received as a result. They can see whether a person who snapped once sought more information at a later time, what information the consumer is interested in, what the company is doing wrong and what they’re doing right in terms of marketing, as well as who the potential customers are. To access such specific feedback tells you exactly where to direct your marketing, which areas of your business need improving and which areas should be at the forefront and used to attract the most customers. Essentially this inevitably results in more profit via more effective marketing spend.The possibilities really are endless.

The most active use of QR codes is in the world of marketing. This is because it has the power to connect a huge amount of potential customers to a campaign that leads to action on behalf of the customer.  Let’s say you’re sat on the bus and you see a QR code in the paper next to an advert for a product that you’re interested in, all it takes is one quick scan. Out of curiosity you’re led straight to a professional web page with all the details about the product and a ‘buy now’ button. How much more likely are you to buy the product when presented with a buy now page with great graphics and all the information needed; rather than having to wait until you get home then search for the company that you may not even remember the name of, and then search for the right product? The answer is, much more likely.

The reason why QR codes are so interactive and successful is because they are the only way to link offline and online media. Printed marketing materials become fully interactive by linking up to things such as webpage, video, audio, social media, maps, order forms. This means 24/7 interaction with a new mobile generation of customers. These customers will know exactly who you are as a QR code is flexible enough to be personalised with logos added in the middle, leaving the QR code looking professional and increasing brand awareness. 

QR codes contain their own correction data, internal orientation calibration and self-alignment makers meaning the code is still readable whether it’s on a curved surface, upside down, or even slightly damaged. The technical specification for QR codes is set in the ISO-18004 standard meaning they are the same all over the world.

When managed correctly a QR code is capable of bringing profit into your business. It’s all about creativity!  A job that would take a yearly salary to manage could possibly be a job that a QR code can do for next to nothing. Once a code has been printed you can constantly alter content on the web page but still use the same QR code or vice versa, resulting in a completely new experience every time a customer scans the code. Advertisements in magazines and on leaflets may have to be submitted weeks in advance but with QR codes the information can be kept updated continuously and instantly.

2011 National Award - For Best Integrated Campaign

Perfect Circle and NHS Trafford have won an award for Best Integrated Communications Campaign at the How-Do UK Public Services Communications Awards on 15 November at Manchester’s Comedy Store.

A target was set for 60% of Trafford residents to have seen an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months by March 2011. To meet this target NHS Trafford needed to generate registrations from 11,600 resident by March 2011. The social marketing campaign delivered by Perfect Circle enabled NHS Trafford to achieved its 60% target ahead of schedule in October 2010.

“We are delighted at the success of this campaign” says Oliver Morton, Perfect Circle MD, “working within social marketing presents its own rewards, but winning this particular award is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the hard work, professionalism and commitment of our team.  It’s great that our fellow marketing professionals have chosen to recognise the unique work that we do within social marketing and hope to continue this success into 2012 and beyond.

NHS Trafford were also nominated for the Most Innovative use of New Media award based on the success of the campaign.

Creating Apps for Health

Mobile health or mHealth is a huge area of opportunity for Health Professional. mHealth is the use of IT and mobile telecommunications to monitor patients remotely, and could help governments, healthcare providers and healthcare commisioners reduce costs related to chronic diseases and improve the quality of life of their patients.

mHealth applications include the use of mobile devices in collecting community and clinical health data, delivery of healthcare information to practitioners, researchers, and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and direct provision of care via mobile telemedicine. 

If you have an idea for an App and would like to commission the development of an App with a proven and award winning social marketing agency then .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)or call 01706 373440

Lauren’s Blog - Week Five of My Internship

This week I continued my project for Perfect Circles new website. This involved research into how websites are designed in order to gain an overview of how designs are implemented. From this I researched existing website designs, in order to create a presentation with my recommendations on the creative style for the new site.

I then presented the styles to the studio team, and presented my proposal for the designs and features that I thought were the strongest and the most suitable. Following this presentation I was tasked with creating a moodboard that compiled my favoured designs and website structure, and highlighting what content the site should contain.

Using the site map research that I had conducted I then finalised the site map for the website and started to compile the content for these sections. This was challenging to begin with, but it is great experience and means that I have had an input into all parts of the website creation.

Men’s Health - Football & the community

If you’re a MAN between 30 – 74 years of age then tackling your health has never been easier, following the launch of the Tackle Your Health, social marketing campaign, commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council and managed by social marketing agency Perfect Circle.   

This innovative campaign is designed to direct men 30-74 towards their very own Professional Health Trainer that can be accessed for Free.  The Health Trainers provide a 1-to-1 programme that commences with a Lifestyle Check, to *sensored word - inappropriate language* the condition and set realistic goals for the target audience.  The Health Trainers then work with the target audience, helping them to engage in a range of healthy activities that will improve their fitness and enjoyment of a healthier lifestyle.

The Tackle Your Health campaign has brought together a team of organisations that has enabled the campaign to reach out and engage with the local community.  From Schools to Supermarket participation, through to local businesses and at its heart AFC Telford Utd that is hosting a range of community engagement activities.  These include healthy eating events, football coaching sessions with Ex England International ‘Andy Sinton’ as well as competitions, motivational speakers and a behind the scene’s football experience.

This successful community based social marketing campaign has been active since March 2011 and is on course to achieve its targeted outcomes, with 1/3 its Lifestyle Check target having already been secured, well in advance of the March 2012 deadline.

For more information, visuals or examples of campaign activities then please gives us a call on 01706 373440 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).