Use QR codes to connect with college students

Cell phone ownership among the college market is nearly ubiquitous. And Smartphone usage is on the rising with the majority of college kids already owning one, or planning to buy one for their next phone. As data plans continue to decrease in cost and more students being to go online with their devices, it is important that you are ready to interact with them with the latest technology.

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Great stats on reaching the mobile shopper can be found here.

Ways to use QR codes to connect with college students:

1. Generate a code for your site and include it on your college newspapers ads, student targeted emails, campus posters, and other campus advertising. This will give students a way to bookmark your site on their phone, or view a spash page for a promotion right then and there.

2. Use QR codes to drive social media interaction on sites like Yelp, Linked In, Twitter, Foursquare check-ins, and even automatically “like” a brand on Facebook.

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3. Create a scavenger hunt! By using Facebook updates and Tweets, you can broadcast clues on where to scan a barcode that might be hidden on campus. Once scanned, that code could unveil the next location of a clue and ultimately lead students to a final destination to redeem a prize. These interactive games on the ground are great for events and help bring ultimate interaction with your brand. Here are some examples here and here.

4. Use QR codes for daily, weekly, or monthly coupons. These coupons can be changed out whenever you want, displayed in your advertising, marketing collateral, or on an in-store shelf edge or POP display. Check out this example.

5. QR Code SMS Messaging and calling. This can be implemented by creating custom codes that tell a phone what to do when they are scanned. For example, you can have a student scan a code that will invoke their phone to call a 1-800 number or send you a text message.

QR code generating sites I like are http://jumpscan.com/ and http://www.youscan.me and http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

What is your favorite?

How are you using QR codes to interact with students?

If you want to work with us on a college effort using QR codes, contact us today.

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• QR Code Update (my-creativeteam.com)
• Jagtag Expands Its QR Code Technology (webpronews.com)

Don’t abandon your college mobile marketing plans

A recent study from Ball State University found that the majority of college students in the U.S. do not welcome advertising on their mobile phones. You can see the details of that study here.

The study stated that respondents’ reactions to ads on their phones were “highly negative” and that nearly 3 in 10 were less likely to buy the product after seeing an ad for it on their phone. The study also stated that college kids would be willing to view ads on their phones if they got paid to view them. The going rate? One dollar per ad. Sign me up.

The college students’ answers in this study didn’t surprise me much. College youth rarely want to admit that they are influenced by advertising and will be the first to claim that marketing tactics don’t work on them. Just watch any live youth panel at a conference where marketers are invited to pick the brains of young college kids. They will emphatically deny being swayed by anything marketers do – all this while wearing $200 sneakers and a Lacoste shirt.

Okay, yes, I may be sounding a bit presumptuous here, but I think I speak to the frustration of many marketers who see research like this and wonder if they should abandon their mobile marketing program efforts.

What this study on mobile marketing doesn’t show us is a measure of how ads influence college youth, regardless of whether or not they “like” the ads. Nor does it speak to promotions that are fed offline and initiated by the consumer (i.e., downloading an app or texting in for an offer). We must also remember that the speed of the mobile web can still be quite painful and likely discourages the majority of us from clicking on a mobile advertisement. It is my belief that ads influence and shape our behavior more than we care to admit. Because today’s youth will be the last to fess up to it, I question the value of their answers sometimes.

The stronger our love of a medium, the stronger our opinion about advertising on that medium. Our phones are sacred and personal gadgets that we hold dear. It isn’t a surprise for people (of any age) to be reluctant about seeing advertising there. We all remember how students reacted when Facebook opened up their site to anyone and advertisers. This battle is fought with every new technology that emerges.

I understand the frustration youth feel. Rarely do marketers get marketing right the first time. Typically, our foray into marketing on a new medium is an intrusive and poorly designed interruption.

With smartphone usage on the rise among college students, mobile marketing will continue. Companies need to use their own judgment when faced with discouraging research. Keep working on your mobile strategy. Remember, too, that if you are offering something of value through a mobile interaction, college youth will seek that out and give you permission. Building that trust will take time. Gaining a loyal mobile following will take patience and a bit of tire kicking.

This article has also been featured on Ypulse.

Help for Haiti

The heartbreaking stories from Haiti keep pouring in, and we are encouraged to see the love pouring back out. So far, Americans have donated more than $150 million to various organizations dedicated to helping earthquake victims. Generation Y has also answered that call by rallying their social networks and donating via text message. More than $22 million has been donated through SMS alone, and the youth market plays a big part in that success. We know the work has just begun. Do your part by donating to a reputable charity. You can donate via text to the Red Cross by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999, or sending your money to any number of good organizations. You can also help spread this message of need and support by downloading a banner ad for your site, email sig file or blog like the one above from the American Red Cross.