interlinkONE CMO Jason Pinto presented at the 2011 South Atlantic League Fall Conference.
The topic was "Marketing Your Baseball Team: Social Media, QR Codes and, Mobile".
During the presentation, Jason discussed technologies, tools, and tips to help organizations better reach their prospects and customers.
Where Are They Cyclically?StudentsHow Do They Use Social Media? Older audience may not want to engage in “make a video” contest Older audiences appear low on “Creator” scale.
The Cleveland Indians wanted to participate in the local social media conversation around the team rather than just be bystanders. As opposed to simply credentialing bloggers and other active social media participants with press box access, the club last year opened the Social Media Deck in the bleachers of Progressive Field. Seating 10, outfitted with wireless Internet access, and sponsored by Time Warner Cable, the section helped build good will for a club coming off a 97-loss season.CLEVELAND INDIANSThe suite at Progressive Field has built a waiting list of more than 200 people.The Indians built upon that success this season by expanding the Social Media Deck into a 12-seat luxury suite at the ballpark. Still administered on an invitation-only basis, the Social Media Suite this season has built a waiting list of more than 200 people and is almost fully subscribed for the rest of the season. The move comes in concert with several senior club executives, including team President Mark Shapiro, activating Twitter accounts.“This has given us a tangible platform to show our commitment to the social media space,” said Curtis Danburg, Indians senior director of communications. “We’re creating new brand ambassadors who are then going out and talking about the Indians experience and are in essence spreading our message. It’s hard to fully quantify the effects of that, but we know there’s been incremental lift [in ticket sales and attendance].”
Now, I know that many of you are at least familiar with what a QR Code is. Just to recap, it really is just a 2d barcode that can be used to make print interactive. The concept is simple. More and more people are carrying around smartphones in their pockets. When they see your printed material, your brochure, business card, flyer, sign, a QR Code gives them the opportunity to engage with your company! You can drive them to a mobile website where they can watch videos, read more information, or fill out a form to opt-in for your newsletter.Why is this important? Is it working?
Forty percent of mobile consumers over 18 in the U.S. now have smartphones, according to July 2011 data from Nielsen. Android is the most popular operating system, with 40 percent of mobile consumers reporting they have a smartphone with an Android OS. Apple’s iOS is in second place, with 28 percent.
Some more research from the Pew Research Center helped to breakdown smartphone adoption and usage a bit more.58% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 now own a smartphone68% of smartphone owners access the internet or email on their handheld on a typical dayNow there was one more stat from this report that really caught my attention. It said that “25% of smartphone owners go online primiarlythrought their smartphone”.. I know myself, if the laptop I have at home could talk, it would say that it feels neglected!!! It’s easier for me to go online using my smartphone. It’s more convenient. I can often find all of the answers I need through my smartphone.Am I lazy? Am I addicted?Maybe… but if a growing number of the population is as well, then our business should take note as well.
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) supports organizations in the Little Rock, Arkansas area that benefit from travel, entertainment and convention business. In the autumn of 2010 they sponsored the “Savor the City” campaign to: Increase awareness of and drive traffic to participating restaurants Provide patron demographic information to restaurants for use in refining future marketing efforts ---RESULTS---Patrons of participating restaurants were given printed cards encouraging them to visit the campaign microsite to provide their feedback. Of the total unique visits (137) to the campaign landing pages, 31% were accessed via the use of QR codes and 69% were accessed via a custom URLOf the total completed responses (108), 24% were via QR codes
How do you shorten a URL? There are tools such as Bit.Ly, ilnk.me.Some QR Code generators do it for you!
Now a huge reason and benefit of using QR Codes is the measurement and tracking! - You can start clearly measuring how effective your print ads are.. Your postcards… your signs..
Any Boston Celtics fans?When we win the NBA Championship this year, send me an email, and I’ll try to send you tshirt with this logo/QR Code on it.
As part of a larger MasterCard Priceless New York program, MasterCard have teamed up with Facebook Places in a challenge to find 20 decommissioned Yankee stadium seats hidden across New York City, for a chance to win VIP tickets to a 2011 Yankee Game.The campaign, named “Check In to the Ballgame”, runs from August 1st to 31st, during which time Yankee fans have the chance to find MasterCard branded seats around the city. Located around New York City in spots like Katz’s Deli, Murray’s Bagel’s, and the New York Stock Exchange, MasterCard fans that find the seats can then scan embedded QR codes, which will check them in at the seat’s location via Facebook Places. Once a fan checks in, they make themselves eligible to win VIP tickets to a 2011 Yankee game in MasterCard’s Batter’s Eye Cafe.
Think about what your audience cares about!Then, identify how the things you talk about in social networks can help to solve their needds.