By Cheryl Johannes
November 17th, 2010
Discovered a new fad this week – QR Codes. To some, these “quick-response”, two-dimensional barcodes may not be new, seeing that they originated in Japan well over 10 years ago.
QR codes are appearing almost everywhere now – magazines, direct mail, business cards or basically any communication vehicle out there enticing you to want more information. The codes can be read by QR scanners or cell phones with a camera.
This sparks my interest as a B2B marketer because we’re always looking for unique techniques that drive leads and engage businesses. You can take an innately traditional marketing communication and add a QR code that prompts an immediate invitation for your audience to reach out and engage with your company.
QR codes are great for contests and freebies, too. For example, Arizona State University (my alma mater), sent out a recent contest via snail mail using the technology:
This targeted communication, message and offer motivated reaction and prompted me to immediately download a QR scanner onto my iPhone (for free), so I could have a chance to win the tickets.
If you want to experiment with QR codes, here are some tools to get you started. Once you get the hang of it, here are 5 other creative ways to use them. Keep an eye out for them on Facebook in the coming months.
Where have you seen a QR code used recently?
By Tiffany Franquemont
November 12th, 2010
In my last post, I discussed the first steps to moving forward in SEO copywriting. First, consider your competition and current trends. Then, write down your company’s strengths and weaknesses.
The next step focuses on the powerful marketing buzzword—you! One of Canyon’s talented account coordinator’s, Cheryl , wrote a great post about ways to add more WIIFY (what’s in it for you) to your marketing strategy and I think the same theory applies to SEO copywriting.
After researching your competition and identifying your company’s strengths and weaknesses, think about how you can build the perfect customer that will value your product or service. Put together a brainstorming session with fellow co-workers and ask each other questions to discover your target audience. These questions may be as simple as, are they men or women, do they have kids or what do they do as a living? Getting an idea of your perfect customer will enable you to develop highly targeted key phrases that will add more “WIIFY” to your overall SEO strategy.
Stay tuned for my next blog post that will discuss additional SEO copywriting tips
By Amanda Smith
November 11th, 2010
Maya Angelou once said, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! “ That definitely rings true today on Veteran’s Day.
Today is a day to honor and thank all of the men and women who’ve served our country in times of war and peace. There are numerous events happening all across the United States today, so check out your local community calendar to participate. Or, virtually get involved at Salute to Service (presented by Huffington Post Impact and Causecast).
Photo courtesy of United Stated Department of Veterans Affairs.
Remember, no matter what your cause, your individual or business’ support helps to make a difference. What causes do you or your organization support? Did you say thank you to a veteran today?
By Shannon Martin
November 10th, 2010
Recently I was browsing the fantastic marketing/business magazine Fast Company and I was blown away by an article that talked about a contest Starbucks was running. Through the ‘2010 Beta Cup Challenge’ Starbucks asked designers how they would make their cups more sustainable and these were just a few of the designs:
Pulp-based Paper cup 
Inflatable Thermal Cup
Consumable Cookie Cup
Sustainability is becoming an important focus of companies worldwide. Initiatives like the one above and others like The Pepsi Refresh project give companies an opportunity to reach a greater audience than traditional marketing alone. These initiatives also provide an excellent vehicle for media coverage. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure Starbucks and Pepsi care about sustainability; but, they also get a tremendous amount of media coverage for their efforts—and in Starbuck’s case, free design ideas from some amazing designers.
I’d like to issue a two-part challenge to our blog readers:
Part 1: Take one thing at your company, anything, and find a way to make it more sustainable.
Part 2: Tell me what that sustainable idea is, and I’ll give you 3 ways you can market it.
You never know—with your idea and a way to market it, your co-workers might soon be thanking you for the edible cookie coffee mugs in the cafeteria.
By Mike Bjella
November 4th, 2010
Using materials unique to your project is a great way to stand out. I was reminded of this when I came across this poster created by Anthony Burrill for his Happiness Brussels project. He used actual oil found on the beach in the Gulf of Mexico to create his poster “Oil and water do not mix.” Hopefully this poster will gain some much needed support for this great cause.
His poster got me thinking about other examples I’ve seen of using materials unique to your project: squid inks used on books about the ocean, match heads used to spell out the word love, even Canyon has made advertisements using our client’s actual fertilizer granules (this came complete with a lot of glue and many stuck together fingers—I’m sure the design department remembers fondly).
Best of luck to the project by Happiness Brussels and Anthony Burrill, great work! I want one of the posters.
