The other day I was at a local retail store in Toledo, Ohio waiting for my wife to pick out a dress. As I tried to avoid using body language to express my boredom, I noticed a woman scratching her head and staring at a promotional display. As I tried to focus in on the display I realized the woman was looking at a QR code marketing display. The directions read "scan the QR code and you will be automatically entered into a contest". The woman was extremely excited about entering the contest. I am not sure what the prize was, but I feel that if the prize was a sock she would of still jumped up and down. Just when I started to lose my attention, the woman tried using her cell phone to scan the QR code. The only problem was the phone she was trying to scan it with was not exactly new technology. In fact, I think I had the same cell phone in 2005. Holding in any trace of laughter, I watched the woman continue to frantically wave her cell phone over the QR code as if her phone could perform magic. The woman then walked away with embarrassment. While the woman was never able to enter the contest for a pair of socks, it started me to get some ideas to write about on QR codes. It also made time go by faster as my wife tried on half of the store. 

What are QR codes and How can They Help Market your Business

QR codes are similar to bar codes. Both can be used by retailers and distributors to track inventory and various product information. However, QR codes are two-dimensional, therefore they can store much more information. To be precise, thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. The ability to hold more information and the ease of use makes them practical for small businesses to use as marketing tools. 

When you scan a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone, you can link to content on the world wide web. Next, you may have the choice of activating email, instant messaging and connect to the internet and social media pages.  

While QR codes may be somewhat new to the U.S, Japan has been using them for over a decade. Most important to you as a business owner is QR code marketing. As an example look at the image on the left. 

As with this example, an user can simply like a Facebook page by simply scanning the QR code. That is what QR code marketing is all about. It is an new and easy way to build relationships with your customers. Like the retail store example I used in the beginning of this blog, businesses can put promotional displays with QR codes that allows customers to easily enter contests or simply learn more information about the company. 

Other uses of QR code marketing:

• Marketing brochures.
• Sides of vehicles. 
• Product tags.
• Online Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. 
• Restaurant menus
• Ticket stubs
• Sales receipts
• Business cards

QR Codes could also link to:

• Directions to your business using sites such as Google Maps
• Allow customers to fill out application forms
• Coupons, discounts, sales and any other promotion.
• Customer feedback forms
• Online contests

That is only a short list of ways to use QR codes for marketing purposes. With the constant improvement in technology, there could be many other ways to market your business using QR codes. There are programs that generate QR codes with integrated analytics that can be found online. In conclusion, make sure you find the right QR code company to manage your QR code campaign. Look for a company that is experienced and is able to listen to the needs of your business. 

Want to learn more about QR code marketing? Feel free to ask us questions below in the comment section. 

Attention all restaurant owners in Toledo, Ohio. Are you craving to improve the overall customer experience and improve your sales? Have you considered using Facebook as a marketing tool to help grow your restaurant business? If not, have no fear because the power of social media is still new to many people. While there are nearly one million registered users on Facebook, many restaurant owners do not know or understand the benefits of using Facebook to market their restaurant online. 

The benefits of using social media platforms such as Facebook to market your restaurant online are improved customer satisfaction, improved customer service, improved customer relationships and the ability to use traditional forms of advertising to create awareness of special discounts or rebates.  

Example of the Benefit of Facebook Marketing for Restaurants

Many years ago, it would take time to research the exact cause of the decline in customers. It could be poor customer service, bad location and of course; bad food. 

Starting a few years ago, technology and human nature has been combined to create a monster. To be more specific, it is our human instinct to be social. With the invention of Facebook, it has made it even easier to be social with friends, family and other businesses, or in this case; restaurants. 

For example, let’s say Bob just opened up a new Italian restaurant in Toledo, Ohio. Bob is an experienced business man and has some great recipes to share with everyone in the Toledo area. Bob had some respectable results in his first week of operation. However, after three months he notices a drop in customers. 

Bob then decides that his next marketing strategy will be to find out what his customers actually think about his restaurant. He hired an professional Facebook marketing company and began to see some gradual increase in sales. 

Customers were able to check into their Facebook page use their mobile phone and comment on their experience. No matter if the restaurant reviews were negative or positive, the comments on Bob’s restaurant Facebook page were extremely useful. In addition, customers shared their experience with their other friends on Facebook. Considering, most Facebook users have at least fifty friends, the amount of exposure of Bob’s restaurant tripled. If Bob did not implement some type of Facebook marketing strategy for his Toledo based restaurant, it would have failed. Why did his Facebook Marketing strategy work so well for his restaurant? The direct answer is customer engagement. 

Tips to Market your Restaurant on Facebook

1. Respond to comments or questions on your business Facebook page. Never let a comment on your page go unnoticed. It will not solve anything by ignoring negative comments. Always try to resolve the customers problem.
2. Honesty is a virtue. Treat people online the same way as if you just shook their hand. Never try to hide negative reviews or lie about your restaurant. Most customers understand that people make mistakes and they just want someone to listen to them. If proactive action is taken to resolve the problem, that customer will visit your restaurant again. 
3. Avoid overly promotional messages on Facebook. While it is acceptable to post promotional messages on your Facebook page once a week, marketing on Facebook is not the place to constantly overwhelm your followers with advertisements. Facebook business pages should only be used to educate and engage the public! Remember, all someone has to do to stop following your restaurant news feed is click on "Unfriend". 
4. Images sometimes speak louder than words. The general public loves images. In today’s busy lifestyle, many Facebook followers would rather look at pictures of some of your restaurants appetizers or meals. Make sure the images you post on your Facebook page are professional looking as it will represent your business. If you think your steak is truly mouth watering, prove it on Facebook. 
5. Share other news too. Even if it slightly unrelated. Don’t be afraid to post local events and news. Facebook can be a great networking tool too. Therefore, it is important to remember to follow a "give and take" philosophy. 
6. Be the life of the party. Don’t just add generic content to your Restaurant Facebook page. Allow your restaurant to shine by showcasing your personality and overall culture of your restaurant. Add creative and insightful content that encourages your customers to join the conversation. 

In conclusion, Facebook can be used to market any restaurant in Toledo, Ohio if the correct steps are taken. The entire staff at Hi Octane Solutions hopes you found these quick list of tips for Facebook marketing for restaurants helpful. Managing a Facebook marketing campaign for restaurants can be time consuming, so make sure you find the best Facebook Marketing Company for the job. We would love to hear from our readers. Feel free to comment below! 

Most Toledo business owners rely on email for a good percentage of their communication.  Most have embraced the fact that email is simple, fast and reliable (it is also free)!  So doesn’t it stand to reason that if most business owners are using email for daily communication that they should be using it to promote their company’s products and/or services?  You would think that should be obvious but it really isn’t.

Let’s consider the fact that "most" small business owners are overloaded with responsibility, leaving them little or no time left over to focus on marketing tasks, let alone email marketing.  "How can I possibly fit one more thing into my work week?"  The answer is quite simple.  Delegate some of your workload to someone else, give up an hour of sleep or outsource it to an email marketing professional (internet marketing company).  You need to find the time or means to use email marketing!

Promoting your products and services to your clients or potential clients should be a top priority.  Statistics everywhere show that it costs 5-7 times less to keep an existing client than to retain a new one.  Email marketing is so cheap!  It usually costs less than a decent meal at a restaurant and sometimes less than a fast food meal!  There are so many ways that email marketing can benefit your business that would take the better part of a day to list them all.

Do you think you can find the time to squeeze in some quality email marketing time?  How quickly do you think that hour of time will take to pay off?