The Motorcycle Live show took place at the LG Arena, Birmingham – and the qr codes were out in force! Pretty much every corner of the hall had companies getting on the qr code bandwagon, including manufacture stands, bike product spec stands, retail outlets and competition forms. Below are a few examples of the various ways qr codes were used on the day:

Here at matm we are able to quickly produce qr codes for you and have generated a number for clients’ business cards. As well as holding personal information such as website details, email address and phone number, qr codes are being used more and more for product/loyalty marketing, as above. Lots of companies are using qr codes, so if you are not yet ‘scannable’ then click on contact us and let us help!

In late 2011, Arsenal Football Club introduced a Facebook app for its fans. Supporters are able to customise banners which show support for their team.  Designs are entered into a competition, with the lucky winners having their banners produced and displayed around the Emirates Stadium during certain home games throughout the season.

The campaign uses social media to allow Arsenal supporters from around the world, who are unable to attend a home game, to show their support for the London club.

Hal Stokes, of media agency Essence, said:

“A supporters commitment to their club is embodied in their thinking, communication and behavior, and is a passion that is often impossible to truly reflect in marketing activity. Capitalising on the social interactivity of the medium, the app harnesses the culture of Facebook to bring supporters together around the club online as well as offline. I think this is a fantastic initiative by Arsenal FC that will be widely embraced by their huge global supporter base as they try to create online content that comes alive in the excitement of an Arsenal home game.”

Maybe we’ll see a similar use of social media at one of Shropshire’s football clubs, Shrewsbury or Telford…?

We were sent this link to a short piece on search engine optimisation and pay per click and thought that it was worth passing on.

SEO beats PPC & social media for generating leads, new industry report says.

Interesting point that stood out to me – ’60 percent of respondents (to a survey) said they plan to increase their budget for social media marketing in 2012′

What do you think?

Facebook is the global social media powerhouse.

It’s the place more than 350 million people make friends, fall in love, chat, laugh, share ideas, tell people what they’ve done, are doing and plan to do, what they like, what they love and who they love. Oh, and what they spend their money on.

So Facebook is a great place for a business and show off your brand to be as well.

Which is why we’ve developed a range of highly effective and affordable design and function options for business Facebook Pages. If you run a business, charity, sports club, community group or public service, there will be an option that’s right for you.

Emails are a day to day necessity – but here is my top ten most ANNOYING emails list! Let me know if you agree…

Jamie at matm gets to grips with his latest email

1. Replying all when you really don’t need to

2. Sending me an email with nothing in the subject box

3. Marking it high priority with your red exclamation mark when it isn’t

4. Read receipts

5. WRITING IN CAPITALS

6. Using text speak

7. Sending me huge emails

8. Using emoticons

9. Using ‘LOL’, ‘ROFLMAO’ etc..

10. If you are a spammer – YOU!

Rant over,

Jamie

matm designer Neil Dicken visited a car show at the Telford International Centre,  where he spotted a Shropshire-based company using QR codes.

A QR code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by a dedicated QR barcode reader, camera phone or smart phone. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. The company had three in total:

• Contact information (added all forms of contact to your smart phone)
• Video explaining the process and the benefits of using Black Code
• Link to the company’s website

Here at matm we are also incorporating QR codes in design. Most smart phones already have the software to read QR codes, or there are free apps available. Software to create your own QR codes is also available on the web.

Neil said: “I felt it was a great way to give information to visitors at the show, as there’s nothing I hate more than being handed endless leaflets that you later throw in the bin on the way back to your car. With the QR code, I was able to browse the company’s site, view specific information related to my needs and even request a quote.”

matm is already busy including QR codes in promotional material for clients and can also create branded QR codes for marketing campaigns, but if you fancy having a go now, the QR code below is the one from the show. The BBC QR code below is also a great example of how a branded code can look.

Here at matm, we found this BBC News report on the explosion of mobile phone ads an interesting video

With social media behomoth Facebook and search engine colossus Google just two players working hard to dominate the advertising dollars of the future, it’s going to be an interesting time.

However, of all the talk of a new era in marketing and advertising the main message is not a great surprise to Stuart Bickerton – MAKE IT RELEVANT

You have just created your facebook page, but what is the best way to promote it? Here are five great ways to attract followers.

1. Use FBML
FBML is Facebook Mark-up Language. It is web coding that allows you to customise your facebook page. Adding a basic static page that incorporates your company style can greatly increase the impact and attractiveness of your page. You can use regular SEO techniques here too.

2. Put a Facebook Fan Box on your blog
Initally this can be daunting when you have only a few fans, but once you have your first few, why shouldn’t you show how popular you are? By the way, would you like to become an matm fan?

3. Post a tweet or two
With Twitter a major influence within social media, you will be suprised at how many new fans you will get.

4. Add a link to your email signature
A straightforward addition, but very often overlooked.

5. Submit your facebook page to bookmarking sites

With pages like Delicious, Faves.com becoming increasingly popular, you may attract followers who might otherwise miss you the chance to see what you have to offer.

Once you have 25 or more Facebook Fans, you can give your facebook page its own unique url. For example: http://www.facebook.com/team.matm

Doing these five things will be a good start to promoting yourself on facebook. And there’re a lot more things you can do. If you want to know more, get in touch with Neil Dicken, here at matm.

Every self-respecting six-year-old boy believes he has supernormal powers – right? VW takes this concept to create a super-powered TV advert to launch its new Passat.

VW plays on humour, family and the big kid in all of us as a mini Darth Vader tries to use The Force around his family home.

The company chose its strategy wisely (my son). It launched the ad first on YouTube, creating viral interest like a gathering storm. Then it gave it a first TV airing in the US during the Imperial sporting battle to beat all sporting battles that was Superbowl 2011 at the weekend.

At an estimated cost of £4m for the full minute.

Add the back story of the six-year-old Max ‘Darth Vader’ Page who was born with a heart defect and we think the team who planned the Volkswagen Passat advert deserve a hearty pat on the back.

VW’s ad is now fast approaching 20 million views on You Tube. It is interesting, in itself, that we are measuring the success of a TV ad in terms of how much it is seen on the internet.

Here at matm, we’re wondering if there’ll be a sequel…or even a prequel?

The British Hearth Foundation has launched its ‘Mending Broken Hearts’ appeal with a very subtle yet eye-catching TV ad. It’s a touching story in two parts – seen from the view of a woman and a zebrafish. That’s right – a fish!

Amazing facts about the zebrafish

• Their hearts mend themselves – if part of a zebrafish heart is damaged, it is repaired in a few weeks, just like mending a broken arm (human, not fish…silly)
• They are see-through – in their early development, they are transparent, allowing scientist to watch the development of their heart and blood vessels
• Zebrafish are commonly studied by genetics scientists, looking to develop new medicines and therapies

Mending Broken Hearts Appeal – British Heart Foundation

Nick Radmore, BHF’s Head of Social Marketing and Brand, said: “The idea was to bring the science to life. The zebrafish helps people understand how complex regenerative medicine [on human hearts] could bring hope to millions of people in the UK.”

It’s not very often an ad such as this makes me want to go and google about it, said Neil Dicken, a designer at matm, the marketing, design, web development and PR agency, at Jackfield near Telford, Shropshire.

But as it came to an end, I already had my Iphone out, reading up on this amazing fish!

Find out more about this BHF’s Mending Broken Hearts Appeal.

Find out more about matm’s transparently effective and affordable video service.