In business, everyone’s always trying to get the one-up on their competition. Most businesses would go out of their way, (even hit below the belt), to see larger, faster ROI and gobble up more market share. ‘Crushing the Competition” is in fact, an age-old and modern day CEO sport. What is striking however, is that there is still such a large number of companies big and small without a real mobile strategy. How is it that in this Age of Hi-Tech and instant communication that there are still so many businesses who have yet to make a solid push and investment into the mobile market? Yes, the Mobile Market, the one that doesn’t close – ever. The one that laughs at immobile computing-dinosaurs because accessibility has quickly become the new “cool”. And, rightfully so. Yes, the same baby of the Mobile Revolution, now practically a teeanger in tech years. Did 79% of businesses just not get the global news update? Do 79% of businesses really still not have a mobile marketing strategy and presence? Apparently so.
If you don’t see a gigantic OPPORTUNITY written all over this situation, you should head back to business kindergarten. And, what now makes this “Opportunity” even sweeter is the launch of Blink Capture’s Dynamic Mobile Marketing Platform. With tools like this; with a mobile marketing platform like Blink Capture – here absolutely no reason now, not to step up and make the smart decision.
With Blink Capture, getting a mobile site up and running just takes a few minutes, customizing it a few more. And unlike other mobile site services, Blink Capture throws in so much added value. With powerful, responsive and easy-to-use mobile marketing tools, this platform can easily become your daily go-to for building leads, collecting and qualifying data, and effortlessly beginning the dialogue with new customers the moment they hit submit from any of the dynamic forms on your mobile site. Yes, this is a shameless plug. Shameless because you can only ever feel good about passing on something that is genuinely ahead of the curve; something that will genuinely add exceptional value to your marketing strategy and your business overall. The only shameful part about this is that not more businesses are jumping on before the real scramble to go mobile begins. (Which should be another green light for you if you’re reading this post right now 
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If you’re still not sure what the big deal is about Blink Capture’s Dynamic Mobile Marketing Platform, or why this collection of mobile marketing tools is something to do cartwheels about, here’s an extensive but simplified list of frequently asked questions, key features and in practical terms, some key points on why these features are potentially so powerful:
- What is Blink Capture?
Blink Capture is a service that creates and hosts dynamic mobile web sites. It gives mobile users easy access to information about your business. Wherever they are, whenever they need the information, they’re able to contact you with just one click or touch. A Blink Capture mobile web site provides visitors with everything from contact cards for you and your sales team, view video, photo gallery, conduct a survey, run a contest, all with metrics and auto responders. - What is a “Dynamic” mobile site?
The term Dynamic in relation to browser or mobile based sites simply means that you can change the content easily anytime you want. Usually, this is done through a login protected administration area. For Blink Capture, once you’ve successfully signed up for your account, you will be able to login to your User Admin area to manage your site among other Admin features. - How do mobile web sites differ from desktop sites?
Mobile web sites are adapted to the smaller screen size of a mobile device, are easier to navigate, and have more abridged content and simpler graphics to accommodate the slower download rates of mobile devices. They also provide more direct access to the information that a customer is likely to need while on the go, such as maps, directions, and phone numbers. - My business already has a full web site. Why do I need a mobile site?
Many businesses’ web sites don’t work well with the smaller screens and slower load times of mobile devices. Navigating a full site on a mobile device’s screen can be a challenge, and users abandon such sites quickly out of frustration. A Blink Capture streamlines the user experience for mobile devices, giving visitors quick and easy access to the key information about your business (phone number, location, business hours, etc.), which enhances the level of convenience for your visitors and saves time and potentially money, making it easier for you to convert them into customers. - What are the trends on mobile use of the Internet?
Worldwide, about 10 billion customers use mobile devices to access the web. As a percentage of overall use of the Internet, access via mobile devices is ramping up rapidly: by 2013, it’s projected that more people will access the Internet via mobile devices than via desktop computers. A mobile presence is part of the new norm for business success. A recent article published by ZDnet based on stats released by Swedish telecom giant Ericsson is projecting Mobile data traffic to grow 10X by 2016, report says. - Will this replace my desktop site, or be in addition to my desktop site?
While your existing web site is aimed at giving in-depth information about your business, a Blink Capture mobile site allows immediate access to the content that matters most when visitors are on the go. Your desktop site and Blink Capture sites are complementary. Offered together, they make sure your customers are getting the best user experience for their context and their device. If you do not yet have a desktop site, Blink Capture offers a quick and easy way to get up and running with a web site. - I’m really not that tech-savvy, is it difficult to set up my Blink Capture mobile web site?
When you sign up for Blink Capture, you get access to your own user-friendly Blink Capture User Admin Area which puts you in charge of your site’s look and content. Using the User Admin Area, your site can be built in minutes and changed whenever you wish. - How often can I update/change my site? Are there additional costs for that?
You can login to your User Admin Area at any time to make all the changes you want. There is no extra charge, so you can experiment and find the best way to use Blink Capture to grow your business at your convenience. - What is included in the Blink Capture package?
The following is included in the package:- Hosting of the Blink Capture site
- Unlimited access to the User Admin Area to modify your Blink Capture site(s)
- Bandwidth to support approximately 2000 page views per day.
- How much time will I need to set up my Blink Capture site?
Your Blink Capture site can literally be set up in minutes with the easy-to-use inutitive User Admin Area. The technology that powers Blink Capture has been tried, tested and proven. Again, the best part about having a dynamic mobile platform is the fact that you can come back anytime to manage your content, or to add on another feature you may not have had a chance to add-on previously. Have a look at the first video from our Capture Essentials Series that takes you through “Setting Up a Mobi Site in Minutes” - How does my Blink Capture content become live?
Your Blink Capture web site is live as soon as you purchase the service. As you build out features in the Blink Capture User Admin Area, these new changes will appear in real time on your site. - What’s big deal with Data Capture Forms like the Info Request, Enter a Contest Form and the Survey Builder? Don’t most regular browser websites already have features like this?
Yes, most browser based sites already have forms for visitors to interact with, but most mobile sites at this point in time don’t. The greater value-add is the fact that any data collected from your mobile site is stored and ready for you to download easily from your User Admin Area. The ability to engage and capture data from a handheld device opens up a myriad of marketing possiblities. It now allows businesses to connect, engage and interact with people on-the-move, traveling, or at events and conferences, which was not previously easy or convenient to do. For instance, you could easily build a custom survey for your industry’s upcoming yearly conference and have many more people respond quickly from their smartphones as opposed to flagging bodies down to fill out a survey. When the Day One of the conference is over, download all the data collected, reset and quickly rebuild the survey for your Day Two. The fact that you can so easily and quickly customize a survey on a mobile device to gather target market intelligence alone is a big step forward in modern marketing. That you can actually download the data, reset and rebuild the survey again and again and again is, frankly speaking, incredible. - What’s an auto-responder? How do I use auto-responders?
Auto-responders are automated email responses sent to visitors who have submitted a form on your mobile site. The message could simply be a quick “Thank You for visiting!” message or you could really leverage the power of this tool by creating a more personalized message, essentially breaking the ice and starting the dialogue with your visitor, which traditionally is one of the hardest things to do in marketing. Just think of how you treat telemarketers? A visitor who submits a form on your site qualifies them as a “warm lead” or someone who’s obviously interested. A well thought out and strategic auto-response not only begins the dialogue for you, but does this without you having to do anything else but set up the auto-responder. Yes, huge win-win. You can include value-add links, or show your thanks by including a special offer for their submission which could not only just lead to a call-to-action, but might even inspire your new client to pass the word on! - What are QR Codes? What good are QR Codes?
QR codes are the easiest way to access a mobile site. Through a simple scan, QR Codes act as a link from your print collateral such as advertising, business cards, point of sale and signs. QR Code technology is a new way to simplify access, without having to type or write, or remember anything. Scanning a QR Code can send your audience to a targeted or strategic digital destination of your choice. QR Codes are versatile and can appear almost anywhere. Blink Capture’s Dynamic Mobile Marketing Platform automatically generates a QR Code for every site you create (at no extra cost) so you can easily add it to any or all your print marketing materials. - So, why is Blink Capture’s content managed QR Code system such a great tool?
Blink Capture’s content managed QR Codes act as a bridge between print and web – the physical and digital world. Because your QR Codes is tied to your dynamic mobile site, the content of your QR’s destination never gets stagnant – you can change it anytime and as often as you like, from anywhere you have internet access. This adds a whole new dimension to the power and simplcity QR Codes already offer, making the Blink Capture Dynamic Mobile Marketing Platform that much more flexible and effective. In the same way that all Blink Capture mobile site activity is tracked and converted into useable metrics, every QR scan is also tracked, so real time metrics are available instantly for all QR activity as well. That said, we all know that traditional print marketing has never had any real way to track viewership or advertising results i.e. produce real, hard and accurate statistical evidence. This meant that in the past, businesses have had to make calcualated risks when casting out their advertising dollar. If sales subsequently went up, the marketing campaign could then be qualified as a success. In this traditional model, companies with bigger budgets usually had the most success simply because they were able to buy up the largest visible spaces available, but still had no real way to quantify results. Even with the advent of the Digital Age and the Internet, no one has yet been able to successfully figure out how to track print advertising views and action. Until now. Content managed QR Codes with real time metrics is simply put, a game changer. - Instant Notifications?
Since all Blink Capture mobile site activity is tracked, the Blink Capture Mobile Marketing Platform is set up so you can easily enable or disable Email Notifications for both QR Code site visits and for any of the Form Submissions – Request for Info, Contests and Surveys. If turned on, the email account or accounts assigned will receive an instant notification every time a QR Code is scanned or a form is submitted, so you can be in the know all the time. - What is a shortened URL and how much does it cost?
Blink Capture includes (at no charge) a shortened URL to make it easy for your customers on the go to access your site quickly and easily.
The best thing you can do right now is to get a Blink Capture account and get a mobile site for your business up and running in minutes. Visit www.blinkcapture.com/register/ and try out any Blink Capture account for 15 days at no cost.
Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts on the finer details of Blink Capture content managed QR Code mobile marketing – you won’t want to miss it. In the interim you can check out a fabulous post by business networking guru Allison Graham, The Mystery of How to Use QR Codes is Solved.