Writer and creative consultant Mari Tzikas has clients like Benefit Cosmetics, Sephora, Novartis, and de Vere’s Irish Pub- So she needed a website that would highlight her work while also underlining the benefit of using her services.

As with every website Gregorakis Interactive creates, Mari has full access to editing the site, without the need to call us and having to wait on us to make changes for her; that is one of the greatest benefits we give our clients.

Additionally, we created a personal site for Mari Tzikas,  which can be found at http://www.maritzikas.com.   We decided to match the look and feel of her business website, Marigold Media, in order to keep her growing brand identity consistent.

Speaking of brand identity- we also created two logos for Mari, one for Marigold Media, and one for Mari Tzikas (personal brand).  Initially we decided on muted earth tones- but opened up to the idea that the colors of the logo could be changed according to where the logo was being used– on web or in print.  On her personal website, we altered the logo to have a more girly, makeup feel, since Mari started out at Sephora.  With Marigold Media, we altered the color to a soft tangerine to portray brightness, energy and vitality- traits Marigold Media and Mari herself project in the real world.

You can view Marigold Media’s website at http://www.marigold-media.com.

Thank you to Mari for being an amazing client to work with!  We look forward to working more with you in the future.

If you’re into seafood+ dark, sexy atmosphere, and interesting local beer and wine (huge selection)- you need to check out Blackbird.

In order to match the look and feel of Blackbird’s physical space in the heart of downtown Sacramento, we went with a dark color scheme on the website.  We embedded their logo font for use in titles and headers to give the site a consistent look with their brand image.  Since their menu is based on local, hyperseasonal ingredients, we created a simple system in order to upload new menus whenever necessary.

Throughout the website building process, we were given very limited art direction or feedback, which is always a fun challenge.  When the restaurant opened, and the website was ready to go live, no one affiliated with Blackbird had even seen the site!  But- we went forward and launched the site to much acclaim from Chef/Owner Carina Lampkin.  We were invited to the friends and family opening night, and during her first dinner service, Carina came out of the kitchen to tell us, “You nailed it! I love the website.”  Happy clients like this is what keeps us going.

Thank you to Stephanie Barber, Karen + John Thacker, Carina Lampkin, Dona Bridges and Tyler Stacy for giving us the opportunity to create this website and be a part of the Blackbird Kitchen+ Bar family!

First, we took into account what role the website played in the company and based on the feedback we received, decided on a clean, structured but uncluttered layout.  We spent a total of 45 hours, including edits and changes, building the site in order to get it live ASAP for RedLegg.  Check it out http://www.redlegg.com/ .

After the initial site was live, we were rehired to build a separate “Events” sub-site at http://events.redlegg.com/ .  This site needed to tie into the main site, but be able to stand on its own as a one-stop shop for visitors looking to see past, present and future RedLegg events.

RedLegg was a great project to work on! We would like to say thank you to Laura at RedLegg for being such a great client to work with!  Also, thank you to Solstice Wealth Management and Insurance Services for the referral!

Since popularity with using QR codes in advertising has surged- we have been seeing incorrect QR usage everywhere! We thought now would be a good time to lay out a few tips on how to use QR codes- the right way and the wrong way.

The Right Way

1. Print Marketing Campaigns- If you advertise using fliers, banners, posters or magazine ads, using QR codes here is practically mandatory.  The code used here should link to a mobile-friendly webpage specifically created to match the campaign used in your print material.

2. Gifts-Badges-Incentives OH MY!- Using QR codes in your marketing campaigns as a way to engage the customer is KEY.  If you want to increase your scan count, offer incentives such as a complimentary gift, a badge (if your campaign gives users badges, think 4square), or a discount on your service (have the QR code lead to a printable coupon).

3. REALTORS- If you are not yet using QR codes, you are losing business.  Realtors can use QR codes on property listing posters they leave in public places (code will lead to a mobile friendly version of online property listing, including pictures, address and map), on their business cards (your clients will scan and your contact info will automatically be added to their phone’s address book!), on your property’s For Sale sign (the code will send a text message on the potential buyer’s phone directly to YOU, talk about instant lead generation!).  Yah, Real Estate is winning with QR codes BIG TIME.

4. Tell ‘Em What To Do!- A lot of people are still confused when they see the funny looking QR code.  For now, until QR codes are literally everywhere, you should include a small instruction (one line only please) telling the user what to do.  How about, “Scan this code on your smartphone using a Free QR Code Reader App!” ?

The Wrong Way

1. QR Codes on Websites- This is a BIG NO NO! The point of the QR Code is to get people to scan them and lead them to a special, mobile-optimized website.  What use is there for taking someone already visiting your website, to a mobile website?  This also goes for social media- There is NO use using your QR codes as default photos in your social media profiles- no one will scan (especially since social media is becoming increasingly mobile!) Know many of your potential customers walking around with 2 smart phones?

2. TMI-Too Much Information- Keep the content of your QR Code to a simple website URL, a small line of text, a small text message, or, if used as a V Card- just your name, phone and e-mail- forget the address.  The more data your QR code contains, the larger, more complex the code will be. This will in turn lead to a lower scan-rate. How many times do you expect your potential customer to attempt to scan your code? If the answer is more than 1, you’re wrong.

3. Going Home-Your QR Code should NOT take people to the home page of your website. Why?  Marketing is about targeted, specific campaigns. A good QR code is custom designed to match whatever it is being printed on, and leads to a mobile friendly page with specific information.  If you print a QR code on a flyer for a house you are selling, the scanned QR code should lead to the listing of that property, not your home page.  Common Sense!

4. Size Matters-To ensure your code scans effortlessly, it needs to be minimum 1″x1″ with a 1cm white-space border around it.  Why? The marketing guru consensus says so.  Also, your code can’t be too big- If you are using a QR code on a large size banner that will be placed near people, size it accordingly- it needs to easily fit in the frame of your potential customer’s mobile phone cameras. If the banner is going to be hung far away from people, adjust the size so that it is large enough to appear clear, but small enough to fit within the camera’s frame.

5. Overstay Your Welcome- If using a QR Code on a television commercial, run the QR code in a corner of the screen for the entire length of the ad. If you briefly show your code at the end of the commercial, you lose.  No one is going to care enough to “pause” the commercial (assuming your potential customer uses a DVR).  Avoid a waste of your investment, run the QR code as long as possible on a TV commercial.

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As you know, Gregorakis Interactive works with a major player in the Sacramento Realtor scene, Fusion Real Estate Network, so we are always trying to keep up to date with what is happening in their industry.

The video below is from the Sacramento Association of Realtors.  It highlights some general info about QR codes, and how they can be used for real estate agents. Watch it:

Some of what QR codes in Real Estate Marketing can be used for:

1. A QR code on specific listing marketing flyers to take a potential buyer directly to the online listing.
2. A QR code on your Business Cards that instantly download your name, numbers and e-mail into a potential buyer’s mobile phone.
3. A QR code inside an open house that links the potential buyer directly to you or a specific piece of sales information.

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14 million people per month are scanning QR Codes. To launch our latest service, we will be giving away 1 custom designed QR code to 5 different companies.  If you own a business and you want to participate in our new product launch, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

Though we are offering free service, each company involved in this launch will be treated like an appreciated, paying client.

5 companies will work 1on1 with us to offer feedback on their custom QR codes.  We are aiming for customer satisfaction, we want our prospective clients to be able to use their Custom QR code risk free, to see how effective they can be in marketing efforts.

A QR code can point a user to a website (preferably a landing page made just for the QR code), an e-mail address, a phone number, custom text, a youtube video, a V-Card and even a text message!

Want a free code?

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Custom QR Code Examples

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I think this is a good thing, in fact I see it as a manifestation of the human need to be within a collective, or part of a community.

The problem I notice with interacting virtually is that there are certain elements missing in communication that we as humans find essential to the very act of communicating.  Eye to eye contact, feeding off of each other’s energy by interacting face to face, and the verbal and facial cues we use to judge and steer our way through conversation; just to name a few.

Some would argue that the use of video to video technology is improving upon this dilemma, but I think there is more to just seeing someone’s face as you talk to them.  Isn’t there a feeling, an underlying conversation that happens between two or more people when they communicate?  I am impressed with how far our communication technology has come, but I feel like we have taken steps away from our own humanity.

Don’t ask me for the whole solution, I wouldn’t know where to start.  However, there is one method I use over and over again to re-instill a sense of humanity into my virtual work and personal life; and that is raw gratitude.

Whenever I work with a client, or a friend goes out of their way to help me, I always try to send a hand-written thank you note to express my gratitude.  My notes are not extravagant; they are just a 1 or 2 line note to show my appreciation for their generosity.  In an ever increasing virtual world, I send hand written thank you notes as a way of bringing back some of our lost humanity.

It always feels good to receive a physical affirmation that you are appreciated, and acts as a positive reinforcement of your deed.  I find that using this method of gratitude I am never far away from my next job, as my clients are always more than willing to recommend me to their friends and family.

But gratitude is not just about making more money.  I have found over and over again that being in a state of gratitude helps me see the world in a better light.  I pay more attention to small acts of thanks, someone who waves a thank you when I let them into my lane on the road, or a smile or thank you when I hold the door open for a stranger.  It makes people feel good when they are thanked, and I believe they pass on that feeling to others.  Without much effort, I make the world a better place for myself and for others, and you can do the same. 

Next time you pay an invoice, or a friend helps you with a small project, send a small, hand-written thank you note, and watch how you shift from a feeling of competition to a feeling of cooperation.

Do you agree that we are leaving behind important elements of humanity by becoming a digital society?  What things do you or your friends do to help preserve these elements?  Please leave your feedback in the comments section below!