News Release for Outlaw Kustomz
News Release
Marketing Tip: Get a Free QR Code for Your Business
Google makes it easy to get a QR Code. Any URL you create can be shortened and given a QR Code. QR stands for Quick Response, it looks like the image to the left, square, 3 distinct corners and crazy black and white pixel-art in between. QR Codes became popular in Japan after Toyota developed them as a new way to ID their cars.
I was in Sam’s Club the other day looking at cameras. I saw the QR Code and scanned it with my Android phone for more information about the camera. Think about it, there is a very small footprint for retailers to display products. QR Codes can provide information without taking up valuable shelf space (and saves a lot of trees, too!) In the near future, I suspect all mobile phones will come standard with cameras. Free code-reader applications can be downloaded to any smart phone, but I suspect they will eventually become standard, too.
Why do you need one? Well, for one…it’s cool. And you can come up with all sorts of fun things like adding a recipe to a food product, a coupon to a sales item, a free white paper with a report, or video installation instructions on product packaging. Anything you can put on your website can be directed to via a QR Code. QR Codes work well on any printed item, including, postcards, business cards, flyers, vehicle graphics, billboards, etc…
Google also provides free usage reports for tracking how many times the QR Code has been scanned. Yes, it’s free. Another reason we love Google and how they will eventually take over the world.
Other companies are competing with Google to develop their own codes, but I’m banking that Google will have QR Codes around for a while. Even still, you might not want to print 50,000 brochures just yet. For now, get a free QR Code and experiment. And, don’t forget to print and test the code first to make sure it works 
Here’s how to get one:
Instructions for Using Google’s QR Code Generator
- Go to Google URL shortener at goo.gl
- Shorten your URL
- Select details
- Right click on image and save the graphic (make the name very descriptive in case you get several)
Serve, Don’t Stress
Here is today’s e-News from Steve Scanlon’s blog, Reality and Hope. I really enjoy his posts. Make sure to click the link at the bottom of this article and subscribe to his e-Newsletter.
Enjoy!
Debra
Serve, Don’t Stress
You wouldn’t have to look very far – perhaps no farther than the mirror – to find someone who claims they are stressed. Certainly there are levels of stress, from mild concern to tied-up-in-knots, and everyone we know has some form of it at some point. Truthfully, many people fall beyond the tied-up-in-knots category.
If you have been reading my blog, you know I am no fan of inane advice about deep concepts. Thus, when I hear people say things like “just don’t stress,” I get stressed. How’s that for irony?
As a coach, I have not seen such simplistic advice work well for anyone, and I will not offer such fodder. What I hope to convey is really two-fold:
1) Stress is a choice.
2) There is a response that will get us back on track quickly.
Stress is a choice – it is our response to what is happening around us. But when we say that we are stressed, we often abdicate that choice to our circumstances. Let’s change our language to something more fitting to reality. “I am choosing stress” would be more accurate than “I am stressed.”
If we can believe through the choice of our words that an emotional response is indeed of our making, then we can believe that we can choose another emotion, one that is more in line with our desired end result.
Once you have decided that stress is a choice, you can respond by choosing to serve someone else.
Now, I could go on and on about the known physical byproducts of leading a high-stress life. But another unseen result is that when we are stressed we simply are not as capable of serving others. Stress causes a funky form of selfishness – mostly because of how much mental energy goes into feeding it.
If you are feeling stress, remember in the moment that it is your choice. Then, go quickly and serve someone else. These two actions may save your life in the long run.
Have a great week,
Coach Steve
Here’s the link to the article
Used School Kitchen Equipment Listing Service
Curtis Restaurant Supply has a heart for Oklahoma Schools. Many school districts are running on thin budgets and have to make due with what they have, or had last year. Unfortunately, this includes kitchen cooking equipment. While a few larger school districts have a surplus of equipment, many smaller school districts are barely getting by with broken or half working equipment, including refrigerators, mixers, cook tops, etc…
That’s why Curtis Restaurant Supply asked us to create the Used Kitchen Equipment listing service for Oklahoma schools. Although they do not sell used equipment, they know some schools cannot afford new equipment. The listing service is similar to Craig’s List and allows users to post kitchen equipment or smallwares items to sell to other schools.
It is 100% free for schools.
The listing service is BRAND NEW and needs a few posts to get it started. If you know of a school that needs to list a product, or would like to buy a product, please direct them to http://www.curtisequipment.com/listings.
Curtis Restaurant Supply receives no benefit from this service except to support our local school districts. Please help spread the word about this important resource for our local school districts.
New Radio Spot for WillPro Roofing
WillPro Roofing and Construction is a Jenks-based builder that recently expanded it’s roofing and repair division into Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. We negotiated the contract, created the copy and supervised production of their new radio campaign now running in NE Arkansas.
CLICK HERE to listen.
$100 Visa Gift Card
If your roof has been damaged by hail or storms, please contact owners, Rick or Terri WillCut, at WillPro Roofing and Construction. Or, if you have a friend or family member that needs their help, click the logo to the right to learn more about their referral program. You will receive a $100 Visa gift card with every referred and installed new roof!
Understanding Facebook’s Ad Policy and Review Process
One of the reasons that users feel comfortable sharing this information is the level of trust they have in Facebook. This trust needs to be carried throughout users’ experience with Facebook including their interactions with ads.
Facebook’s ad policy and guidelines are based around the philosophy of maintaining users’ trust. It’s important that users have full disclosure when they are viewing an ad and do not feel as if they’ve been misled after interacting with it.
Making sure your ad is clear and informative not only maintains users’ trust but is also a great best practice to help improve your ROI (return on investment). When your ad is displayed to the users who are likely to be the most interested in your ad and those users click on your ad after knowing exactly what is being advertised and what is expected of them, they’re more likely to convert or spend more time on your landing page.
To help enforce our policies, our team reviews the ads that are created. Because of this process, you may notice that your ad is “pending review” before it’s able to run on the site. Most ads are typically reviewed within 12 hours, and may be reviewed sooner when submitted during normal business hours. Once your ad has been reviewed, you’ll receive an email letting you know whether the ad was approved or disapproved.
When in doubt regarding Facebook’s ad policy, check out our guidelines.
Signage Works!
Do you have a brick and mortar location? Can you be seen from the road? Is your sign easy to read? Keep this in mind: A 1-inch letter is easily seen 100 feet away. Use 2-inch letters for 200 feet, and so on.
Prevent Mistakes
Wait 24 hours before sending any important information. This includes an important email, direct mail campaign or a brochure to the printer. You are probably too close to the project to see any mistakes. Time away to refresh your perspective can make a huge difference. Or better yet, ask someone else to proof it to reduce any embarrassing mistakes.
