Does Your Company Lobby Impress or Depress Your Customers?

The topic of company lobbies came up recently at PRIME, where ours has been critiqued by some of us for being a bit cluttered and confusing.

We have lots of awards and pictures on the wall, because we are proud of the marketing work we do. Yet, upon entry, it feels busy for such a small space. There isn’t any rhyme or reason to where certain wall hangings are placed. And the dark blue walls don’t exactly help create an open-air feeling. Additionally, we have two doors inside our lobby, and often our visitors do not know where to enter, even though there is a ring bell sign that signifies that someone will greet them when they ring the bell.

Yes, we are calling ourselves out (which I am only doing to highlight some points in this post), but we come across many company lobbies that have a lot to be desired. Naming no names, of course, there are lobbies that leave no impression that a visitor presence is valued. There are other lobbies that are locked down like Fort Knox, leaving the visitor with the slight expectation that they may be patted down upon entry. And, there are lobbies in which the visitor is met by a receptionist or other employee, yet must wait a long time to be seen by the person they’ve come to meet.

Many companies treat their visitors with a worse impression than the people that call into the company, when really its the visitor who has gone out of their way to physically visit the company. Those visitors, it can be argued, deserve an equal or higher level of customer service than those on the phone. Not to mention, if a person has taken the time and effort to visit your company, they usually are people who tend to “mean business,” have graduated past the prospect-stage, and now are more willing to take the leap into becoming a customer.

Giving some more thought what a lobby that leaves a good impression “looks” like, here are some ideas (feel free to add to or edit):

• A clean, de-cluttered environment
• An employee to greet the visitor (when staffing budgets allow)
• Just a few pieces of literature, preferably about the company or its industry
• Comfortable seating
• Some type of branding to reinforce where they are (in case they forget)
• Windows that let natural light in, especially helpful in small lobby areas
• Short wait-time to see the intended party.

After we improve our lobby, I’ll post a photo. I’d love to hear your comments on this topic and discover if you believe this is as big of an issue as I’m making it. Isn’t a company lobby a marketing channel, just like the literature you give to a customer, or a website?

QR Codes: 3 Questions to Ask Any QR Code Marketing Provider

In the United States, we are currently in the infancy stage of adopting QR Codes as a marketing channel. QR codes have been huge in Japan and Europe, and they were deemed the marketing trend of the year in the U.K. in 2009. Many have predicted QR Codes will be the marketing trend in the U.S. in 2011. Many, still, have been pleasantly surprised how they have taken off in the U.S. in the first part of 2010. So, the momentum is undeniable, and marketers should take note of the growing popularity.

QR Codes are not just becoming popular because of the novelty and mystery of the first-time views of those funny-looking graphics that look more like a Rorshark test than any barcode you’d see on a package of Corn Flakes. At least people are asking questions about what QR Codes can do, and more importantly, how can they help us market better than we are with our existing tools.

This question popped up my office this week as I was developing a direct mail piece to promote our QR Code expertise. “Expertise?” How can one be an expert in something like a QR Code? Isn’t it just like a graphical representation of a hyperlink? Scan the code with your smartphone, and be taken to the QR Code owner’s pre-determined website or message? What more is there to it?

You need to ask any provider of QR Code marketing strategies 3 questions, in order to understand if they can provide more than just a mobile link.

3 Questions to Know if Your Marketing Provider has QR Code Expertise:

1. How have you used QR Codes to help businesses reach their consumers? Can you demonstrate real examples?

2. Can you measure the activity that comes from a QR Code scan? What data points can you collect?

3. How have you linked and integrated QR Code marketing to other marketing mediums, i.e. QR Codes to direct mail, marketing collateral, event material, etc.”

As we move closer to 2011, you’ll see QR Codes really take off, so it’s far better for you to discover how your business can benefit from this tool now. Good luck!