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Beacon Campaigns Taking Mobile to the Next Level

September 30, 2014

Beacons are taking mobile to a new level. They are helping add location and context to mobile communications and therefore, delivering more relevant information to consumers. What does this mean? More useful information, higher brand awareness and more innovative campaigns. These are some of the coolest beacon campaigns we have seen and worked on.

Hillshire Brands showed everyone how to increase sausage sales. Consumers who had the Epicurious or Key Ring apps received branded notifications from Hillshire when they were in supermarkets that work with the apps. There were also banner ads for the sausages within the app. The results? Purchase intent increased 20 percent and brand awareness increased 36 percent.

The Melbourne Writer’s Festival worked with us to put together a choose-your-own-adventure storytelling app using beacons and it was one of our favorite campaigns to date. Consumers could walk through the city listening to original short stories that referenced places and landmarks, and literally choose different endings based on the direction they walked. Check out the video here.

Lord & Taylor, Hudson Bay, Walgreens & Duane Reade are all testing pilot programs with beacons in store. Lord & Taylor and Hudson Bay stores are sending notifications based on where shoppers are within the store, giving a more personalized flair.

Last, a number of airports have introduced beacons to make traveling more easy. Passengers can receive notifications on the status of their flight, gate changes and look up nearby shops and eateries.

In addition to these innovative uses, we have seen and read about a lot of beacon scavenger hunts at conferences and in-store promotions.

What are some of your favorite beacon campaigns?

Why Marketers and Advertisers Need to Know About NFC

September 4, 2014

Marketers and advertisers have been using NFC quietly for the last few years. There have been some fun, innovative campaigns but the use of NFC has really been limited to certain Android phones as well as payments and keyless entry. But that’s all about to change.

Rumor has is that NFC is finally coming to the iPhone 6, set to be announced this month.

Apple has held out on enabling NFC in the iPhone due to lack of merchant interest and low-security, opting instead for Passbook. But due to the success of iBeacons and Apple’s access to 800 million credit cards from users’ iTunes accounts, reports have labelled NFC as inevitable for the iPhone.

Enabling NFC on the iPhone is more than just mass adoption of mobile payments. There are a ton of possibilities already being used that both consumers, marketers and technologists can make even more wide spread — quicker check-in at hotels using your mobile phone as a room key; controlling settings at home and work like lights, alarms and sounds; easily changing your phone settings based on location such as switching Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or music on and off; or even transferring files between two phones.

In order to fully take advantage of the possibilities with NFC, marketers and advertisers should fully understand their capabilities and how to use them. We’ll be at NFC Bootcamp in New York on September 18-19 presenting iBeacons and NFCs: Friends or Foes. Tactify co-founder Richard Dupe will discuss how to create campaigns using NFC and beacons as well as QR and geofences! Check out the NFC Bootcamp and register here. Use code “Tactify” for 20 percent off !

Tactify Creates Twists & Turns App for Melbourne Writer’s Festival

August 21, 2014

Have you ever wished you could choose the outcome of your favorite story? We’re excited to announce Twists and Turns, the first-ever choose your own adventure storytelling app, is now available for the Melbourne Writer’s Festival! Created for advertising agency, JWT, Twists & Turns uses beacons located throughout the city to determine a variety of storylines told within the app based on which street a user walks down.

There are three fictional stories that reference key locations throughout Melbourne, each with four different versions. Using a network of beacons placed throughout the city, the app maps physical locations to specific chapters of the stories. Depending on which street a user walks down, different storylines are triggered. You can see the stories come to life and determine which direction you want the story to go as you “twist and turn” throughout the city. (more…)

What Are The Next Mobile Trends?

August 13, 2014

Has 2014 been the ‘year of mobile’? There has definitely been significant growth in mobile usage, app growth and technologies like beacons and geofences — but don’t expect to see any of these slow down in the next few years. At the beginning of 2014, 9 in 10 Americans owned a mobile phone, 60 percent owned a smartphone and mobile usage surpassed the PC. According to Nielsen, the average U.S. consumer spends 34 hours every month on mobile devices and owns four “smart” devices (smartphone, tablet, HDTV, PC, gaming console). We are connected 24/7.

With the plethora of data being produced and gathered across all these connected devices, businesses are just beginning to process the endless possibilities for creating more relevant content, products and information for mobile users. Smartphones are used for everything from shopping, messaging, booking travel, checking-in and consuming news and content. And whatever is not done on a smartphone is likely done on another connected device. The phase of making things “mobile” is over. The next phase? Understanding the data to create more relevant and personalized experiences.

Credit: Nielsen

1. Location and proximity targeting

With the growing popularity and usage of beacons, location is becoming a huge part of mobile strategies. Companies have been using geofencing for quite a few years to trigger certain actions on mobile. Beacons allow businesses to produce even more targeted content based on indoor locations. Getting ready to check into your flight? You might receive a notification telling you when to get your boarding pass and ID out.

2. Context and personalization

With accounts connected across a number of devices, businesses will be able to use data and technology to produce more personalized and context-aware content. Imagine walking into a retailer and receiving a message that the shirt you were saw online the night before is on sale and available in store. Smart devices and apps will be able to understand individual habits based on your device usage and data. Matched with location capabilities, consumers will be served not just relevant content but information relevant to that exact time.

3. Higher app engagement and more conversions

According to Flurry, smartphone owners are using app 86 percent of the time compared to mobile browsers. Most major retailers, airlines and brands have already released their own apps. Matching those with location-aware and personalized content will produce higher engagement and conversion rates. Providing coupons based on shopping lists, or events in an area based on travel plans will make apps more useful to consumers. For iPhone users, iOS 8 will suggest apps on the lock screen based on location. This will not only help consumers more easily open apps they need but will also increase awareness of apps and potentially increase downloads.

4. NFC takes hold

Near field communication (NFC) continues to grow in the market mostly due to payments. If Apple releases an NFC-compatible iPhone 6 this fall, there will likely be an increase in mobile payments and innovative uses for NFC in marketing campaigns, advertising, business cards, connected products and travel experiences.
What other trends do you expect to take off in the next year?

Beacons

August 8, 2014

Using Tactify’s enterprise SDK, activate content of your choice in mobile applications using bluetooth low energy beacons.

Smart Tags

August 8, 2014

Smart Tags use NFC to augment any print or point of sale material into a digitally connected touchpoint.

Smart Stickers

August 8, 2014

Tactify’s Smart Stickers include NFC and QR technology to link directly to digital content of your choice

Smart Cards

August 7, 2014

Tactify’s Smart Cards are great for direct marketing and include NFC and QR technology that can be linked directly to digital content.

BUSINESS CARDS

August 7, 2014

Tactify manages the printing of your cards and provides a design template including the NFC logo and a QR code for your interactive card.

Info Points

August 7, 2014

Tactify Info Points instantly enable important points of interest to link digital content managed through the Tactify dashboard

SHARETAPES

August 4, 2014

Sharetapes are the ideal promotional item for events and brand activations. They are physical cards that have been embedded with Near-Field Communications (NFC) chips and Quick Response (QR) codes. When a user taps or scans a Sharetape with their smartphone, the Sharetape launches a pre-programmed online playlist.

After winning the Mashable ‘6 Second Pitch’ contest at SXSW 2013 Sharetapes has developed into a popular consumer item globally being featured on the influential Fancy.com.

Major brands in the music industry, hospitality, online media and technology space such as Pandora Internet Radio, Spotify, Accor Hotels and Samsung are using custom designed Sharetapes for PR, direct marketing, events and promotional campaigns.

5 Things to Know About NFC

July 25, 2014

NFC is not a new technology but it has been gaining traction in the market over the last few years due to NFC-enabled credit cards and mobile phones. There is speculation that Apple will finally adopt NFC in the iPhone 6 — at which point, NFC might reach widespread adoption among consumers. However, the NFC rumor mill hits every time a new iPhone is about to be released. Nonetheless, the number of NFC-enabled Android and Windows phones is growing, and with that, we have seen an increase in the ways brands and consumers are experimenting with the technology.

How does NFC work?

Getting down to basics, NFC, or near field communication, transmits data wirelessly between two objects equipped with NFC chips. The two objects have to be brought within close range, usually within four inches, in order to communicate and can transmit any information.

How can I use NFC?

As we mentioned, iPhones aren’t NFC compatible. However, the number of other smartphones with NFC capabilities is growing. (You can see a full list of compatible devices here.) Payments, through services like Google Wallet, have made it possible to simply tap or wave your phone over a payments system (or laptop) to make a purchase.

Is NFC just for payments?

No! Technically, you can use NFC as long as you have two NFC compatible objects. Brands have used NFC for ticketing at events or while traveling, opening car doors with NFC-enabled security badges and car keys, tracking healthcare information, and in marketing and advertising campaigns. It can be as simple as placed an NFC-enabled sticker within a retail area that links to coupons, rewards, ads or movie trailers, social media pages, mobile apps and more. NFC extends to personal use, too. Place an NFC sticker near your front door, wave or tap with it your phone and turn the air conditioning on. Trend Blog put together a great list of 18 creative ways to use NFC.

Will NFC keep growing?

Yes. The number of NFC compatible devices increased 128% from 2012 to 2013. IHS Technology predicts that two in three devices will be NFC compatible by 2018. Plus, VISA Europe saw their contactless payments increase four fold in 2013. While brands are starting to experiment with beacons, NFC still has its own specific use and purpose. It’s cheaper and works within a much more specific location than beacons.

What’s the security like?

NFC only works within a close range — usually four inches or less — and the signals are very specific. In order for a hacker to get a hold of your information, they would have to be extremely close to your phone or credit card. In addition, any data stored on your phone like credit card information is encrypted and usually has a number of added security features like pins and passwords. Get a full explanation of NFC security here.

Bottom line, NFC is here to stay but there are a multitude of other technologies disrupting the space. When it comes to designing a marketing or advertising campaign, make sure to consider your goals, budget and customers when deciding which one to use.

Photo Credit: Kārlis Dambrāns

What is Geofencing?

July 18, 2014

9583733811_ebd75013d9_z Brands are embracing proximity marketing as a way to engage with their audience and customers in unique, targeted, and personal ways. Thanks to mobile adoption and increased technologies, marketers are experimenting with all kinds of location-specific messaging — alerts and messages, coupons, local search, social media interactions and more.

For brands with physical locations to use, geofencing is one of the options for proximity marketing. Geofencing creates a virtual fence around a specific area where companies can enable communications to mobile devices within the perimeter. Geofencing works through an app or a network-based geofence. When deciding which way to go, it really comes down to your budget and long term goals — if you’re looking to increase app engagement and mobile sales, you might want to build or leverage an app. If your budget is smaller or you there are no long term benefits of having an app, just use network capabilities.

One important thing to mention is the difference between geofencing and iBeacons. Geofencing is optimized for larger and outdoor locations, between 50 and 50,000 meters while beacons have a maximum range of 30 meters and are better used indoors. Beacons require special hardware to be installed, Bluetooth must be enabled and work on iPhone 4s or newer, and iOS 7 or newer. Geofencing does not require special hardware or connection to access points (though WiFi will create higher accuracy). Geofencing will work on iOS 5 or newer, and iPhone 4 or newer.

Location based marketing — whether utilized through geofencing or beacons — brings huge opportunities to marketers to increase ROI, build customer loyalty and reduce expenses. Since the messaging is locally-targeted and contextual, you can engage in meaningful ways. If sales are slowing down at a specific time, send a coupon. If you’re having a special event, send a reminder. Encourage your customers to connect on social media. And most importantly, use data to analyze and adjust your marketing campaigns.

Let us know how your brand is using geofencing!

Photo Credit: Doug Zwick

Helping Build the Next Generation of the Legacy Project Chicago

July 11, 2014

We are happy to announce that Tactify is partnering with The Legacy Project in Chicago to create a new digitally interactive experience for visitors. The Legacy Walk is an outdoor museum showcasing LGBT contributions to history and runs along North Halsted Street. Visitors will now be able to supplement their experience on the Legacy Walk by accessing their entire database on their mobile devices by tapping over an NFC chip or scanning a QR code.

Legacy Project Co-Founder and Executive Director Victor Salvo (center) takes a photo-op break with Tactify Co-Founder Richard Dupé (right) and Tactify National Account Manager, Daniel Beatty.

Once implemented, the existing plaques will be supplemented with video, images and audio content, providing an even richer experience for visitors. Eventually, each plaque will be enabled with beacons, making it even easier to learn about the inspiring people who are celebrated throughout the Legacy Walk.

Full NFC and QR code implementation is expected in June 2015 – LGBT Pride Month – in advance of the dedication of Phase IV of the Legacy Walk next fall. Make sure to follow Tactify and The Legacy Project on Twitter for continuous updates. You can learn more about visiting The Legacy Project here.

Integrating iBeacons into Your Mobile Strategy

June 27, 2014

Context, not content, is the new king. The opportunities to add customization to marketing strategies are endless with the use of big data, social media and location tools. iBeacons present the perfect opportunity to use these tools to better engage with audiences and customers. Using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), iBeacons send notifications based on proximity to bluetooth-enabled smartphones. For retailers, event marketers and travel brands (amongst many others), implementing a context-heavy iBeacon strategy can result in higher sales, brand awareness and strong customer engagement. These are some of the first considerations to take when integrating iBeacons into a marketing strategy.

To App or Not to App?

In order for iBeacons to work, there has to be the actual beacon hardware, a bluetooth-enabled mobile device and something for the beacon to communicate with. Most brands choose to use their own native app to push iBeacon notifications because they are already built and have additional functionality such as mobile shopping, rewards programs, etc. Building these apps can be extremely time consuming and expensive, though. Perhaps you want to consider creating a pass that works with Passbook instead. This will still allow context-aware notifications based on location but save on time and money. Choosing the best option depends on budget and marketing goals.

2. Proximity and Context

The next step in developing an iBeacon strategy is choosing the proper communications to send. With iBeacons, you can send a variety of notifications based on a smartphone’s proximity to the hardware. For example; a welcome message can appear when walking through the door and a notification about a special sale can appear when the user approaches a specific product. Keep the customer in mind when developing these commuications — what are they interested in learning about? How many times do they want to receive notifications? Remember, context is key. Know your customer and use appropriate language. Don’t overwhelm them with too many notifications!

3. Integration

Once you have decided on an iBeacon strategy that works with your brand, integrate it into your overall marketing plan. Drive app downloads or pass installs on Passbook, and encourage people to the vicinity of the iBeacons, in social media and email communications. Make sure your customers have the ability to share their experience on their own social media channels and through email and text messages. Implement A/B testing and appropriate measurement systems to test and improve your communications.

Check out these best practices for mobile marketing for more tips on optimizing your iBeacon strategy.

Best Practices for Mobile Marketing

June 18, 2014

Mobile advertising is growing five times faster than desktop internet marketing and the reasons are simple. Consumers spend the majority of their time looking at their phones and use their smartphones for everything from communicating to finding the next deal to research and games. No matter your business, mobile marketing is something to consider. If you’re ready to make the leap, these are some best practices to consider when developing your mobile marketing or advertising campaign.

Relevance

Mobile marketing is all about relevance. Define your audience and figure out what they want. For example, Millennials are constantly looking for the best deals and coupons.

Personal

Make your messaging personal — don’t just use a generic message. The power of mobile and big data is that you can identify locations and interests. Use this to your advantage.

Simplify

Mobile screens are small so keep your design simple and intuitive. The easier to launch and navigate your app, Passbook or website, the more likely consumers will use it and return.

Location

Forty percent of searches on mobile are local. With the power of NFC, iBeacons and geofencing, you can use location to send hypercontextual and personalized messages. With iBeacons, you can send two different notifications when a customer walks into a store and when they approach the sale rack.

Social

As if we had to say it — be social! Make it easy for consumers to both follow your brand on social media and share with their networks. Automate fun, personalized messages that will increase engagement with your brand.

What is the best mobile marketing campaign you’ve seen?

3 Beacon Myths Exposed

June 11, 2014

Beacons — ever since Apple deployed them in their stores last fall businesses have been exploring and testing a number of ways to use them. Businesses are jumping on board because of the opportunity to reach consumers where they spend most of their time — on their phones. In fact, almost three quarters of Millennials said they would be interested in using their mobile to connect with brands’ loyalty programs. Beacons present the perfect opportunity.

Photo via VektorDigital

Retailers have started pilot programs, stadiums have them in place for baseball season and some airlines are even using them to make travel easier. While beacons have gained some momentum, they are still new to the market and have some misconceptions. We clarified three of the most popular myths. If you have other questions about beacons, let us know below!

Myth #1: Beacons are exclusive to Apple devices.

More often than not, you’ll hear iBeacon instead of just beacon. Apple trademarked “iBeacon” to indicate their specific technology standard which all Apple devices with iOS 7 or later use. However, Android devices can receive communications from iBeacons, too. All beacons use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to locate devices and push hyper-contextual notifications. The main difference is that Android devices cannot transmit information to iBeacons.

Myth #2: You need an app for beacons to work.

Most businesses using beacons are pushing notifications through their apps — and this will probably be the norm for a while. Walgreens, American Eagle and Macy’s have all deployed beacon programs that communicate in-store with customers who have downloaded their apps. However, Passbook presents another opportunity for marketers and businesses to utilize beacon technology. Instead of downloading an app, consumers would be required to add a store-specific pass or loyalty card to Passbook. The use of Passbook with beacons is definitely a space to watch.

Myth #3: Beacons are tracking you and collecting data.

Privacy has been a concern in the adoption of beacons due to their location-specific technology. However, beacons simply recognize the Bluetooth in mobile devices to trigger specific notifications based on location. Depending on the range between a mobile device and the beacon, different notifications can be sent. The beacons themselves do not track customers, cannot identify who you are and do not collect data.

Have more questions about beacons and how they work? Drop them below!

The iOS 8 Feature Marketers Need to Know About

June 3, 2014

At Tactify, we take the complexity out of complex technologies to help businesses connect with their customers where they spend most of their time — on their phones. One of the technologies that has been booming lately is iBeacons. So of course, we were curious if Apple would announce updates at WWDC.

Turns on, the rumors were wrong. Apple held out on even mentioning iBeacons but within their iOS 8 announcement was a significant update when it comes to location services.

Photo via MacRumors

With the updated software, relevant apps appear on the lock screen based on your location. Walk into an Apple store, Starbucks or Vons and their apps appear in the bottom left of the lock screen. Apps for banks and train stations were also reported to appear. According to MacRumors, the feature works using both the App Store app and Location Services (which have to be turned on). Even if you don’t the app of a nearby establishment, it will appear in the lock screen and bring you to the App Store where you can download it.

Why is this update important? First off, it will be much easier and faster for consumers to launch apps for in-store purchases and coupons. For businesses with apps, it lets customers know that they have an app – and makes them easier to download. Furthermore, it gives businesses even more reasons to use iBeacons by addressing one of the biggest hurdles – the need for consumers to download a separate app. If businesses want to use iBeacons to offer discounts through their app, the process to download the app has been simplified to swipe and download. Plus, with the ability to now use Touch ID with third party apps makes it even simpler.

We’ll be sure to report on additional details to this feature in the upcoming weeks! Follow us on Twitter!

Introducing Tactify

March 9, 2014

Today we are excited to introduce Tactify, a new way for businesses to create interactive mobile marketing solutions, through an easy to use online dashboard.

Our work began many months ago, but now to see the simplicity in which you can create and order items that connect to your digital world is a reward in itself.

The Internet of Things also known as IoT is changing the very way we interact with the physical world. The internet is a social environment, and at the heart of it all is people.

Business cards are an essential part of our business world. We used some technology magic to create some really effective business cards. Why not allow your first meeting to be social and memorable? Why can’t we have fun with our technology interactions, bring smiles to people’s faces, and ‘Get Physical with Digital’.

Along with NFC and QR technology we also offer solutions using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), where anyone from retail managers, advertising agencies or large enterprises can connect, design and build their very own interactive mobile and/or print campaigns. We were careful not to become too heavily focused on one particular technology which allows us to quickly adapt to our ever changing and connected world. It could be NFC, BLE, or the latest version of Wifi – no matter the technology, Tactify comes with a self-managed dashboard that automatically integrates with the latest technology to suit the needs of any business.

Our vision for Tactify is to allow businesses of all sizes to easily create digital content for contact details, events and promotions and connect with a variety of print media that is available to order.

The printed products include business cards, posters, Stickers and Social Tiles that can be ordered directly onsite and will be delivered connected to your digital and fully customized content. Your Tactify account allows you to update, monitor and manage your digital content in real time.

dashboard

Looking Forward

We hope you enjoy Tactify when we announce its release in the following weeks and look forward to the many features we will be adding soon. We’ll continue to improve our core offerings, ‘Made to Connect’, ‘Made to Promote’ and ‘Built for Enterprise’. Working from anywhere and any device is also crucial, so expect to see a mobile version of Tactify too. And we promise to continue to experiment with features that keep your business connected and ahead of your competitors with ‘Tactify Labs’ where we work closely with the developer community to ensure we – and you – are remaining cutting edge in the industry.

We believe that businesses have only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of mobile marketing. Every business knows they need a mobile strategy but aren’t so sure where to start. With Tactify we help you reach the critical last 3 feet where customers are won or lost. We feel businesses should have easy and self managed tools that can help them achieve this. Why not Tactify today!

You can sign up now to request access to our private beta—we plan to make it available to as many people as possible in the coming weeks. Thanks for checking us out, and we look forward to hearing from you soon. Make sure to subscribe to the blog for updates, you are definitely going to see some exciting times ahead!