There is a service that I've used for a while that will shorten your long web addresses and allow you to track access. The website called Bitly.com is one you can use without creating an account. There is an advantage to having your own account. If you are logged in, you can see all the shortened URLs you have created. You can also click on any one of those and analyze the access.  I recently blogged about kinetic typography and inserted a link shortened from Bitly.com for the sole purpose of tracking clicks on that link. I can tell you that 15 readers clicked on the link within my post. 

On Bitly.com, you can also bundle several links together in a package. Let's say I wanted to recommend books from different authors. I could bundle those website pages into a single link. Here is an example of a bundled link: BOOKS TO READ IN 2012. All clicks on each link in the bundle would then be tracked. The beauty is that I can add to this bundled list at any time. I can post it to Facebook or tweet it as this:  bitly.com/zI852e.  Then each link can be tracked for clicks. 

I've blogged on QR codes in the past as a marketing tool. CLICK HERE to see all past posts on QR codes. I know you think I'm obsessed with these things. Really, I'm not. I think people need to know what they are and how easy it is to create them. The Bitly.com site will also automatically create your QR code and track how many clicks and the source of the visitor.  This QR code leads to the Amazon page for Alex Cavanaugh's debut novel, CassaStar.  You can test it with your Smartphone or iPad QR code reader.  If you don't have one, I linked the  image at the left to the URL where you can just click on it to see what would happen with the reader.

Bitly is one more free tool out there that may the solution to your marketing or blogging dilemmas. In the past, I didn't log in when using the service because I didn't care about the tracking. I would use it to shorten a URL that seemed to stretch on for miles. Now that I have a book on the market, I'm more interested in what leads to a "click" and what doesn't. 

DL Hammons, Katie Mills (Creepy Query Girl), Lydia Kang, and Nicole Ducleroir are the hosts for the Deja Vu Blogfest.

This is a day for all those taking part to re-post their favorite blog offering, or one that never received the exposure it should have.  Then as the day unfolds and everyone hops from one blog to another, what they will be reading is the best of the best. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE OTHERS

I looked through all my posts, and it figures that I would choose a tech topic as the one needing a second chance. It's a short post, but this one is so easy for people to implement. If you haven't noticed the QR codes on packaging, take a look on the next item you purchase. They are everywhere!  I actually had a series of three posts where I discussed the use of QR codes (LINK here) , but I chose one for today's Deja Vu Blogfest.

I posted a few days ago about the technology of QR codes and how you should be using it for marketing. My lack of foresight to place it on my business card was unfortunate, but I will get another chance to use a QR code. The idea is to use it for something that will entice the technology savvy viewer to grab his/her smartphone and access something more.

I see a lot of bookmarks floating around that are real beauties. They have great colors, catchy blurbs, bold author names, and brilliant images.  But they are static. Why not animate your bookmark with access to a special book trailer? The reader not only gets the words promoting your new release but a visual with music and emotions. I will be working on a book trailer for The Waiting Booth very soon. For now, I'll show you how it can be done with someone else's trailer.

First, you can go to any QR code generator site. I mentioned http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ in the last post. Once there, I pasted the URL address for the YouTube book trailer in the box labeled URL. I chose a medium size for the code and clicked the Generate button.   I copied the html code from the box underneath the image of the code. Do you have a QR code reader? (I use the free AT & T code scanner app on my iPhone.)  If you do, then you will point your smartphone camera at the code below and use the app to reveal the trailer and watch it on your phone.  This image could easily be placed on the bookmark you hand out of your newest release. If you don't have a reader, here is where you can go to look at the mystery book trailer: http://youtu.be/P_UUVwTaemk . 

See the QR code below:

UPDATE 12/16/2011: After posting this last April, I did develop a book trailer. Alas, I didn't do that in time to place it on the marketing materials, my romance trading card for The Waiting Booth. So, my trading cards have the QR code for my website URL.  I plan to do a new trading card for Whisper of Memory, my upcoming release.  I'll place a QR code for the new book trailer on the card.

This last installment on the wonders of marketing with QR codes will tell you about creative ways to use the barcode. In marketing, you need something that excites the customer. Something unique. What can be more fun than finding a prize? I sometimes pay more for the movie DVD that has extras vs. the standard movie-only version. Why? Well, it's just fun to know about the special effects, interviews, bloopers, stunts, etc. Publishers and authors can give their customers more than just the book. It's like finding the "cracker jack" prize amid the caramel popcorn.

1.) Videos: Let's say that you want to include some interesting extras. If your book centers around an alien abduction, you could include video interviews of people who say they've been abducted. Or it could just be an author interview. The popularity of YouTube should tell us that people love short video clips.
2.) Backlist: The barcode can link to your page with your backlist of all your titles.  As long as the URL stays the same, you can continually add to this list as your portfolio grows.
3.) Scavenger hunt: Make it a game to hop from book to blog and other websites for QR code clues in solving a mystery for a prize.
4.) Email subscriber list: Build your subscriber list by linking the QR code directly to the sign up page for your updates, blog, newsletter, etc.

I posted a few days ago about the technology of QR codes and how you should be using it for marketing. My lack of foresight to place it on my business card was unfortunate, but I will get another chance to use a QR code. The idea is to use it for something that will entice the technology savvy viewer to grab his/her smartphone and access something more.

I see a lot of bookmarks floating around that are real beauties. They have great colors, catchy blurbs, bold author names, and brilliant images.  But they are static. Why not animate your bookmark with access to a special book trailer? The reader not only gets the words promoting your new release but a visual with music and emotions. I will be working on a book trailer for The Waiting Booth very soon. For now, I'll show you how it can be done with someone else's trailer.

First, you can go to any QR code generator site. I mentioned http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ in the last post. Once there, I pasted the URL address for the YouTube book trailer in the box labeled URL. I chose a medium size for the code and clicked the Generate button.   I copied the html code from the box underneath the image of the code. Do you have a QR code reader? (I use the free AT & T code scanner app on my iphone.)  If you do, then you will point your smartphone camera at the code below and use the app to reveal the trailer and watch it on your phone.  This image could easily be placed on the bookmark you hand out of your newest release. If you don't have a reader, here is where you can go to look at the mystery book trailer: http://youtu.be/P_UUVwTaemk . 

This is the QR code: 

Have you seen QR (Quick Response) codes in shop windows or on promotional items? If you haven't yet, I predict you'll notice one now. QR codes are 2-D barcodes that have been all the rage in Japan.  Businesses use the barcodes to drive customers to related content and buzz about their products. I've heard that 2011 is the year of the QR code. If Starbucks, Best Buy, and Coca-Cola are using the codes, I want to be on that marketing bandwagon.

Today, I downloaded a QR code scanner/reader app to my iphone.  It worked beautifully when I pointed my iphone to scan a QR code. In all of  a second, it brought up a webpage of additional information about the product.  Why is this important for a writer interested in marketing? It's quick, easy, fun, and CHEAP.  Free websites will allow you to generate a code.  To see one such generator, go to http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ .

Here's an example of how I should have used the QR code last week. I had business cards printed. They list my business as "Author".  Initially, I wanted to put my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks on the card. It was just TOO MUCH information to print on the card. So, I decided to leave those things off. Now I could kick myself. I forgot that I could have printed the QR code on the back. I've already collected several business cards with the QR code added. That's only one example of a use for the QR code.

I plan to follow up this post with marketing ideas for authors. First things first. Here's a YouTube video showing some uses of the general marketing uses for the QR code.