By JFoster • May 26, 2011 • Uncategorized • 11 Comments

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Microsoft Tag is a new kind of bar code that connects almost anything in the real world to information, entertainment, and interactive experiences on your mobile phone. Tags are free to create and use. You can add them to your ads, posters, product packages, display it on your website, billboards, clothing…the list is endless. When you scan a Tag using the free Tag Reader application on your mobile phone, it will automatically open a webpage, add a contact to your address book, display a message, or dial a number – there are no long URLs to type or SMS messages to send.

Anyone can create Tags for free. And unlike other kinds of bar codes, Tags are fully customizable. You can create your Tags in black and white or colorful Tags that visually represent your business or personal brand in a spectacular manner.

Here are a few reasons to use Microsoft Tag:

Call-to-action – Use Tag as a direct response marketing tool for print campaigns; Tags automatically integrate print advertising with mobile devices.
Manage the customer experience – Use Tags to link to a mobile website or video; on a business card to instantly add someone to your address book; dial a phone number; or display a free message.
Advanced Analytics – Measure campaign effectiveness with enhanced reporting, such as the number of scans of a particular Tag over time and by geographic location. You can also group several Tags together to measure performance.
Single Reader – The Tag Reader runs on all major phone platforms and is downloaded from a single site. Every Microsoft Tag can be scanned by the Tag Reader, cutting down on consumer confusion from incompatible solutions.
Maintain brand identity – Using Custom Tags, it’s easy to customize the look of a Tag to reflect your brand’s personality.
Adaptable size – Tag’s small size allows you to maximize the information delivered to customers without taking up a lot of real estate in your printed materials and visual media forms.
Reliable reads – The Tag Reader overcomes limited camera phone optics, resolution and processing power to deliver a consistently high user experience across multiple devices and platform types
Link to your mobile app – App Download Tags make it easier for users to download your mobile app, saving them the time of searching for it in app marketplaces.

It only takes a few minutes to get started – sign into the Tag Manager to create your own Tags today.

Microsoft Tag vs. Other 2D Codes

Linking real-world objects to deeper experiences on mobile phones started in Japan with QR Codes. Microsoft Tag provides a next-generation solution that offers many useful improvements. Tag is an end-to-end system that provides many capabilities beyond simply opening a URL, and is built upon a highly scalable and flexible architecture.

The Tag system uses a cloud-based back-end that provides access to data that just isn’t possible with earlier QR codes, such as reporting on how frequently and where your Tags are being scanned. In addition, Tags allow you to dynamically change your data source – unlike other 2D codes that are associated with a single, permanent URL, Tags can be updated as frequently as you like to point to new websites, allowing you to reuse campaign materials.

Tags can be created in a much smaller size and can be read faster and under a wider range of lighting conditions. Tags can also be customized to your brand’s specific look and feel, creating visually exciting codes that enhance your message and brand. Learn more about creating Custom Tags.

The Tag Reader application runs on all major phone platforms, and unlike older formats, every Microsoft Tag can be read by every Tag Reader, so there is no consumer confusion from incompatible solutions. Tags just work.

Create Your Own Tag Here.

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About JFoster

Mobile Marketing Extremist and loving family man.

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11 Awesome Comments So Far

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Stevie Smith→
June 13, 2011 at 5:40 pm #

Hi John,

Thank you so much for this. I must admit I had never heart of this new “thing” before. Looks like a killer application and one which is going to be part of our day to day life sooner than we think.

Loved your tag design by the way.

Keep the Smiles,

Stevie

Reply
- JFoster→
  June 13, 2011 at 9:20 pm #
  
  Thanks Stevie,
  
  Yes you said it, this new technology is rapidly changing the way we live. Not just “Tags” but the Mobile Revolution in general. If you like this wait til you see some of the other ways that mobile can brand your business.
  
  JFoster
  
  Reply
Sybil Kramer→
June 12, 2011 at 5:53 pm #

I am not a techie type person and never heard of this before. I have seen people using mobile phones and pulling these things up in stores but was not sure how they worked. I was wondering if these could work in my type of business. My website provides diabetes education in the form of articles, blog posts, and videos in which we demonstrate how to cook meals that are appropriate and healthy for people with diabetes. People will be directed to other web sites from my site to learn more and purchase products. Please advise. Thanks so much for showing me a type of technology that I had never heard about before.

Reply
- JFoster→
  June 12, 2011 at 9:17 pm #
  
  Hi Sybil,
  
  This can work in any type of business. You can create a Tag to direct people to your main website or create Tags to direct people to any articles, posts or videos you choose, the options are limitless.
  
  You can even create a tag that directs people to your Facebook Fanpage so they can “Like” it. You can create tags and that link directly to your affiliate pages or a lead capture page or whatever your heart desires.
  
  If you need more direction on this just email me.
  
  JFoster
  
  Reply
Steve Dooley→
June 7, 2011 at 3:31 pm #

John, this is an absolutely killer tool! It’s like online meets offline marketing all via mobile phone! I can’t wait to start a campaign using this cutting edge technology. You can get your website and virtually anything you’re marketing to go viral at light speed with this.

Thanks man!

Reply
- JFoster→
  June 9, 2011 at 3:41 am #
  
  You said it Steve, and this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cutting edge technology that you can use with mobile to make your brand go viral. Look out for more tips and tools right here every week.
  
  JFoster
  
  Reply
Alan Jenkin→
June 2, 2011 at 7:02 pm #

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, John. I had heard of QR codes, although I’ve not actually tried using them yet, but had no idea what they were for. Your article explains the potential of these technologies very clearly, and the dialog afterward distinguishes the difference between QR codes and the Microsoft tags.

I’m looking forward to more articles from you on this and similar topics.

Alan

Reply
Julie Weishaar→
May 29, 2011 at 7:52 pm #

Thanks for this info about tags. I was just getting used to what QR codes can do. Thanks too for the explanation of the difference. Question, is there a free way to get Microsoft tags like there is with QR codes?

Reply
- JFoster→
  May 29, 2011 at 9:04 pm #
  
  Hi Julie, thanks for your question, and the answer is yes there is a free way to get Tags. I will update my post to include the link to the Microsoft tag website but for now you can find it here:
  
  Create your own Tag! .
  
  When you get to the page then just go to Tag Manager at the top right of the screen. You will then need to create a Windows Live ID if you do not already have one. If you do then sign in with your Windows Live user name and password and then the Tag Manager will open and you can begin creating your Tags.
  
  Hope this helps for now … my next video will walk you through the steps.
  
  JFoster
  
  Reply
marquita herald→
May 27, 2011 at 7:40 pm #

This is really interesting, but I’m a little confused. Sorry if this is a stupid question, I’m not exactly a techie – but are these tags the same or similar to QR Codes? Thanks!

Reply
- JFoster→
  May 27, 2011 at 9:46 pm #
  
  Hi Marquita, No thats not a stupid question at all. These Tags are very similar to QR codes
  with a few distinct differences. One difference is that there is only one reader to download
  which cuts down on some of the confusion associated with QR Code readers. There are
  several other differences which is listed in the post under Microsoft Tag vs 2d Codes. That
  will give you some of the other differenced and I will also go a little more into depth about
  that in my next post.
  
  Thanks Marquita,
  JFoster
  
  Reply