DIGITAL CHALLENGE: PROFILE: Freda McEnroe, MYiFLi:MYIFLI IS a web application that allows businesses and users not familiar with technology to create web pages in less than five minutes, using everything from logos to images to create their own marketing campaigns.
The digital venture was set up eight months ago by Freda McEnroe who, from her experience in marketing, knew a lot of companies were having problems with mobile marketing. Often, they did not have the people or budget to create an app.
That’s where MYiFLYi comes in. It allows non-tech users to create pages quickly and easily. The pages can have links to the company’s website, direct touch dialling and to any other site or social media location that the company wants. The iFLi page also gives information about a business, product or promotion.
McEnroe previously worked in sales and marketing for medical distribution firm BM Browne. It was there she had her first taste of the technology sector, project managing the selection of a new IT system.
She then went on to work with technology firm Globetrack, which provides software for tour operators. It was at Globetrack, a company she is now the chief executive of, that she came up with the idea for MYiFLi.
Globetrack had been creating itineraries for tour operators using a reporting tool but then started issuing itineraries with web pages. “We felt if we could do a web page instantly using images, logos etc, if would be a lot easier. It also made sense to combine web pages with smartphone technology to create mobile pages.
I have a smartphone, I was getting text messages, and with the growth in online research and online shopping it seemed a logical step to provide more information to the user there and then.
“If I am interested in that brand and the message is delivered to my phone, why should a user have to move to a different screen to see what is on offer?”
The websites of smaller businesses tend to remain static and can be notoriously difficult for users to update, according to McEnroe, who decided the idea of a visual “campaign specific” flyer seemed more apt.
“So I made it easy to create and publish web pages that are specifically designed to work on mobile devices. It makes sense – print flyers have been in use for years, this is the modern version.”
The pages work for mobile and standard-resolution screens, and each is available as a short URL so people can target their specific market via text message, email or by QR code.
McEnroe believes the iFLi pages will help companies market their product or service better.
“Take for example QR codes. They represent an excellent technology but they are used badly. They usually just direct the user to a company website which appears tiny on a person’s smartphone. They should direct to specific mobile pages where the customer can interact with the company.”
For example, if a theatre production company were staging a new show they could place an ad in a paper with a QR code. A member of the public can scan the QR code and will be brought straight to an iFLi page which contains a YouTube video preview of the show. On that same page the user could also call or email the theatre to book tickets.
People can create as many iFLi pages as they want for free but they must pay to publish them. Companies can also pay for a licence for a particular length of time, for example one month, during which they can make unlimited mobile iFLi pages.
McEnroe's next aim is to market MYiFLi through resellers such as digital marketing agencies, print and design companies and the print media. Companies that are already providing marketing support services for clients could offer them iFLi pages too. The product will also be available for members of the public and businesses to use at myifli.com
