QR codes are a recent phenomenon which offer some exciting marketing possibilities. From bus stop posters, to magazines to leaflets QR codes can be printed anywhere and provide the perfect fusion of print and internet marketing. Do some great print marketing, get a potential customer to scan the QR code and carry on their experience with fantastic digital advertising. So how exactly do QR codes work and what’s the best way to approach them?
What exactly is it?
A QR code (quick response code) is one of those little black and white boxes, a matrix barcode, which can hold loads of data. Originally used by the automotive industry, smartphones which can act like bar-scanners have widened the possibilities for the QR code, and they are now used heavily in advertising. A person downloads a QR app on their phone which can scan the barcodes and they are then taken to a website via their smartphone.
The best kinds of QR codes
What do you want your QR code to take a consumer to? If it’s just a way to get them to your website then it might not be worth it. Firstly, you need to make sure the site is optimised to work on a mobile phone. The QR should take them to a landing page specifically designed for mobile devices. If they scan and are taken to a desktop site they’re not going to bother with all the tricky navigation stuff and will be immediately put off.
The most successful QR codes are those which offer a consumer something. An easy to use voucher, discount or the like will get you the best return on a QR code. Some marketers like the “element of mystery” strategy whereby the printed marketing is minimal, sometimes just giving a consumer a card with only a QR code on it. This might make them intrigued and more likely to scan, but you then really need to step up your game on the landing page itself as they might have no interest whatsoever in what you’re offering. There’s something to be said for clever print marketing which gives a consumer an idea of what you’re about so visitors are actually relevant and have an initial interest in you for you to build on.
QR codes have genuine potential for the future of marketing especially since they offer the unique experience of going from the physical offline world, into the digital online world – surely a psychological experience which can be capitalised on by the right kind of marketing. The QR codes are the perfect fusion of print services and online marketing; a consumer is more likely to trust your online presence if they’ve been given a QR code in the physical world so it’s well worth taking the time to invest in them.
