Using QR Codes in Marketing to Bridge the Gap

Most saavy business owners are using QR codes in marketing because they know a secret. Would you like in on it? In our ever changing technical world, QR Codes (short for Quick Response Codes) promise to bridge the gap between the virtual world and the physical world. How? The beauty lies in today’s smart phone technology.

TechFlash recently reported that nearly 100 million smartphones are already in use in the U.S. alone, and by 2016, the number is forecasted to reach one BILLION! Now, 100 million is nothing to sneeze at either, and if you’re not taking advantage of this technology now,  well then,  your sure to be left in the dust by your more, tech saavy competitors.

As more and more people adopt this phone technology as their own, this will all become second nature, but until then, I’ll let you in on some of the features these little black squares afford and what you might want to consider taking advantage of NOW.

Originally used in the automotive industry to track parts, these little codes can now store all kinds of information about YOUR business~which can easily be interpretated by our smart phones~which translates to getting YOUR message out loud and clear to your potential customer.

Whether you’d like to offer an in-house discount or direct your clients to an event calendar, this way of connecting creates a seamless merge between the physical and virtual world.

Regardless of your business, if a portion of your target audience uses smartphones, then a QR Code can be a great way to competitively differentiate yourself and reach people in new ways. Too, as with all online activity, your QR code actions are measurable, allowing you to analyze the effect of your efforts.

QR Codes can be used for your marketing objectives in a variety of settings and integrated into just about any type of printed materials, including:

• Conference/Event Displays
• Print Advertisements
• Business Cards
• Brochures, Posters and Flyers
• Postcards and Mailers

With a QR code, your target audience, from their mobile device can…

• Download your vCard/contact info (be sure to turn yours into a multi-media, lead generating tool!)
• Load your (mobile friendly) URL into a browser
• sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog
• Download a calendar event(s)
• recieve a coupon or special offer
• view a social media profile
• view a you tube video
• view a google maps location… and more!

Key Considerations for Effective Use of QR Codes in Marketing Campaigns

In order to use QR codes strategically, there are a few key considerations to take into account:

• Context and Content – the QR code should direct the user to targeted content that complements the printed material where the code is located. Consider pointing your url to a landing page with a call to action or two. Integrate a video and slideshow too! The beauty here is you don’t need a new QR code every time you want to update your offer.  Your URL stays the same!
• Instruction/Call to Action – Your audience, at this point in our evolution, needs a cue to entice them to scan the QR code, however. It may also be helpful to provide some information about what users can expect to find after scanning code (e.g. “scan this code for a special offer…”).
• Mobile Landing Page – it’s safe to bet that the person who scans the code will be on a handheld device. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that you direct users to a mobile-friendly landing page for an optimal user experience. Sending users to a website formatted for desktop viewing won’t be helpful and won’t make a good impression.
• Tracking & Reporting – if you’re going to use QR codes in marketing campaigns, it’s important to be able to track the number of scans over time, capture geographic data and other information. A QR code tracking and reporting system can help you do this effectivley.

Familiarizing yourself with this powerful tool and platform will lead to successfully implementing it as yet another venue for reaching today’s market and keeping ahead of your competition!

Would you like to learn more? Download the report below to learn more about the explosive growth, usage trends and buyer habits of today’s mobile consumer and how you can utilize this powerful platform to reach your target audience.