Marketing Tips For Using QR Codes

QR (Quick Response) codes are getting extremely popular as a fun tool to advertise businesses, products, services, and anything else you could possibly think of. Originally used in the automotive industry, these readable codes are now appearing in magazines, on shop walls, on websites and even on huge billboards – but how do they work? And more importantly, how well do they work for your marketing strategy?

What Are QR Codes?

• QR codes are 2D barcodes that when read by a smartphone or webcam can direct the user to a website, video, or other important information regarding a product or company.
• They can be used both in online and offline marketing, as a way to get people to your website, and for those who want to save or print the information from your site before coming back to it later.

Who Can Use QR Codes?            

• In terms of marketing purposes, anyone with something to sell or promote can use them. There are many websites out there that can create your code for you, or you can enlist the help of a web design and development company.
• With regards to users, anyone with a smartphone or other mobile with camera attached can take a photograph of the code and be taken to the website or intended destination.
• Users without smartphones can make use of code reading websites or they can use the webcam on their desktop or laptop.

What Are The Advantages?

• Reach a wider range of people by focusing on offline as well as online marketing. You can put your QR code in magazines and newspapers, on posters and leaflets, and even on business cards that people can take home and explore at their leisure later.
• There is a certain ‘mystery’ about QR codes; seeing a poster with an intriguing headline, a QR code, and no other information, may encourage users to capture the code out of sheer curiosity.

What Are The Disadvantages?

• QR codes only really work if you have a website suited to mobile platforms, with all the important information on the page they will land on. Directing a user to a slow or non-existent mobile site will just annoy them and lose you custom.
• They can be used as part of a marketing strategy, but they shouldn’t be your main strategy for promotion. Not everyone knows what a QR code is, and even if they do, not everyone who sees it will be able to take their phone out and scan the code.

Other Things To Consider

• For those who don’t know what a QR code is, or don’t know how to read it, include some simple instructions next to the code.
• Make sure you place your codes in accessible places – having one on a big billboard may be a novel idea, but not if it’s on a road where people are unlikely to be able to stop and take a photo of them.
• Before printing your code on any physical promotion material, ensure you test it to make sure it works how it should. It’s a good idea to use several different devices to guarantee maximum promotion, and check that the mobile site you’ve chosen works quickly and efficiently on each different type of phone.

When used properly, QR codes can enhance your marketing strategy and add a little fun for potential customers as well. If you want to find out more about these codes – especially with regards to integrating them into your site, feel free to contact us to get more information.