QR codes in marketing have been a mainstay for the past decade. That’s because they provide brands with an opportunity to engage and interact with users, even through physical ads. And QR codes have been making waves amongst consumers, too. A large portion of US consumers scan QR codes related to marketing, which just goes to show how powerful QR codes can be when included in marketing strategies.
Unfortunately, however, successful implementations of QR codes into your marketing campaigns isn’t as easy as just embedding it on a poster or billboard. There’s a lot that goes into a successful QR codes for marketing, and if you’re just starting out, it can be confusing. But no worries, My QR Code is here to help! Over the course of this article, we’ll delve into the ins and outs of marketing QR codes, and give you some use cases to serve as inspiration. Let’s get started!
What are QR Codes in marketing?
Let’s start off simple. A QR (Quick Response) code is a black and white square that, when scanned, transports users to set digital pages. With that in mind, a marketing QR code is simply tied to some sort of marketing campaign. This can include campaigns focusing on product promotion, encouraging brand engagement, customer retention initiatives like loyalty programs, and much more.
Fact is, QR codes can be implemented at every stage of the marketing funnel, from advocacy straight through to advocacy. And we’ll be exploring how in the following sections.
Large Scale Marketing and Print Ads with QR Codes
These are campaigns which focus on high-traffic areas in busy transport hubs and city centers. QR codes will usually be paired with visually engaging posters and billboards and are often linked to product pages, or viral ad campaigns where the name of the game is to increase engagement amongst consumers with your brand.
Digital Marketing with QR Codes
While QR codes are most heavily used in physical forms of marketing, it would be a mistake to rule them out of your digital marketing campaigns! These types of QR code work best when paired with video content (think QR codes on Youtube or TV ads), where viewers can scan the QR code from the comfort of their couch or desktop.
These kinds of QR codes are usually used when advertising phone apps, or when linked directly to product or service sign-up pages.
QR Codes for Feedback Collection
Feedback collection is crucial for marketing, as it’s the best way to get customer testimonials for products and services. Especially when you consider that just having online reviews can boost sales by 270%. That just shows how much consumers trust the opinions of actual users!
QR codes can added to product packaging, or placed around physical storefront locations, providing users with an easy way to provide feedback.
QR Codes for Business Cards
It’s not just big businesses that can take advantage of QR codes. They’re a perfect implementation for small businesses and self-employed workers who want to enhance their marketing initiatives.
They can be embedded on business cards linking to social media pages, or even to booking apps like Calendly, where potential clients can organize appointments with you instantly.
QR Codes for Social Media
You’ll often see these QR codes at events, and specific ad campaigns from businesses. The purpose is to get more people to follow you on your social handles, providing you another promotion channel and a chance to engage with your consumers online.
Considering that 76% of users purchase something they saw on social media (via Forbes), getting a following on social media should be a core focus for businesses. Especially if they want to increase their sales.
Email Marketing with QR Codes
These types of QR codes are similar to those used for social media, the only difference is that you’re trying to get more people into your email contact lists. Doing so will provide another promotional opportunity, and can be a great way to increase your customer retention, especially if you accompany email sign-ups with loyalty programs and sales promotions.
How do Marketing QR Codes Work
Marketing QR codes are so popular because they are interactive by their very nature. They solve one of the issues that many marketers face; how do you increase the chances that a consumer will engage or interact with an ad or marketing material?
To access the information behind a QR code, consumers have to actively scan it with their smartphone. That’s direct interaction with your brand and your ads. This is a great way to promote engagement with your brand, especially as you can link to business social media pages, providing even more engagement opportunities. Engaged customers are loyal customers, and considering that loyal customers spend 67% more on average, ensuring you’re engaging customers is crucial to business success.
Aside from promoting customer engagement, marketing QR codes can also be used to measure the effectiveness of your different marketing channels, which we’ll explore in the next section.
Evaluating Marketing Strategies with QR Codes
When you’re using physical marketing strategies and ad space, like billboards, posters, fliers, and the like, it’s nigh-on impossible to see whether consumers are actually engaging with them. With the addition of a QR code, however, that’s not a problem.
For instance, if you generate a QR code on the My QR Code platform, you’ll have access to an analytics dashboard that tracks valuable information. This includes the number of scans, where those scans came from, and even the location of the scan and the device that made it. This helps you identify what marketing material consumers are interacting with, and those that aren’t seeing as much traffic.
With this kind of information on-hand, you can tweak your marketing strategies to ensure you’re reaching your marketing targets.
Marketing QR Codes Use Cases
We’d be remiss if we didn’t show you some of the creative ways QR codes have been implemented in marketing campaigns. And as they’re so common, there’s a large pool to look at! You’ll notice that QR codes are often connected to viral marketing campaigns, where the name of the game is to get as many people interacting with the campaign as possible.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
- Coca-Cola Share a Song – ‘Share a Song’ was an extension of the ‘Share a Coke’ idea, where Coca-Cola printed lyrics on their cans from well-known songs with an accompanying QR code. When scanned, users would be transported to animated videos featuring the lyrics from the can, which could then be shared on social media and private messages. A perfect example of QR code marketing straight from a product.
- Dove Know Your Product – Dove used posters at transport hubs with QR codes and when scanned, would direct users to a webpage discussing Dove’s sourcing and manufacturing practices. Customers could also comment and suggest new ideas to improve their practices and products, engaging with the brand and leading to an increase in customer retention for Dove.
- Calvin Klein Get It Uncensored – In this campaign, Calvin Klein used bright red QR codes on billboards with the tagline ‘Get It Uncensored’. When the QR code is scanned, users are taken to an exclusive commercial featuring a model wearing CK products, which could then be shared online. A perfect example of product promotion and customer engagement.
You’ve seen how companies have implemented QR codes in their marketing initiatives, now let’s take a look at the impact of QR codes in marketing.
The Facts on Marketing with QR Codes
Marketing QR codes are practically everywhere. The fact that they’re so popular speaks for the success of QR codes already, but if you’re still not convinced, let’s take a look at the hard facts of how QR codes are affecting marketing:
- At least 45% of American shoppers scan QR codes related to marketing (via Statista).
- 43% of consumers said they’d scanned a QR code on product packaging to visit a brand’s website, with 34% scanning a QR code to learn about a company or to enter a contest, highlighting QR codes ability to engage with consumers (via Statista).
- Brands with omnichannel marketing strategies retain 90% of their customers, compared to just 33% customer retention amongst those using single-channel initiatives (via Invescpro). QR codes linking to social media handles and email signups are a great way to build your omnichannel strategies.
While these numbers are impressive, you still need to know how to implement QR codes properly in order to properly take advantage of them. Luckily, we’ve got some tips for you coming up that’ll give you a strong foothold in the world of QR code marketing.
How to Maximize the Impact of a Marketing QR Code
Generating a QR code may be easy, but implementing it effectively can be confusing. But, with a little know-how, and some creativity, you’ll get the hang of it in no-time!
- Location, Location, Location – Where you put your QR code matters; it should be somewhere clearly visible, with high levels of foot traffic. Marketing QR codes are only good if they reach a large audience of people, so choose somewhere that will get it in front of as many eyes as possible!
- Make it Standout – If you want users to engage with your QR code, it needs to be easily identifiable. Distinct colors that standout from the background with a CTA like ‘Scan Me’ are good ways to encourage interaction.
- Be Creative – Linking to a product page may seem like the most obvious way to use a marketing QR code, but if that’s all you’re focusing on, you might be missing out! QR codes are a great way to foster engagement with consumers and your brand, and can be used to get customers involved in some type of activity revolving around your products and brand.
- Analytics are Your Friend – Remember to keep an eye on the performance of your QR codes! That way, you can identify the channels which are drawing in the most consumers, and the strategies which could use a little tweaking.
How to Generate a QR Code for your marketing campaigns
If you’re looking to throw your hate in the ring of marketing with QR codes, you’re in the right place! My QR Code is a dedicated QR code generator, with an emphasis on simplicity. We’ve built our platform from the ground up to ensure even complete beginners will be able to generate their own QR codes quickly. Let’s see how easy it can be:
- Head to the My QR Code generator page – We’ll use the Link QR Code Generator as an example, but for other needs, you can generate QR codes for PDFs, vCards, Social Media, Business Pages, and so much more!
- Next, you’ll need to paste the link to the webpage you want to direct users to in the required field. It’s also a good idea to name your QR code, so you can find it easily later if you need to change anything.
- Moving on, you’ll need to design your QR code. My QR Code allows you to tweak the appearance of your QR code in multiple ways; change the color, choose between QR pattern and corner square presets, and even add your own logo for a fully branded QR experience!
- Once you’re done, click ‘Finish’, and head on to the next page where you’ll find your finished QR code. Make sure to give it a test scan, and ensure everything is in working order.
- Finally, save your QR code as a JPEG, PNG, or SVG, and you’re done!
We weren’t kidding when we said it was easy! Keep in mind, if you’re looking to resize your QR code for use on different marketing materials, we’d recommend saving as an SVG or PNG, which will help maintain the quality of your QR code, whatever the size. Also, have a quick read on the best size of QR codes, to ensure you size your QR code appropriately for your needs.