Developing a Call to Action for Your QR Code
Posted on by Timothy Boyle
Often times when I find a QR code on product packaging, or in a publication, or on an advertisement, one of the most common mistakes I find is either that there is no call to action or that it fails in its purpose. For most QR codes this will mean complete and utter failure.
The purpose of a call to action is of course to entice people to scan the code. Sure there might be a few people, likely tech savvy, that will scan your QR code without being given a reason but the vast majority will not. It is your job as the advertiser or marketer to make sure you convince the consumer that it is worth their time to scan the code. Or in some cases, to make sure they know what to do with the code itself.
QR codes are still a relatively unknown technology, though as more and more people find themselves owning smartphones this is likely to change. The people who do own a smartphone and are aware of QR codes and how to use them are likely to be younger and more techie, so as a marketer or advertiser you should certainly not be gearing your QR codes towards an older or less techie consumer. This means using a QR code to try and get people to sign up for free dentures likely won’t get as many scans as will a QR code whose purpose is to promote a new pop-song simply because of the type of people who are more likely to scan the code. So gear you call to action accordingly.
When making your call to action it is imperative that it either show excitement and/or that it clearly explains the benefit of what the person will receive by scanning the code. Do NOT simply say “scan this code”; though that is better than nothing. Instead, if you are offering a song download for example, say something like “Scan this code to get the newest track by_____!” or something like that. Or perhaps you are trying to capture more leads for your business, in this case you might have a lead capture landing page and offer a chance to win a prize for anyone who signs up. In this case you might have a call to action that says “Scan this code to sign up and enter for a chance to win $100,” or whatever. The call to action should be short, but also should explain what it is they will find on the landing page and why it is worth their time.
With a QR code, even if you do everything else right, a bad call to action, or no call to action, can make your QR code campaign useless and ensure you get few scans. The call to action is arguably the most important part of any QR code campaign because it is what convinces people to scan the code or not. The rest of your campaign might be complete garbage but as long as you have a good call to action people will definitely scan your code (but please make sure it isn’t garbage and you actually are offering good content and abiding by all the technical best practices as well).
Though Qfuse can’t write your call to action for you, our platform can at least make everything else about your QR code campaign run smoothly, so be sure to take a look at our platform and see if it can make your life easier and more efficient.
