Utilizing the QR Code
Posted on by Timothy Boyle
QR codes are all the rage right now and they should be due to their usefulness in marketing and information sharing. But for many people currently using QR codes they seem to think the QR code is an end in itself, this could not be further from the truth.
A QR code by itself is boring, and often companies connect this boring 2D black and white bar code to a just as boring and hard to navigate desktop website, all the while feeling as though they have presented the world with some great accomplishment. Well sadly they have done no such thing, instead they have only wasted their time and money, while wasting the time of the unfortunate customer’s who chose to scan the code.
A QR code is only as useful as the advertisement convincing the consumer to scan the code and the content the code is connected to. If you can’t convince the consumer to scan the code then it doesn’t matter how good the content is, no one will ever see it. If you can get the consumer to scan the code but it takes them to a boring, hard to navigate, or irrelevant landing page, then it is of no use if they see it as they won’t be sticking around very long to make your QR code investment worth it.
A solid marketing strategy must be used to convince your targeted consumer to scan the QR code. Whether this is through promising some reward, interesting content, an interactive experience, a special deal or simply dressing it in pretty colors, it does not matter, just make sure you have convinced the consumer that it is worth their time to pull out their phone and scan the code.
Once you have figured out how to convince the consumer to scan the QR code you need to make sure you have content that will keep them interested and complete whatever goal you hoped they would achieve by scanning the code. It is important that your landing page be mobile friendly, which often means paying for individual mobile website development. You can limit this expense by subscribing to a company that provides a mobile web site creation platform to ensure you can create many mobile sites at a minimal cost and that are already connected to the QR code. From here it is simply about creating the relevant content. For example, if you wish for the visitor to complete a purchase, perhaps you might offer a discount if they make the purchase from the mobile website, or perhaps you reward the visitor with a coupon if they agree to send you their contact information, or maybe you offer them a sneak peak at a newly released movie trailer. Just make sure the content is relevant to the pitch you made to get them to scan the code in the first place.
Only when both of these facets of the QR code are mastered will the use of this technology be worth the resources spent.
