R codes are a great way to make your marketing more interactive and engaging. Whether you sell products online, want to get people more involved in your events or campaigns, or are looking for a new way to distribute coupons and flyers – QR codes can be an excellent asset.
An example of this could be a QR code on your packaging that leads the customer to a video using their new product or one placed outside an event venue with directions.
Make sure you consider what kind of experience you want people to have when they come across your codes and create content accordingly. You can create a shortcode if it is more about delivering information – like an instructional video. If it is part of your overall strategy to make more people use coupons, try creating bigger and easier codes to scan.
QR Codes may be a new marketing tool for some businesses, but they have been around long enough now to understand what works best for them; what content they can expect to get out of it, and what kind of audience is most likely to be interested in interacting with a QR code.
This post will walk you through five ways you can use QR codes in your marketing campaigns and see how it increases engagement with potential customers.
What is a QR code, and how does it work?
A QR code is a little black square that looks like pixelated pictures scanned by a smartphone or tablet’s camera. Once these square-shaped images are scanned into your device, they provide you information about what should happen next based on their preprogrammed design to prompt specific actions automatically without inputting any additional data yourself.
A great example of this kind of technology is when restaurants offer rewards points each time we use our phone as a credit card alternative at checkout counters. It only takes seconds before an app on the device automatically scans and stores all of our transaction information.
What are the benefits of using QR Codes?
The most apparent benefit to utilizing a QR code in your business’s marketing strategy is that you’re able to reach an expanded audience by including mobile users. In addition, they can work as standalone advertisements or be integrated into social media posts since it only takes seconds for people on the go to scan and open the information they need.
A second benefit is that QR codes can be scanned even if it’s just an image on a screen, which could work as your company logo or in marketing collateral for events. This makes QR codes versatile enough to be used anywhere you want to promote your business. Lastly, with so many free QR code generators available, it’s easy for companies of all sizes to invest in this technology.
How to make a QR Code
To make a QR code, you’ll need a QR code generator to create your image. There are plenty of free ones available online, and it only takes a few minutes to set up.
Here are some online QR code generators:
You could also create a QR code from scratch using an online editor and save it as your company logo. It’s essential to consider how you want to use the image before making it and how many people you want to scan it.
Use QR codes for social media campaigns
On your company’s Facebook page, upload a video that will automatically play to viewers and promote your product or service using the QR code. Once they scan it on their phone, it will take the viewer to another post with more information about what you’re selling. This is perfect for people viewing photos in chronological order and might not notice your message at the top of their feed.
You could also make a custom Twitter card for any links you share to web pages, blog posts, or videos that have QR codes so they can automatically scan them as well without having to copy an entire link into their phone’s browser.
The best part about including this technology in your social media promotion is that it’s free to do.
Promote in-store specials
There might be tables or a sign that you can include a QR code for people to scan and then receive information about promotions at your store. For instance, you could have one at the door by registering visitors’ contact information, so they get an automatic discount when they check out without needing to do anything else but scanning the QR code.
This is also a great way of building your mailing list because it’ll be stored on their mobile device. You can send out emails to them with information about future sales, promotions, or other events your company might have in store for shoppers.
But the best part about this marketing strategy? People will continue going back to your store because they get something for free every time they visit.
Use QR codes in your marketing emails
Are you sending out promotional email campaigns to people who have signed up with their email for coupons or updates about what’s happening at your company? Include a link containing the code to automatically scan and open on their device when they click through.
The great thing about this is since they’re already signed up to receive your communications, they’re more likely to click through because they know there’s a good chance you’ll be sending them something really valuable.
Some examples of this could be discounts, free shipping, or access to coupons.
You might also want to put QR codes on your company’s printed materials like flyers or business cards so they can scan them to sign up for subscriptions, retrieve discounts or freebies.
Use QR codes as a giveaway
If you’re hosting an event or promotion, offer it free to people who have scanned the code. You can do this by giving them coupons before entering your event, sending their contact information. Hence, they get emails about upcoming events if they scan once at your location in advance of the date and more.
This is an easy way to get your message out and give people a heads up on an upcoming event. For example, if you have a Black Friday promotion coming up but want to reward customers who come into the store on Thursday night with some discount or coupon as well, this would be an excellent strategy for getting them both in the door and spending more money because they’re getting a little something extra.
Survey your customers
You can create a QR code that helps you gather information from your target audience, making it more likely to fill out the survey and give their honest opinions. For example, suppose you’re running a marketing campaign that pays participants to provide feedback about how they feel about your product or service in general. In that case, you can have them scan a QR code to start answering questions.
This is an easy way for companies to get accurate information from their target audience to decide what new items or services might be beneficial.
This is great because it gives you instant feedback on what they like and don’t, how much time they spend at specific locations or events, product preferences, and more.
This information will help improve your services’ quality and marketing strategy since you’ll know what your target audience(s) are looking for when purchasing your product.
There is no limit to the number of ways that QR codes are used in a business setting, and nothing is stopping you from trying them out right now. The possibilities are endless when it comes to how QR codes can be used in marketing.
Whether it’s encouraging people to come back by offering them discounts or freebies when they check out using the code on their device, collecting information from surveys that will help improve how your services work for customers or any number of other tactics that can be used, this is an excellent way for your business to grow and expand.
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