Here are 9 ways to use QR codes effectively in your marketing:
Increase online sales. Drive traffic to your website. QR codes can link to specific web pages and you can also create codes that are specific to individual products or services on your sites. You could use them to promote unpopular lines or announce promotions and new products.
Customer Service Help. You could use QR codes to give customers more information about your product or service. Create a QR code that leads to a FAQ page where customers can get answers to their questions via email or live chat. You can also give customers information on future products.
Promotions and competitions. Really QR codes could have been made for this area of marketing communications. You can increase the success and effectiveness of your activity when used in conjunction with QR codes. Create promotions that are specific to each QR code. Encourage people to share and repost them for you. Use them in your adverts, online and on emails too. If you used instant-win scratch cards you could also get them to scan a QR code to find out if they won anything!
Include a QR code on your business card. Keep the content of your card clean and include a QR code with all that extra information you really want to tell people. The QR code can take them to your online accounts too (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc).
Build your email contact list. By creating a link to your email sign-up form, you can encourage people to sign up for special offers and news about your product, event or service. Make sure the information you send to them is relevant to where the request came from – think Argos and their 2000 page catalogue. If I scan a QR code to sign up for offers on a kitchen gadget then I’m going to get fed up if I start to receive power tool offers!
Direct mail. Using QR codes on your direct mail pieces could work very well. This article tells how the US Postal Service in effect paid people to use visible QR codes on their marketing mailers in August 2011 Why There’s a Dírect Mail QR Code Explosion Happening Now that says the U.S. Postal Service is basically paying advertisers to use QR codes.
Courses, workshops, tips etc. If you have a series of information that you would like somebody to subscribe to then have them do it via a QR code. You can create a QR code that generates an e-mail that will instruct you or your autoresponder to automatically start sending daily, weekly or monthly e-mails that contain the necessary information.
Flyers and posters. If you are leaving information for people to pick up you could create a QR code that directs them to a URL for each area they need. For example if you ran a dry cleaning company you could have a QR code that gives a discount on multiple items, a restaurant could direct scanners to a meal discount or it could be used to give directions to the venue.
Download distribution. If you produce and use e-books or software to promote your business, you could use QR codes to help to distribute them. So when somebody scans in the code, they get a free e-book or software download. You can also use QR codes to move people along the buying process – so those already subscribed could use a specific QR code to receive VIP offers etc!
If you would like help to incorporate QR codes into your existing marketing activity, please contact me.
