QR codes: A new mobile marketing technique
Feb
10
Written by:
2/10/2012 12:17 AM
If your business doesn't already use a quick-response (QR) code, you've probably seen them popping up everywhere on print advertisements, receipts, coffee cups and even pizza boxes. By scanning the code with a smartphone, a consumer can be taken straight to the company's website.
In her recent article for Entrepreneur, Ann Handley explains that many companies can benefit from QR codes, but they have to be put in a convenient place.
"The codes are designed to connect easily with customers on the go (the quick part of QR) and encourage their engagement (the response part)," says Handley. "At their best, QR codes can bridge the online and offline worlds and enrich your lead-gen efforts. But only if - like so many things in life - you use them right."
According to Handley, user experience is the number one way to make a QR code worth the investment. From creating a mobile website that is user friendly and easy to navigate, to incorporating a QR code onto objects and print media that aren't difficult to scan, ease is the most important way to translate consumer interest into sales. For example, placing a QR code on every shipment that your local Chicago courier sends with its scheduled delivery can be helpful and easy for consumers to access, but a QR code on a billboard doesn't make much sense.
In addition, mobile marketing strategies benefit from a clear focus and some good old-fashioned initiative. For example, you can encourage users to scan the QR code and register for your company's mobile marketing campaign, and in exchange, they'll get a discount or free product.
