QR codes are practically everywhere these days. They come emblazoned on Web sites, printed on storefronts, bus stop seats, subway posters, business cards, cupcakes toppers, and even spray painted on sidewalks. They’ve helped people and companies direct their targeted audience to Websites, deliver messages, provide contact details, and even carry out their social media marketing campaigns.

In a previous blog posts, we’ve talked about how this 2D iteration of the bar code system can be used for branding and marketing, and even listed three ways you can incorporate them into your on- and offline campaigns. Today, we’re listing important tips you should keep in mind when considering using QR codes for your brand and product marketing strategies.

Understand the Technology

Image by tristan_roddis

There are people who think QR codes are here to stay, while others are convinced they’ll eventually go the way of the dodo. In any case, it’s here today, it’s prominently being used on- and offline, and your brand can benefit from learning the basic tech behind it.

By doing this, you’ll be able to understand if and how your brand can integrate it into your line-up of strategies. You can even think of ingenious ways to make it visible and motivate your followers to engage with it.

For those not in the know, QR Codes can carry different types of data:

• Text
• Hyperlink
• SMS / MMS / E-mail messages
• Phonebook entries (names and phone numbers)
• Calendar entries (Event title, venue, etc)

In order to make it work for you, you’ll need:

• A QR code generator— One Web-based and one mobile (for creating codes on-the-go). You have lots of choices for these with each one carrying different features and developed for specific computing platforms.
• Management Tools—You’ll need to be able to monitor and manage the QR codes you roll out. These can help you track the progress of your campaigns by measuring the amount of engagement each code brings to your brand.
• QR Code Reader—To be able to fully engage with your brand, your targeted users will need to have QR readers themselves on their smartphones to actually engage with your QR code-driven campaigns. You’ll also need this for testing your codes before you implement them.

Study Your Campaigns

Image by Masaru Kamikura

Before you jump aboard the QR bandwagon, it’ll be best to first analyze your existing social media strategies. Perhaps you have a couple of campaigns lined up for the coming months; see if using QR codes will help enhance them, and if there will be any significant differences in the outcome if you do.

The most important factors that will help you decide include the following—

• Your Goals
  Exactly what are you trying to accomplish with QR codes? Does it even fit into your strategies?
• Target Audience
  Who are your target audience? Knowing who they are will be crucial in implementing QR codes. Will they be actively participating in your campaigns enough to scan your codes? Do they have smartphones?

Offer People Incentives for Scanning your Code

Image by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}

Stopping whatever it is they are doing in order to fish out their smartphones from their pockets and launching their QR code reader can be extra work for your targeted audience. Even more so if they don’t even have a code reader on their phones to begin with. To make sure they actually do engage with your brand, always make sure to give people a reason to scan your QR code, and make sure that it’s worth their efforts.

The key here is to think like a consumer to understand if what you’re offering is actually valuable. For instance, linking them to your brand’s Facebook and Twitter pages to get them to just follow you is not how consumers would define “compelling.” Instead, you’re going to have to give them something more than that. Incentives like discount coupons, exclusive fun videos, free limited access to an expensive Web service, free donuts or a cold drink at a partner store are only some of the great rewards that can attract people into engaging with your brand through your QR codes.

Test Your QR Codes Before Launch

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Once you’ve created your QR code (or series of codes, depending on your campaign), it’ll be best to first test them out before they make it to your targeted audience.

• Scan to Test the Codes
  Botched code generation, and faulty printing are among the two reasons why QR codes may end up failing. Here, it’s also crucial to test your codes on a variety of readers and smartphones to make sure they work across apps and devices.
• Review the Content Behind the Codes
  After checking if your QR codes are indeed working, it’s time to review the content behind them. This means checking if the URLs they lead to are correct, confirming if the corresponding Web/mobile sites are up, and sniffing out typographical errors in the messages, or contact details these codes carry.

Tags: Mobile Tech, QR Codes, social media marketing, Social Media Marketing tips, Social Media Marketing Tools, Technology