I must admit that I've always had a weakness for QR codes, because I find it fantastic to be able to insert so much information into an image. On the other hand, we rarely see good practices here or elsewhere. Here is a 3-point procedure to successfully integrate QR codes into your marketing strategy.
What must be taken into account in the first place is that its use is very marginal. According to a study conducted by CEFRIO in October 2010 among Quebec adults, more than 39% of 18 to 24 year olds have a smartphone. However, this proportion decreases more as the population ages. Also, eMarketer recently launched a study saying that 19% of smartphone users use a barcode scanner application.
According to a study by an independent agency carried out in the United States in November 2010, 52% of respondents had heard of or seen a QR code and 28% had scanned one! Finally, we can also see that 6% of scanners ended up buying the product or service promoted by the QR code. This study should be taken with reserve since it is one of the first to be done on the subject.
WHY INTEGRATE IT?
Often facing a physical limitation to disseminate information, QR codes offer scanners several possibilities:
- Direct to a web page complementary to the displayed product;
- Offer exclusive promotions;
- Download an iPhone or Android app;
- Offer additional content to entice purchase “Turn real traffic into traffic on your website” – ReadWriteBiz .
Let me warn you in advance, it is not by displaying a QR Code on a product, an advertisement or a poster that points to the home page of your site that we make good use of it. There are a few rules to follow in order to use them well, otherwise your efforts will be in vain and your campaign useless.
HOW TO INTEGRATE IT?
Few good practices are followed when integrating QR codes. Here is a list of things to remember:
- Offer value-added content. The user is doing you a favor when they scan your QR code,
- Never point your QR Code to the homepage of your site
- Create a mobile-optimized scanner landing page
- Facilitate scanning by placing the code at chest height for a displayed advertisement
- Be aware of the user's environment. The person is probably not at home, they must be able to carry out their task on the spot.
- Do not replace a link with a QR code for simple tasks such as typing the URL of your website
WHERE TO INTEGRATE IT?
EVERYWHERE . Wherever there is enough space for a one square centimeter label.
- At a customer service counter: Directing visitors to the right place in a library
- On product labels: Send to even more product information
- On personal identifications: Show business card
- On a mobile application website: link to download the application directly
If I take examples integrated into the Montreal market currently:
- TP1: By scanning the QR code, you can receive an exclusive goodie every month in HTML5, allowing you to use it from your iPhone. To know more .
- Clever Cupcakes: for an advertising campaign for the Montreal science center, Clever Cupcakes succeeded in making edible QR codes that redirect to the science center web page
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In the magazine Infopresse special communication agencies 2011:
Left : Cossette presents a link to its demos page . This is great since this page is optimized for mobile.
Right : LG2 offers a direct link to the mobile-friendly website designed for this page . The integration is excellent since by placing the iPhone on the page, the website is integrated into the image.
Now that you are more familiar with the many uses of QR codes and their integration, here is a tool that allows you to generate them very easily: QR code generator . In addition, by shortening a link with Bit.ly, you automatically have a QR code that comes with it in the link information page while obtaining statistics on the use of the QR Code.
If you have seen or used integrated QR codes in a smart way, do not hesitate to share your experiences in comments!
