QR Codes

The Bridge Between Your Print and Online Worlds

The same way that social media has rapidly made its way into traditional marketing, you may have noticed QR Codes making appearances in print materials such as promotional flyers, print advertisements, business cards or direct mail pieces.

At first glance, QR Codes simply appear to be a cluster of random black and white squares. However when they are read by a scanner or QR Reader application (available for smartphones at little or no cost) consumers are directed to a URL, video, photo, coupon, chat room, or wherever you decide to direct them – the possibilities are endless. With mobile phone traffic expected to exceed PC traffic in the next 5 years, QR Codes are in a prime position to help connect your consumers to your products and services. This marketing tool is gaining popularity as more people adopt technology into their lifestyle.

Consumers want immediate access to what is relevant and QR Codes are being used to make that possible. They have proven to be very useful in marketing and (convenience related) applications. This technology seems to be bringing together the real world and the virtual world, providing a bridge between traditional marketing and digital marketing.

The newness of QR Codes does limit their success, but if you incorporate them into your marketing strategy properly they can be extremely beneficial. QR Codes can be a good fit for your audience and practical implementation can create a lot of buzz. The best part is that they rely on technology that many social media users already have – a smartphone.

There are several online sites available to help walk you through creating your own QR Code. Once the image is created, it can be printed on just about any surface and location. This enables you to drive traffic from anywhere. However, incorporating a QR Code that simply links customers to your website’s homepage is not going to be effective in today’s marketing world. Just linking to your home page gets old real fast. QR Codes are much more successful if you have a good website and use landing pages. QR Codes should be part of a marketing strategy aimed at listening to your customers, as well as talking to them.

Simply telling people what you have to offer is not enough, you need to inform customers of the solutions your products and services offer them and what makes you different from your competitors. Using a QR Code is another way of getting to know your customer and what makes them tick.

Incorporate QR Codes into your marketing. Contact BCG or call (708) 448-8077.