ShareUsing QR codes to their full potential
The latest, greatest technique or bit of technology is easy to get excited about, especially if a client is eager to find new ways to reach an audience or track PR or marketing outreach efforts. Clients require us to be creative and flexible – and they also rely on us to be discriminating enough to know when the “latest” really is the “greatest” for their needs.
A popular tool that’s still fairly new to many clients is the QR code. Alongside the now-ubiquitous Facebook and Twitter icons, you are more and more likely to find a small square that looks a lot like static on an old TV screen.
Not for Entertainment Only
Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota in Japan, created the original QR (quick response) code as a way to track parts in vehicle manufacturing. Similar to bar codes, QR codes can store data that can be read by a scanner.
What makes them better than the familiar bar code, however, is that a QR code can store up to several hundred times more data in a smaller space.
Since marketers discovered them, QR codes began showing up on ads, websites, product packaging, business cards … you name it. The black-and-white boxes store links to websites, contact information, product features, raw data, etc.
But do they bring value to the consumer – and to the client?
What does the client want to accomplish with the QR code, and what strategic objective does that support? If the QR code simply takes the consumer to the company’s standard web page, what does each party gain? Can use of the code be tracked, and does it actually work?
The Byword is Engagement
Remember, QR codes are not a form of marketing. A QR code is simply another tool, or tactic, for engaging consumers as a component of an overall marketing strategy. If using a QR code doesn’t save your client’s target audience time, effort or money or create a fun experience, then why would a consumer care to engage? After scanning one or two, the novelty of the experience will have worn off.
To quote Vince Freeman, “Tactics without strategy are useless.”
Your role as a marketer is to help your client use QR technology to create value for the client’s organization. That means creating value for the organization’s audiences.
Incentives such as discounts and freebies can train consumers to use QR codes. Beyond that, how can QR codes be leveraged for the client’s benefit?
Go Back to Your Marketing Roots
The QR code’s true power lies in its ability to bridge the gap between tangible and digital. We can use it to identify our audience’s habits and interests, then draw educated inferences from harvested data. We can measure the value of ads not by estimating impressions, but by actual engagement and identification.
Track usage. Assign a unique identifier to each piece of collateral so you can measure relative impact: brochures, fliers, posters, print ads, TV and movie spots, video game product placements, etc.
Identify audiences. Load a QR code scanner into your company’s mobile app, then use the app to identify people scanning your codes to better track their habits and adjust your marketing tactics.
Complete the transaction quickly. Push the consumer through the sales pipeline. Turn the tangible world into a virtual mall: Use a QR code to process food delivery/take-out orders in less time. Advertise a Prada handbag and sell it on the spot. The possibilities for increased efficiency are endless.
Do More Than Scan Us
At Bohlsen Group, we pride ourselves on our ability to identify trends and implement technologies that make the most sense for our clients. Get to know us at bohlsengroup.com.