5 Powerful Ways to use QR codes
In today’s fast-paced world of advertising bombardment and customers feeling “sold to” at every turn, smart marketers are looking for powerful alternatives with which to capture the attention of consumers at a higher level. One way of doing this is by engaging your prospects in action. In other words, getting them to actually participate in your marketing with you. How do we do this? Enter: QR Codes!
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this media platform, it is actually really simple and quite ingenious. These codes are used in the promotion of various products and services, as well as general exposure and branding. This article will explain this advertising phenomenon in some detail, and will then provide you with a list of 5 powerful ways to use them to promote your own ideas or enterprise.
Short for “Quick Response codes,” PR codes are actually a form of barcode. Most of us have seen them without being fully aware of what it was we were looking at. They are square-shaped, black and white codes that are essentially a collection of little “squiggles” (never rounded). These codes contain data that basically contain a url and other info that kind of gives your prospects a surprise to look forward to.
Many mobile phones will have QR code decoders installed. The way it works is that the prospect will actually take a photo of the code on their phone. The decoder will then activate and your site, images, information, or whatever message you’re looking to get in front of these individuals will presented to them immediately.
QR codes have been popular in Japanese culture for some time now, with their most significant application being the tracking of auto parts in the large factories. Today, these codes have been found to skyrocket business performance by allowing customers to feel as though they are more involved in the materials being presented. Here is a list of the 5 most powerful ways to use QR codes:
1. Social Media
Did you know that you can actually attach you QR code to your Facebook profile? More and more social platforms are jumping onto this trend, too, so it is definitely worth investigating. This is an ultra powerful way to make your codes go viral, if you know what you’re doing.
2. Business Cards
This shouldn’t really need any explanation. The power of this method alone can be profound. Handing out business cards with a code that links to your site will give the recipients of your cards a sense of curiosity that many of them won’t be able to resist. A standard URL doesn’t have this kind of power.
3. Packing Materials
For any business that ships physical goods to their customers, a QR code on the actual shipping label can lead them to more information about your company, other products you may offer, and even assembly instructions or other tips and advice about the actual product they purchased.
4. Press Releases
In addition to online press releases being one of the most powerful tools you can use for marketing your company, integrating QR codes can give you an absolute explosion of new leads, customers, and revenue!
5. Printed Ads
Slapping QR codes on your postcards, flyers, coffee mugs, etc. can really generate a big buzz around your business. These codes give people a reason to want to see what you’re all about. It’s human psychology to want to discover things and unravel mysteries. QR codes afford people this ability, and you stand to profit in a huge way from this fact!
