Tips for QR Code campaigns
Do you remember those tiny pixel squares printed somewhere in the corner that you have never bothered to scan? Without careful planning and employing extra features, QR Codes will not realize their potential. Thus to ensure that your QR Code marketing is successful, a few principles have to be kept in mind. The four main success factors are presented below.
Start with a great idea
Think about what advantages the scanning of your Code will bring to the user. Perhaps the user is already interested in your product and would like to get to your site quickly and easily to see more information or even to place an order. Alternatively, you can offer a certain benefit to motivate the user to scan, for example, a coupon, an exciting video or a guide in PDF format.
Your customers will only scan a Code if you arouse their interest in the encoded content. Therefore, give them a hint at what is inside the Code, but do not tell them everything.
Improve the look of the Code
Avoid using plainly designed QR Codes. The appearance of the Code should match your branding and make your offer stand out.
Prompt your customers to scan
This works best with a short prompt, such as "Scan and get a voucher!". So the customer knows immediately that he or she gains an advantage by scanning the Code. If the user is interested in a voucher, he or she will now scan the QR Code with a higher probability.
Create individual Code design
Graphical adjustments such as an integrated logo or brand specific colors can match your Code better to your campaign style. A beautiful design acts as an eye-catcher and increases the chance that your Code will be scanned. Besides, this marks the Code clearly as coming from your company and increases the trust of the users.
Ensure readability
Nothing is more annoying than a greatly designed QR Code that can not be scanned. Above all, it is important to print the QR Code large enough.
The following factors require a larger printing size:
- Elaborate design and little color contrast
- A large number of encoded characters (especially in vCard or Plain Text QR Codes)
The only way to ensure that your Code is perfectly readable even for less powerful QR scanners is to test. Extensive field testing with various smartphones and apps gives you the assurance that every user is also able to scan the Code.
Optimize content usability
QR Codes are always scanned with mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. These have smaller screens and keyboards. Most of the time, visiting a mobile website aims only at fast interaction or a short piece of information. This needs to be considered when designing your QR Code campaign.
In order for the customer to enjoy the content you offer him or her with the help of the Code, the target website must be adapted to the conditions of mobile devices. This primarily means that only so much content should be presented as can be seen clearly on a smartphone screen. Also, due to the slower Internet connection and limited data plans, mobile content needs to be reduced in size to the minimum.
Measure success with QR Code tracking
To learn how successfully your QR Code campaign is running, you must find a way to measure the scans. It is technically possible to register each scan of a Dynamic QR Code (this functionality is explained in the chapter on QR Code tracking in more detail). So you can track how often, where, when and with what device your Codes are scanned. As a result, you will have a helpful overview of the success of your campaign at all times.