Barcodes, QR codes, readers, 2D barcodes (have you ever seen a 3D barcode?). There’s a lot of debate in the marketing world about just how useful these scan-able images can be for businesses, and that debate continued on the May 13
th
episode of HubSpot’s
Marketing Update
with Karen Rubin and Mike Volpe. Opinions ranged from “who would waste their time using those?!” to “I just don’t think marketers have figured out how to use them yet.”
What the Heck is a QR Code?
QR stands for quick response, and barcodes are nothing new. But to clear up any confusion, a QR code is simply a matrix barcode that is readable by QR barcode readers that can be installed on smart phones . The information that is encoded by QR codes can include text, a URL, or other data. Barcodes have been around for quite some time, but their use as a mobile utility for accessing information is new in the scheme of things. Just like any new piece of technology, the mass market will show signs of resistance before it starts to adopt it. And while there will always be naysayers out there, the fact of the matter is that if QR codes catch on with consumers (and there is nothing that suggests they won’t), businesses – especially local ones – can really stand to benefit from them.
Even though the mass market has yet to fully embrace them, there are multiple reasons why local businesses should be embracing QR codes now as part of their mobile marketing strategy .
QR Codes Can Help You Stand Out From the Crowd
Differentiating your business from your competitors is definitely a marketing 101 lesson. The fact that QR codes have not yet been adopted by the masses means there are many people who see them and don’t know what they are. If used correctly, QR codes can spike the curiosity of your customers and prospects alike. Use this opportunity to link QR codes to exclusive offers or valuable content to carry that curiosity through to a sale.
Boston Photobooth Rental
is a local shop that rents photo booths for all sorts of occasions. They recently redesigned their business cards and used the back of the business card to host two QR codes. One leads to their website and other to their reviews page. Tell me using this otherwise wasted real estate is not a good idea!
QR Codes Let You Target Consumers On the Go
Retailers, don’t you wish there was a way to interact with customers on the go? Integrate QR codes into your store signage and other print advertising. Whether you’re providing coupons for shopping in-store or an easy way to sign up for your newsletter, QR codes make it super easy for customer and prospects to access your information fast on their phone.
REI, an outdoor sports apparel retailer, had this signage on the front door of one of their stores to pique interest about their frequent shopper program. Instead of calling out the program, they focused on the benefit (dividends) and provided a QR code linked to a list of products people were able to purchase with their dividend.
QR Codes Make Real Life Interactive Like the Web
The incredible growth of the online marketing industry isn't a fluke. Businesses are shifting their time and budgets to online channels because it’s much easier to track the success of their efforts and prove their strategy is working. QR codes essentially allow you place call-to-action buttons on any piece of physical content you have.
The best time to look at recipes (at least for me anway) is while I'm at the grocery store. My local Whole Foods store has a recipe board equipped with QR codes so shoppers can open the recipe right on their phones and make sure they buy all the ingredients they need. Genius!
Setting Up QR Codes Is Free & Easy to Set Up
There are multiple resources businesses can access that will allow them to insert a landing page URL and create a QR code that will direct users to that URL with the click of a button.
Sites like Kaywa QR Code allow you to set up QR codes in a matter of minutes and provide you with proper image formats to use in your designs.
The Market May Be Slow to Adopt, But the Telecommunications Industry is Ready for You
An industry has sprung up around the use of QR codes and other mobile barcode technology. A great example is Neustar . They are veterans in the telecommunications space and recently launched a mobile barcode service that lets you take QR use to the extreme.
Neustar users can utilize features like dynamic URLs for geographic or device targeted offers, day parting, and web analytics to make their campaigns incredibly efficient.
All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
This is not true at all. In fact, you could argue that only geeks are using these things. All kidding aside, the use of QR codes could open up new channels of traffic and customers to your business. At HubSpot, we talk all the time about testing new forms of media and marketing tactics. You won’t know if QR codes will work for business if you don’t at least experiment with them. Go ahead, test them out. If they work -- awesome. If they don’t, then who cares? You’ve got nothing to lose. Either way, we’ll still think you’re cool, and actually, you'll look like the cool kid in your industry if your use of them really pays off.
Have you started to use QR codes or other mobile barcodes? Please share how you’re using them, how you are measuring results, and some tips to getting started.
Photo Credit: pagetx
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
Gretchen Nemechek 3:21 PM on June 09, 2011
Great article Drew! Thanks for sharing all of this info. QR codes are so flexible and easy to implement and as a marketer, I walk around and see potential uses for them every day. We recently posted a blog article about using QR codes to auto-dial a phone number. What a great way for consumers to connect with someone directly. Using campaign-specific phone numbers, marketers can track which of their campaigns/QR codes are driving calls to their business. Very handy!
Here is a link to the article:
http://blog.ringrevenue.com/bid/51061/One-Secret-Use-of-QR-Codes
Steve Visio 3:27 PM on June 09, 2011
The print industry is agog about these, because they promise to keep print relevant. Many companies are trying to utilize them usefully on business cards. The best use is as a means to facilitate connection. You can see how I use them here: http://stevevisio.mycontineo.com/
Drew Fortin 3:32 PM on June 09, 2011
Thanks for sharing your articles! Auto dialing is super cool. Charities have also been using them on ads so you can donate with the scan of a QR code too. Obviously, the uses go way beyond print advertising. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out.
tom martin 3:41 PM on June 09, 2011
Nice examples -- here's two more... I especially love the band concert flyer -- to me it's an absolute bullseye for how to use QR
http://budurl.com/QRUsage
@TomMartin
Mike Lazarus 3:50 PM on June 09, 2011
While I've seen many businesses display them, I've yet to hear of any user who knows what to do with one.
Maybe you need an article on what apps for every phone platform you'd need to scan them
Joe Cascio 3:55 PM on June 09, 2011
Thanks for a concise summary of the QR code technology. As you say, they link print directly to the web, so people don't have to transcribe URLs from a piece of paper to their browser, which is especially difficult on a smart phone's soft keyboard.
Yes, getting users to mobile-friendly landing page is the first use one thinks of, but there are a lot more things that QR codes can do if they're combined with some imaginative web programming and database engineering.
For instance, QR code are being used to implement a Scavenger Hunt for the International Arts & Ideas Festival in New Haven this coming weekend. Each event during the festival will have a unique QR code posted for it. When an attendee scans the code, they are prompted to enter their email address to be eligible to win prizes. At the end of the Festival, the organizers will query the database to determine the winners based on how many of the festival's events they went to. Thereafter, they are simply redirected to the event landing page on the festival's website.
There is also an application being designed that leverages the ability to track individual users who scan to build a customer loyalty program for a business that provides games to bars and restaurant.
The possibilities for coupon loyalty and redemption programs are enormous.
Yes, you're correct that it's mainly geeks uh, I mean "early adopters" who know what they are and are using them. But they are cheap, easy to recognize and work in places where NFC can't, for instance on a billboard.
Scott Piegza 4:25 PM on June 09, 2011
I have been using some pretty unique templates for creating and producing sponsorship tags for golf fundraisers. QR Codes on tee sponsor signs, sponsor program booklets, golf cart signage (yup, just like NASCAR), and many other items to link to special offers at sponsor's url.
Dan 4:32 PM on June 09, 2011
Use mobile smartsites and 3D QR Codes- http://mcloughlin.ca/insights/qr-code-optimization-a-different-concept-by-daqri/
Tami Wessley 4:52 PM on June 09, 2011
Very timely article for us! We are in the midst of setting up a QR code "treasure hunt" game for one of our clients that was looking for a fun customer engagement program at their biggest tradeshow. We're tying all of the online and offline communications to this program and it promises to be a lot of fun.
We know many of the attendees will have no idea what these codes are or how to use them so we've created communications pieces teaching them not only how to use them but where to get readers and how to scan the codes and follow the URLs. Plus, we'll have staff on-site to offer assistance.
We're really excited about this program see huge potential for our other clients' marketing initiatives! Hopefully we'll be able to share a glowing success story with you in a couple weeks.
Sarah Page 4:59 PM on June 09, 2011
I'm an avid reader of all of HubSpot's blog posts. You guys churn out a staggering amount of quality content on a daily basis. Since I'm very interested in QR codes right now, I was even more excited to read this one.
I was thrilled when I saw one of my QR code photos in this post! Thanks so much for using my example. I think REI is doing some really cool things with QR.
I'll be smiling about this for days. :)
-- Sarah (aka pagetx)
Jim 6:07 PM on June 09, 2011
Nice article. QR codes have filled my time now for 8 consistent months, and it has been great. I have been doing lunch and learn regarding this technology and the response is wonderful. They are so easy and the applications numerous! As we also design websites, shoot photography and video, provide graphic design and print, this is right in our wheelhouse!
BShober 7:21 PM on June 09, 2011
Another great article with excellent info on QR codes. Thanks Hubspot!
Tim 9:19 PM on June 09, 2011
Nice article on the advantages of QR codes. Here in Japan, where the idea came from, QR codes are used in so many ways--from product traceability (think health food stores and whether that lettuce you bought was from somewhere near the hot zone) to vCard entries on business cards.
One thing I'd like to draw readers' attention to is that certain "free" QR code creation websites will collect your information and re-sell it, or will direct information through their own URL shortener in order to collect statistics on their users. As with everything else, be mindful of the fine print when submitting your information on the Web.
Drew Fortin 9:46 PM on June 09, 2011
That's an excellent point Tim. Make sure you read the fine print before opting in to something so you know what you are getting in to.
Matt 9:01 AM on June 10, 2011
Has anyone seen any studies on how QR Codes are being used to gain reviews which, ultimately, appear in Google Places? Some people create QR codes to Yahoo Local listings, others to Bing, etc. Obviously you do not want to inundate customers with too many QR codes, so any help on which end destination websites to which a retail establishment should send customers to via QR code would be appreciated!
Thanks.
Nick Martin 1:26 PM on June 10, 2011
Great guidance on how to implement 2D bar codes. I'm an Online Community Manager for Microsoft Tag, so I share everyone's enthusiasm for this space. It's great to see some of the practical applications you all reflected in your comments.
A challenge in this space that my team has witnessed is aligning the mobile experience with user behavior. For example, a large segment of the population uses their mobile device to get information about products when shopping (here's a good infographic that illustrates the shift in behavior: http://su.pr/2zGbgz. This presents a great opportunity for QR Codes to be used to link the shopper to the kind of information that adds value to their experience. The expected information for shoppers in a scenario when shopping could inlcude complementary products, reviews, suggestions for use etc. This kind of value-add requires an optimized mobile experience that considers the activity taking place and. Understanding how the QR Codes are being used is also critical. Microsoft Tag has rich capabilities in the back end that enable real time location reporting and recognize device ID. It's this kind of insight that allows marketers to refine the back-end experience and get the most out of the technology.
I would love to hear more about how you might be implementing QR Codes and what you, as marketers, would like to see as the technology evolves. Feel free to connect with me on Twitter @microsofttag
Brian Asner 1:42 PM on June 10, 2011
This is a great introduction to the topic - thanks for pulling it together.
For anyone else that is just getting acquainted with barcode marketing, be sure to check out (and share!) our infographic on the topic.
Mark Kooyman 7:23 PM on June 11, 2011
QR codes are more than just marketing; they serve to connect the viewer to relevant content, whatever the subject matter is. In our case, the PetQRTag connects the person to important information about how to contact the pet owner and other important information one would need to know if you found the lost pet.
Kathy Boykin 8:55 AM on June 20, 2011
Wow! I have been interested in QR codes for a while. You guys have really given me some good ideas for different ways to use them! Thank You! Check out New Millennium Marketing at