4 Tips to Increase QR Code Scans

Mobile marketing has introduced us to a completely new way of promoting products to our audience. If you have not introduced mobile marketing channels to your printed products, now is the time to start!

Here are a few tips to help you incorporate QR Codes into your marketing strategy and increase the number of QR Code scans. Don’t forget to use a QR Code that you can track. If your QR Codes aren’t trackable and you can’t measure them, it’s not worth doing.

1) Provide instructions near the QR Code
Yes, awareness of QR Codes has increased dramatically since they have entered the marketing world. But there are still plenty of people out there that don’t know what they are or how to use them. To assist those folks, provide instructions near the QR Code on your printed materials.

This could be done by simply including text (i.e. “Scan the QR Code with your smartphone”) or by incorporating an image that displays a smartphone pointing to the QR Code, or an image that depicts how the QR Code could point to a smartphone that is displaying a website.

2) Give people an incentive
As marketers first become familiar with QR Codes, they often rush too quickly to incorporate them. They’ll skip over fundamentals such as “Why would my audience want to scan this?” Rather than just slapping a QR Code on your printed materials, develop a reason for why you should have one. Will it make it easier for your audience to access a map or directions? Will it make the process easier for people to contact your company or to make a purchase?

Include that reason somewhere on your printed materials to let people know what benefits they’ll receive by scanning the code. The call-to-action is key!

3) Educate your audience ahead of time
Yes, QR Codes exist primarily to make print interactive. But you can use other medias to increase awareness about them. Create blog posts on your website that talk about them. Produce a video that demonstrates how someone could successfully use their smartphone to scan them. Promote examples of QR Codes on your social media channels and eNewsletters to increase awareness of what they can lead to.

By taking those steps, you will create awareness, and enhance your audience’s knowledge of how they can benefit from using QR codes.

4) Shorten the destination URL
This one is very important! Yes, QR Codes can hold a lot of data. But the more data that you have in a QR Code, the harder it may be for someone to scan it quickly. Make sure to use a service that shortens your URLs before generating the QR Code.

Hope you find these tips helpful!