Remember watching last year’s Super Bowl when a certain commercial caught your attention? All you could see was a code bouncing around your screen for a full 60 seconds. Well, this simple commercial crashed Coinbase’s website and is now a tactic being used across the marketing industry.
According to QRTiger, from 2018 to 2020, QR code interaction grew by 94% in the United States. QR code interest especially spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to LinkedIn, 47% of its users noticed an increase in QR code usage during this time. Now, how can QR codes be helpful to marketers?
Uses of QR Codes in Marketing
- Take users to a landing page
- Advertisers can create their own QR code, which can be placed in various media. By scanning this code, users are taken to a website’s landing page, where they can learn more about the company, and therefore, develop more brand awareness.
- Event registration
- Firms can insert a QR code on their event page, where users are able to sign up with a simple scan.
- Provide users with resources
- When users scan the code, they can learn more information about a given company or topic. Scanning such codes take individuals to articles, where users can expand their brand knowledge.
- Offer exclusive promotions
- When a user scans the code, they can be directed to a deal that the company has set up. For example, companies can have a specific call-to-action for users to get a free trial or discount.
Not Just for TV/Digital
QR codes are not only a resource for television and digital advertising but can be used in print and direct mail with tangible marketing components. Companies can print the code they create, where readers of magazines, newspapers, mail, and even billboards can scan the code.
What Are the Benefits?
- Convenience
- QR codes make it easier not only for the consumer, but also for the brand. For use in television, many watchers are already using their phones during commercial breaks. Therefore, users will have easy access to their cameras to scan the code.
- Cost-efficiency
- Creating this code has virtually no cost, as many free services exist for creating QR codes. One code can be placed in multiple media and be used to achieve many goals, such as increased brand awareness, website visits, and app downloads.
- Easy offline to online connection
- By placing this code in print media, users will be taken from the newspaper to a website in seconds.
- Ability to track the results
- By adding this code with a link to a website, the company can see how many users scanned and followed that link.
QR codes are a promising tool in which many consumers are already using. Particularly, with the rise in digital media, QR code trends should be monitored, as they appeal to multiple age groups and can be utilized in many media. QR codes are back and better than ever!
Written by Intern, Laurel Burns