Marketing Strategy – Using QR Codes in Ads

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QR codes can be seen everywhere in the marketing sphere. From signs at the bus terminal to pamphlets handed out at your local doctor’s office, QR codes are popping up in all kinds of advertisements.

If you’re a small business owner looking for ways to get the most out of your print advertisements, including a QR code can be a great way to push your marketing game to the next level.

Why You Should Use QR Codes in Advertisements.

The top reason you should consider including a QR code in your ad is that it allows the viewer to take immediate action by simply scanning the code with their phone. Instead of requiring a potential customer to type your website URL into a browser – or hoping they’ll remember your business name and look you up later – they can be quickly directed to your online store, registration form or menu with one convenient scan.

QR codes can also help you get around the space limitations of an advert. Instead of trying to cram everything into a small ad, you can focus on grabbing the viewer’s attention, then use the QR code to direct them to a landing page with more information about your products, services, event, or promotion.

How to Create a QR code

Creating a unique QR code is easy thanks to the variety of free QR generators that are readily available to use. If you are a Chrome user, you can create a QR code for a website URL by opening the page in Chrome, then right-clicking and selecting ‘Create QR Code for this page’ from the menu.

There are also a number of free QR code generator apps or websites, like QRbot, which offer more options for the type of action the QR code will take, such as sending an email or making a call.

Tips for using QR codes in Ads

While QR codes are very useful tools for advertisers, you’re going to want to follow these tips to ensure that you’re getting the best results from them.

  1. Direct to a Mobile-Optimized Landing Page

Create a custom landing page for your QR code to link to that’s optimized for mobile use. Since people are going to be viewing the page on their phones, you’ll want to ensure that it will look good on mobile devices. Creating a custom page instead of just sending people to your homepage also allows you to provide special offers or direct people to specific products or information.

An added benefit to creating a custom landing page for your QR code is it makes it easier to measure the effectiveness of your advertisement. All you need to do is check the traffic to that custom page to see how your ad is performing.

  • Include a Call to Action

Keep in mind that if you simply plop a QR code into the corner of your ad, the viewer isn’t automatically going to know why they should scan it. Make sure to include a call to action above the QR code to tell people what it does and why they need to act.  Even something as simple as ‘Scan to Learn More’ will help give the viewer that little push they need to scan your code.

  • Be Prepared for Incoming Leads

If you’re using a QR code that is directing potential customers to a contact form, messaging app or to make a call, make sure you’re prepared to handle the incoming leads. Even a highly successful ad won’t do you much good if no one is available to answer calls or if emails and messages are being missed.

Don’t let leads fall through the cracks! There are a lot of customer relationship management (CRM) tools out there to automate the sales funnel and make it easier to convert leads to clients. LeadXpert is an example of a CRM tool which offers an all-in-one solution for managing messages, web chats and missed call text backs. Now is also a great time to give these kinds of services a try, as the federal government has a grant available that can help small businesses pay for these kinds of tools.

  • Test Your QR Code

This is perhaps the most important step, yet the easiest to miss. Before you run your ad, test your QR code to ensure that it works as intended!

Do you have questions about including QR codes or graphical elements in your Coffee News ads? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Call 780-220-6397 to learn how we can help you to boost your local marketing strategy and achieve BIG results.