{"id":1391,"date":"2012-12-08T09:27:27","date_gmt":"2012-12-08T14:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/webdesign\/?p=1391"},"modified":"2015-04-25T03:58:51","modified_gmt":"2015-04-25T07:58:51","slug":"qr-codes-and-how-they-can-work-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feverishthoughts.com\/webdesign\/2012\/12\/08\/qr-codes-and-how-they-can-work-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"QR Codes and How They Can Work For You"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those of you not familiar with the term QR Code, which stands for quick response, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still very familiar with seeing them. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re practically everywhere these days. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the backs of any product you can imagine. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on television commercials and print advertisements. Anywhere you can fit a little 1×1 square, you can put a QR Code. \"\"Since there are still some of use who haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been properly introduced to these little advertising goldmines, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no wonder that we also aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t using them correctly. Joe Barber, who founded Third Screen Media, says we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not using these codes to their full potential. In a recent article he discussed the renewed interest in these two dimensional codes, which have actually been around for over 20 years. They first showed up in Japan, being used on the automobile manufacturing line. There are good and bad ways to use your little advertisement boxes. First we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll discuss some of the ways you shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use these QR Codes before getting into more productive ways of using them. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take a look at a quick list here:<\/p>\n

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  1. Size: Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t print a code to where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not big enough to be seen and scanned easily with a smartphone.<\/li>\n
  2. Safety: Your code square shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be on billboards or other roadside areas which could cause traffic problems.<\/li>\n
  3. Congestion: As with the freeway, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t place your scanner codes in stairwells or other high foot traffic areas. This may seem counterproductive, since you want high traffic. But keep away from bottleneck situations.<\/li>\n
  4. Lame: Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be! If customers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a good experience with QR Codes, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stop scanning them.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Link Back: Resist the urge to just link back to the same place that customers are already at. If your QR Code on your restaurant menu takes customers to your online menu, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a complete waste.<\/li>\n
  6. Simple: Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put the entire ad in the code. This is convoluted and harder to load.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now that we have a grasp on what not to do, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s see what Joe Barber says are a few good things to do with your QR Code bar. There are a few simple steps that Joe says will ensure higher traffic to your website and more clicks. Of course, this should eventually lead to more sales.<\/p>\n

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    1. Short URL: Using a shorter base url with extensions means you can change your ad campaign at a moment\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s notice. This leads to more possibilities as your customers know they can keep coming back.<\/li>\n
    2. Landing Page: Linking back to your landing page is a great way to track where your clicks are coming from. You can use this information to continue targeting that audience and tweak your ads specifically to them. Or you can determine why you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not getting clicks from other demographics and chase them harder.<\/li>\n
    3. Continue the Game: Even after a contest is over, you can keep those links active. Give some post-contest information or smaller games to keep the links alive.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      One thing Joe wanted to remind everyone is that these QR Codes are really flooding today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s market. So much so, consumers are actually hunting out these code boxes. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re pretty much expecting bonus features and extra content with every purchase. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a high demand for ad campaign managers to keep up with. Another warning that has been issued by many marketing analysts in Australia is the lack of creativity in these scanner codes. Australia has one of the highest per capita sales of smartphones and similar technologies. Yet they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even rank in the top 50 for QR Code ad campaigns. This is a two-fold problem. One, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not marketing the codes well enough to the target demographic. And two, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not offering content that will keep consumers clicking. Unless both of these are fixed, Australia will continue to fall farther behind.<\/p>\n

      Attached Images:<\/h5>\n