Customer engagement is key to strengthening brand loyalty, exposure and ultimately revenue. Therefore, it’s only natural that businesses seek out the latest technologies to boost their marketing effort.
Chances are, you’ve heard of QR code or have used one in your everyday life. For businesses, QR code offers many possibilities as a marketing tool to increase exposure, engagement, build leads and generate sales.
As the leading digital marketing company in Singapore, we’ve helped clients to enhance their marketing effort with QR codes. We’ll share how you can do the same for your business with different tactics.
QR or Quick Response code is one of the various standards for the 2-dimensional barcode. It is also the most commonly used 2-dimensional barcode today. QR code offers the benefit of storing way more information than a linear barcode.
As a comparison, a typical QR code can store up to 4296 characters, while a Code-128 linear barcode only holds up to 80 characters. QR code is very robust as it includes redundancy and duplication features. It remains readable even if 30% of the code is damaged.
Here’s what a QR code looks like.
Users can use the camera on their smartphone to scan a QR code and access a website. It opens up new possibilities of how QR codes can be used for new marketing tactics.
There are two types of QR code; static and dynamic. Static QR code refers to a QR code that contains non-editable information. For example, encoding the entire customer information into a QR code.
Meanwhile, dynamic QR code points to QR code that redirects to information that can be edited. Usually, it is done by encoding a URL into the QR code and directing users to a website. Most applications of QR code in businesses are dynamic in nature.
If you’re using an iPhone, the camera app is built-in with a native QR code reader. All you need to do is to scan the QR code and you’ll have the option to access the associated information.
For Android smartphones, a QR generator app is needed to scan the QR code. There are dozens of such apps for Android users. Here are a few free QR code scanners on Playstore.
Perhaps the most common use for QR codes in business is to store the URL of a website. Customers no longer have to key in every character to access the business website. Instead, all they have to do is to scan the QR code with the smartphone and access the URL.
There are, however, many ways that QR codes can make information access easier.
For example, you can create a dedicated mobile landing page with specific information purely for QR code access. This is particularly useful when you’re running a roadshow and trade event where you’ll want to provide audience-specific information. Visitors don’t need to manually key in the URL to get more information, which sometimes discourages them from doing so.
Businesses in the real estate and automotive industry can use QR code to direct customers to their image gallery. One way of getting it done is to create a Pinterest board, convert the link to QR code and print it out on the brochures. Customers can then view the visuals of the properties or cars by scanning the printed QR code.
Similarly, QR code can be linked to videos published on Youtube. This is useful for businesses to showcase walkthrough or tutorials by having the QR codes printed on marketing materials.
A group of young UK creatives adopted a similar approach by producing greeting cards that bear QR codes to Spotify playlists. When users scan on the QR code and have a Spotify premium account, they’ll be automatically taken to the playlist.
Marketing gimmicks aside, QR codes can help businesses to achieve their sustainability KPIs. Some products require technical expertise to operate and often come with user manuals and knowledgebase. In such cases, a PDF QR code can be created to access the resources for the specific product. No more sending out separate PDF attachments to your customers.
In short, QR code makes it easier for customers to interact and reach out to your business. It eliminates red tapes or the tedious effort of clicking and typing on the web browser.
QR codes have become an effective marketing tool for small and large businesses alike. You ought to take advantage of the QR code to boost your business growth in the local Singapore market.
Here’s how.
Business digitization is happening fast in Singapore. Local companies are turning to e-commerce to provide alternative shopping avenues for their customers. The move includes introducing mobile apps to make online purchases easier.
A successful app launch goes beyond publishing your app on Google Playstore and Apple Appstore. You’ll need to get the words out to your customers and have them install the app on the mobile. That’s where a QR code will come in handy.
Instead of printing the full download URL on marketing materials, use QR code to direct users to the respective download platforms.
Does it boost app download?
Yes, according to a survey on American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, where its app download rate increases by 14% with QR code.
If you want to get customers to spend more or attract them to your newly-opened restaurant, giving out coupons is an often-used trick.
However, the move could be less effective if you’re sticking with a conventional tear-out paper coupon. Young and modern shoppers are unlikely to collect stacks of coupons, much less using them for redemption.
A little bit of digitization will help though, by making coupon easily redeemable with QR codes. Instead of cutting out coupons, shoppers only need to scan on the coupon QR code to enjoy discounts on their purchases.
Coupon QR code also has the advantage of being easily shareable and can be created almost instantly. Besides, it’s more cost-effective than printing out thousands of coupon vouchers.
Social media penetration in Singapore has hit 79% in January 2020. You can’t afford to not have a social media presence if you’re running a local business.
However, getting social media followers isn’t easy with Facebook’s organic reach decreasing more than ever. You’ll need to resort to creative ways to boost your follower counts.
One such way is to use a QR code. Embed your social media URL in the QR code and place it on your store or marketing brochures. It makes it easier for your customers to find your page on Facebook, Instagram or other platforms you’re on.
Constructive feedback helps in improving product and service delivery. These days, customers prefer leaving feedback on online forms, rather than scribbling their opinions on a piece of paper.
So, it’s best to create an online feedback form, turn it into a QR code and have customers scanning on it to leave feedback. Not only is it more economical, but you can also make changes to the feedback form as needed.
Need more crowd on your events? You’ll need to make it easier for people to attend. Putting on huge banners does generate attention, but the key to boosting attendance is in the finer details.
You’ll want to have people mark their schedule on the spot and furnish them with as much information as possible. It’s impossible to get all the details down on the banner, which means you’ll want a QR code to link to the respective webpage.
Creativity is the limit on how you can use QR code to the best effect. We’ve built a versatile online QR code generator that helps in incorporating QR code into your marketing campaign.
Here’s how it works.
1. Launch our online QR code generator on your browser or scan this QR code with your smartphone.
2. Select the type of QR code application.
3. In this example, we’ll choose Link, which is commonly used by businesses. Key in the target URL.
4. Configure the QR code rendering option.
5. Upload your logo or choose a watermark if desired.
6. Click the Generate QR Code button.
7. The QR Code is generated and you can save or print the image.
You risk missing out on untapped marketing opportunities if you’ve overlooked the importance of QR codes. We’ve shown a few examples of how QR codes can be used in marketing and they are just the tip of the iceberg.
If you have queries on how to leverage QR code for your business or need further guidance in using our QR generator tool, feel free to contact Heroes of Digital, the top digital marketing company in Singapore.
