As marketing continues to evolve, companies must become more strategic in staying competitive. One proven method is the use of QR codes. QR codes have been around for years, and while they were once viewed as a marketing trend at best, their use has now become standard practice. So why are company executives thankful for their tracking and attribution capabilities? In this blog post, we'll explore how QR codes have attracted leads and allowed companies to accurately calculate their ROI on marketing initiatives.

What are QR Codes?

In 1994, Masahiro Hara, an employee at Denso Wave, had a stroke of genius while playing the game Go (Microsoft). He realized that a grid system could revolutionize how information is stored in a single code. This breakthrough allowed the code to be read from different angles, distances, and directions, significantly boosting production efficiency. Denso Wave later decided to make QR code technology available to the public, while keeping the scanner technology exclusive.

Initially, QR codes were envisioned for industrial use, but their popularity skyrocketed among small businesses and individuals. The game-changer came with the advent of cell phones equipped with cameras, which perfectly complemented QR code scanning. In 2002, Sharp introduced the first cellphone with a QR scanner, paving the way for other cellphone companies to follow suit. 

Today, almost everyone has a QR scanner in their pocket, thanks to their smartphones. These two-dimensional barcodes can be effortlessly scanned using a smartphone camera. QR codes offer the advantage of encoding vast amounts of information and are incredibly user-friendly. They find applications in providing product information, event tickets, and directing people to websites, among other things.

Lead Generation Capabilities

QR codes are powerful tools that can help attract new leads to a business. By creating codes on marketing materials such as flyers, banners, social media ads, or website call-to-actions, businesses can offer a convenient method for people to access their website or product.

Users simply scan the QR code, and it opens the landing page of the product or service. With a single scan, companies can transport their audience to exactly where they want them to be—their website, product page, or offer pages—without the extensive searching and navigation that traditional marketing strategies require.

When companies pair their QR codes with gated landing pages or pop-up forms, instantly their visitor becomes a lead added to their CRM. It’s a strategic move that can provide immediate and impressive ROI.

Increased Awareness & Customer Engagement

Awareness

Integrating QR codes into your marketing strategy can help increase brand visibility and awareness. QR codes serve as a bridge between offline marketing materials and online platforms, thereby increasing exposure and engagement rates across various digital channels. This approach allows your customers to access your brand, wherever and whenever they prefer, promoting brand advocacy and customer loyalty.

For example, how many of you remember the 2022 Super Bowl commercial with the QR code that bounced around on your TV screen like the old DVD screensavers? This commercial was created by a cryptocurrency company called Coinbase. Their use of this QR code was monumentally successful and effective—from the nostalgia to the ease of use that QR codes provide. It was so effective that the amount of traffic they received crashed their website.

Engagement

QR codes are fully interactive, and the simple act of scanning them provides ample opportunities for customer engagement. Companies can use QR codes as a way to deliver targeted content to the audience, engage with customers in real time, and share promotions, surveys or updates. In the example above, Coinbase used their QR code to take users to a landing page where they received a promotion of $15 worth of free Bitcoin, and the chance to enter a $3 million giveaway contest.

With the use of customer data, companies can personalize content to customer preferences and create tailored experiences to offer deals, cross-sell, or upsell their product or services. These personalized experiences drive engagement and strengthen customer loyalty.

Attribution - Track Marketing ROI

Tracking ROI is essential to marketing success, and QR codes are perfect for this purpose, with their tracking and attribution capabilities. Companies can tag their QR codes with unique tracking codes, which connect them to their specific marketing campaigns and channels. 

Every time a user scans a code, the system tracks the campaign source, and this enables companies to accurately calculate the impact of those campaigns on sales and conversions. It helps identify what kind of material is more effective than others between offices, regions, and sales teams – providing valuable insights for campaign optimization.

Cost-Effective Solution

Speaking of ROI, QR codes serve as a cost-effective solution for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers looking to gain better traction in a competitive environment. By simply placing QR codes on printed assets such as business cards, flyers, or giveaway items, these markers build a link between the physical and digital worlds at no extra cost. 

This approach provides a level playing field for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to increase their exposure and build a sustainable brand.

In conclusion, the benefits of QR codes extend far beyond offering a convenient way to attain online information. They serve as a cost-effective solution to cater to your marketing needs while impacting your ROI positively. Tracking and attribution capabilities are because of QR codes, which makes marketing efforts more effective, enabling your company to make more data-driven decisions to maximize ROI. 

By deploying customized QR codes, businesses can prompt calls to action and maximize lead generation capabilities. Therefore, company executives must integrate QR codes into their marketing strategies to realize increased engagement rates, deeper customer relationships, and better marketing ROI.

Looking for someone to generate and manage your QR codes? Let us help!