You’ve seen them: the small, square, ink-blot icons known as QR Codes. They’re popping up everywhere, from restaurant menus to glossy magazine advertisements. There’s no doubt that QR Codes are the next big thing in marketing. The big Q is why?

Here is a short Q&A to explain why QR Codes are tools you should acquire for your business.

What is a QR Code? QR stands for “Quick Response,” alluding to its ability to connect people quickly to your website or landing page via their mobile device. Using a free app that acts as a scanner, smart phones “read” these codes as links to a designated landing page on a website, a Facebook page, a coupon, catalog, video or any other digital marketing material a company wishes to link to. Faster and more convenient than typing in a URL on a phone, QR Codes extend the accessibility of online branding materials into the print world of ads, brochures, product packaging, for sale signs and more. At the same time, QR Codes take advantage of the many real-time, real-world opportunities (i.e. in stores, on product labels) to connect with customers on a deeper, richer level.

What are the unique advantages of QR Codes?

• Intelligence. QR codes allow print advertisers the first chance ever to really measure the effectiveness of their ads. In olden days, the only way to track the success of an ad was to ask consumers to report where they heard about the company or product or to literally bring the print ad in as evidence. Otherwise, vague metrics like circulations and distribution were the only way to add up the eyes seeing a print ad.

With the QR Code this outdated and frustrating system is finally being replaced by one that proves definitively how many and how often consumers are reacting to an ad, and the amount of resulting sales. Beyond the basic quantities, QR Codes also deliver rich analytical data such as what type of consumer is responding to the ad.

For instance: if an advertiser puts a distinct QR Code in each of three print media outlets (such as a newspaper, community journal, and coupon booklet), the advertiser can then see which type of reader responds more to the ad; what type of operating system the reader uses to access the code; and which type of reader is more likely to make a purchase based on the ad.

• Compactness. A QR Code allows a company to package a rich branding message into a tiny, before-unusable space on a product label, a postcard, or other print space.
• Flexibility. In the past, companies would spend money making billboards or signs saying things like “Spring 2012 Sale.” After one use, the sign would be obsolete. With QR Codes, businesses can create one sign with a generic message and one QR Code that can be changed, fixed, and updated with the content delivered by the code, so that when summer comes around, the same sign is still relevant.

 What are the best applications of QR Codes?

The options are literally endless. However, some success stories have involved linking to special offers, e-newsletter sign-ups, and Facebook pages and positioning codes in diverse and creative spaces like on business cards, t-shirts and nametags, menus, and receipts.

Want to start using QR codes? Call AR & Co. today to generate customized QR codes for your business and discover the magic of Quick Response!

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