QR code marketing campaigns perform best when they are adjusted to audience preferences and in accordance with the brand’s objectives. This is where marketing QR codes become a successful tool and not just a channel to deliver content blindly.
Designing an effective QR code marketing strategy doesn’t stop at creating a QR code. After generating a QR code, what you do with the results is just as important for the process of your marketing campaign. With proper goal setting, evaluating measurable data, and A/B testing, you are able to make improvements over time that benefit your brand and your customers.
Read on to learn more about getting the best ROI out of your QR codes, going beyond just scanning.
Why you need dynamic versus static QR codes for effective marketing campaigns
Dynamic versus static QR code benefits
Dynamic versus static QR codes enable brands to edit a QR code after printing by changing links or uploading new content. What is more, dynamic QR codes allow brands to track and analyze campaigns in real time based on customer engagement. This data is gold for marketers to make sound decisions using measurable data.
Dynamic QR code editability is the key to modifying marketing campaigns
Editability matters because apart from launching a tested and working QR code, you need to be able to modify your content based on audience behavior. If you printed a QR code on a billboard, it would be expensive and time-consuming to reprint that code. If you made an error, although QR codes need to be tested before launching, and printed the code on 1000 flyers, the campaign is null, not to mention embarrassing.
Marketing benefits after launching
The marketing benefits of using a dynamic QR code generator exceed just edits. Dynamic QR codes enable tracking while static codes do not. You’ll discover down the road what will make your campaign stand out, and you’ll have to modify either the content or the conditions of the marketing strategy according to what you find. Dynamic codes allow you flexibility, while static QR codes are just that: static, and you can’t make any changes.
Define QR code campaign objectives from the beginning
Think about your goals from the beginning. Marketing QR codes can help you do the following, and much more:
- Increase website traffic
- Generate leads
- Grow email subscribers
- Promote an event
- Encourage app downloads
- Increase product sales
- Collect customer feedback
- Drive social media engagement
Objectives that go beyond just getting more scans and enter into the realm of meaningful engagement that drive revenue are what you want.
Track milestones based on parameters
Track KPIs based on what is significant to your campaign. You can track a QR code using your Trueqrcode dashboard, or by incorporating Google Analytics.
With Trueqrcode’s QR code dashboard, you can track the following data in real time:
- Total scans
- Date and time of scans
- Cities and countries
- Device types
This means no technical knowledge is needed on your end, so successful campaigns can be executed by anyone, whether you’re a company, individual, artist, real estate executive, band, hair stylist, or curious about how many people are interested in saving your contact information from a business card!
Evaluating social media and other analytics can include:
- Unique visitors
- Conversion rate
- Time spent on landing pages
- Form submissions
- Purchases
- Returning visitors
Track milestones along the way and don’t just look at the result. Use metrics to guide you to make the best decisions for your campaign as you go. These will look different depending on which social media platforms you’re using. They also update later, so you’ll need to wait 24-48 hours to see measurable data.
If you choose to use Google Analytics with UTM parameters, you can see our attached article above for quick instruction, or you can see a GA tutorial to find out more. While this requires a little more technical action, you can decide if it’s right for your needs.
Create a branded QR code
Your QR code design is just as valuable as any other part of your campaign. A trustworthy QR code logo and a call to action maintain brand recognition across marketing channels, while standing out to prospective customers. Always make sure your marketing QR code is readable with contrasting colors and test on multiple devices before final printing.
Develop a clear incentive
People need a compelling reason to scan a QR code. On top of a cool design, they want to know why they should scan. If you have a QR code landing page with a lot of content, you’ll have to choose a short call-to-action (CTA) that draws the audience in. Depending on your industry and use case, you’ll have to choose a CTA that is best for you. Is there a product video, a free guide, a list of social media channels, a reward, bonus content, etc.? When there is valuable content for the customer, it acts as a funnel to convert leads to sales.
Take printing into consideration
How you print QR codes, on what surface, and where are major factors in your campaign. This is why we have published Printing QR Codes: The Ultimate Guide.
Some easy ways you can ensure your campaigns are seen by the right audience are:
- Choose a place where your target audience (TA) will see the code.
- Make sure the size, distance, and placement are convenient for scanning.
- Use branded, contrasting colors with enough white space around the code so it scans well.
Use A/B testing with patience
QR code marketing campaigns improve over time when you discover what is best for you and your audience. Using dynamic QR codes empowers you to execute flexible campaigns that drive conversions. Based on your findings, you may see that a different location, marketing material, time of day, CTA, or color scheme is more attractive to your audience.
Why A/B testing takes time
A/B testing takes time. Everyone has a different length of campaigns. You may have an upcoming event, product launch, seasonal discount, or something else. Some campaigns are ongoing, like following bands on social media. You can decide what is best for you; however, think about how long the campaign takes before making abrupt changes.
- People respond differently at different times of the day and have another routine on the weekends.
- Traffic volume fluctuates based on personal lives, jobs, holidays, schedules, and more.
- Stopping and starting campaigns, adjusting them abruptly, or making false assumptions according to a random data spike too soon will harm campaigns because of the lack of time given.
Every QR code marketing campaign is an opportunity to learn. If you make a mistake, that is just as valuable to improve campaigns and make better decisions next time.
Compare printing materials and locations
QR code marketing campaigns improve based on a marketer’s ability to react to audience interaction and adjust to needs on both sides. You can run both campaigns depending on the place, event, product, distribution channel, etc.
By tracking separate places you printed the QR code, it will be easy for you to tell where the traffic is coming from. Some examples could be:
- A billboard in a walkable neighborhood on the weekend might be just as popular as handing out stickers at a concert.
- A QR code on a product with a CTA about a discount on the next purchase might be scanned more than the same QR code without a CTA.
Use QR code landing pages to understand consumer preferences
QR code landing pages go beyond a list of interesting content. Track QR codes with multiple links to see what is important to your audience and what they can do without.
Let’s say everyone follows your LinkedIn account, but no one clicks on your company website. Or maybe people follow your Instagram but not your Twitter. Some industries don’t benefit from Twitter.
It will be clear through competitor analyses in your industry what social media sites work best. Just because you have links to fill on a QR code landing page doesn’t mean you should use them all. Quality beats quantity, and people get overwhelmed with links that aren’t useful to them.
What you do with your analytics
Taking action on what you observe is the key to improving your QR code marketing campaign.
Identify high-performing channels and stick with those.
Optimize underperforming campaigns. This might look like updated content, more interesting social media posts, a change in product price, printing in another location, etc. Sometimes it will be clear, and other times you’ll need to figure out why there is no engagement. Where is the engagement dropping off? That is what you’ll need to change.
Start optimizing your QR code marketing campaigns today
Make a QR code with Trueqrcode and experience the benefits of measurable marketing campaigns providing you with reliable data in real time. Take advantage of this new technology to gain insights like never before with traditional campaigns that couldn’t be tracked or improved.
Understand how your audience engages with your marketing efforts. Discover their needs and preferences and tailor your campaigns accordingly. This will also help with future campaigns, driving conversions, and getting the results you want.
Dynamic QR codes give you the ability to:
- Optimize campaigns without expensive reprints.
- Collect valuable data that you can’t do with traditional campaigns.
- Track clicks per link with a Multi-Link QR Code vs. a Static QR Code.
- Distribute large amounts of diverse content to various audiences.
- Print in physical or digital formats, and on a wide array of materials, for optimum content sharing.
Increase engagement, improve ROI, and create more effective QR code marketing campaigns in the long run by learning and adapting with every scan!
