QR Codes are irreplaceable for modern marketing. Nowadays, they are super useful in directing potential clients to landing pages, forms, and other places effectively connecting the digital and physical worlds.
However, sticking a QR code on your marketing materials will not do you much good. You need to evaluate whether people are actually using it. But even more importantly, is it achieving what you wanted initially?
To optimize the performance of QR codes, you must capture and evaluate the data on the effectiveness of them. In this article, learn how to gather useful information and track and analyze QR code performance like a pro.
What are the Benefits of QR Codes in Marketing?
QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes that can store various kinds of information, including hyperlinks, product details, contact information, event tickets, and even more.
They rose to fame in the early 2000s but became essential during the pandemic when businesses had to provide their clients with a simple and contactless way to access online content. Users could easily obtain information from restaurant menus, online storefronts, and special deals just by scanning a QR code.
The crucial aspect, though, is understanding how effectively these codes are functioning. By monitoring QR code usage, you can obtain a better insight into customer habits, likes, and interactions.
Do you know that they made the largest QR code ever created from 130,000 carefully arranged trees? The code, created in Cixi, China in 2017, measured over 361,861 square feet. It’s so large that it’s only scannable from the air!
Key Metrics to Track for QR Code Performance
You should concentrate on important metrics that indicate how effectively your audience interacts with your QR codes. These metrics will assist you in recognizing trends and opportunities to optimize future campaigns. Here are the most common metrics to help you track and analyze QR code performance.
1. Scan Rate
The scan rate indicates how many times a QR code has been scanned. Although a high scan rate might suggest that your QR code is gaining interest, it’s essential to assess additional metrics to evaluate the real impact of your campaign. A high scan rate along with low conversion rates may indicate that your landing page or offer is not compelling enough.
2. Location Data
You can get important information from the locations where your QR codes are scanned. For instance, if you’re running a localized marketing campaign in a particular city or area, understanding the origin of most of your scans enables you to assess if you are targeting the appropriate audience. Numerous tracking tools provide geo-location information that can assist you in modifying your campaigns according to geographic performance.
3. Device and Operating System (OS)
Understanding the devices and operating systems utilized by your audience can assist in customizing your landing pages or digital assets. If the majority of your QR code scans come from mobile devices, the connected content should be optimized for mobile. This information enables you to improve user experience by guaranteeing smooth interactions, whether on iOS or Android.
4. Time of Scan
Pinpoint peak engagement hours by monitoring when your QR codes are scanned. This is especially beneficial when running time-sensitive promotional deals or campaigns. For example, if your codes are primarily scanned during lunch or after office hours, you can schedule your marketing messages to enhance conversions.
5. User Demographics
Advanced tracking tools can offer demographic information, such as the age, gender, and preferences of individuals scanning your QR codes. This data is crucial for modifying your marketing strategies to better reach particular demographics. Recognizing the kinds of individuals interacting with your content enables you to tailor upcoming campaigns and enhance ROI.
How to Set up QR Code Tracking
Numerous tools exist for monitoring the performance of QR codes. From basic URL shortening services to detailed analytics platforms, the ideal tool depends on your requirements and budget. Below are 2 popular tools to help you track and analyze QR code performance easily.
True QR Code
True QR Code is an easy-to-use, web-based solution for businesses to easily create, manage, and track the performance of their QR codes. The tool primarily focuses on dynamic QR codes, which can be updated even after they’ve been printed or shared.
Additionally, True QR Code provides in-depth tracking and analytics, enabling companies to observe important metrics such as scan rates, user locations, user counts, and engagement durations. This information enables companies to enhance their campaigns in real-time and make informed decisions based on data to boost overall results. True QR Code is ideal for large-scale campaigns due to its bulk creation functionalities, allowing users to efficiently generate and handle numerous QR codes simultaneously.
Upon generating a QR code on True QR Code, you can track and analyze QR code performance instantly. To achieve this, navigate to your “Dashboard” and select “See all analytics”.
Google Analytics
You can also track and analyze QR code performance using Google Analytics to compare it with other web traffic sources. To do this:
- Select the landing page where the QR code will direct users.
- Add UTM parameters to the URL to track campaign details.
- Copy the UTM-enhanced link for QR code creation.
- Generate a QR code with the UTM URL.
- Implement the QR code into your print or digital marketing materials.
When users scan the QR code, Google Analytics records the UTM data, allowing you to monitor traffic sources and evaluate the QR code’s performance within your analytics reports.
Think of dynamic QR codes as the evergreen stars of the digital world. Some things become outdated, but dynamic QR codes remain up-to-date, unlike forgotten yogurt or outdated hairstyles from high school. Why? They let you change their content without altering how they look. This means they always stay relevant, ensuring your marketing never falls behind. In the QR world, “dynamic” is synonymous with “always new!”
3 Tips to Analyze QR Code Performance
Here are three tips for evaluating QR code effectiveness once data has been gathered:
Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Once data has been gathered, the following step is to identify the KPIs that correspond with your goals. KPIs may encompass scanning frequency, conversion rates, user engagement, and more. Defining clear KPIs beforehand aids in assessing whether the QR code campaign aligns with your expectations or needs adjustments.
Segment Data for Better Understanding
Don’t focus on your overall results. Instead, analyze the data by dividing it into categories such as device type, location, or time of day. This will help you spot trends and gain a clearer understanding of your QR code’s performance so you can customize your upcoming campaigns for that particular segment.
Iterate and Improve
If a specific design or URL is underperforming, update it based on the learnings. Do A/B testing by experimenting with different strategies, such as changing the placement or content of QR codes. Keep tracking so you can see how modifications affect outcomes.
5 Common QR Code Tracking Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Tracking QR codes is key to improving your marketing, but many businesses make common mistakes that lead to inaccurate or incomplete data. Here are five big ones to avoid:
Avoiding UTM Parameters
Not including UTM parameters in your QR code URLs means you won’t be able to distinguish QR code traffic from other sources in Google Analytics. If these tags are missing, your QR code scans might be categorized as direct or referral traffic, complicating the assessment of campaign success.
Using Static Instead of Dynamic QR Codes
After a static QR code is printed or distributed, altering the link it directs to is not possible. To make changes, you must generate a completely new QR code. Conversely, dynamic QR codes allow you to change the link at any time, and you don’t need to replace the code. This option makes them a more flexible and efficient option for tracking and analyzing QR code performance.
Neglecting Mobile Optimization
People often use their smartphones to scan QR codes, which is why the linked pages should be fully functional on mobile devices. When users are unable to perform any actions on your site simply because they cannot access certain features, it can adversely affect your conversion rates. A slow-loading page, a lack of proper mobile optimization, and dysfunctional links are some of the reasons that can drive a visitor away.
Not Monitoring Engagement Beyond Scan Counts
Numerous marketers concentrate solely on the scan counts, but this fails to convey the complete picture. Monitoring post-scan actions—like time spent on the page, bounce rates, and conversions—offers a greater understanding of whether your QR code is genuinely promoting engagement and conversions.
Not Testing Before Launch
Not testing your QR code before deployment can result in problems such as broken links, inaccurate UTM tracking, or formatting issues that render the code unreadable. Consistently check on various devices and scanning applications to confirm seamless performance before launching it in your campaign.
By steering clear of these errors, you can guarantee that your QR code tracking yields precise, useful data to enhance your marketing initiatives.
Final Thoughts
Tracking QR codes and evaluating how well they perform are the keys to improving your marketing campaigns. By monitoring and analyzing important parameters like scan rates, geolocation, types of devices, and conversions, you can understand how your audience engages with your campaigns. Then, using the data, you can fine-tune your QR code strategies to enhance engagement and achieve greater outcomes. Track and analyze QR code performance today.
Get started with True QR Code to track and analyze QR code performance for FREE.
