A Direct Marketers Guide to QR Codes

QR codes are popping up everywhere right now. In magazines, on billboards, even on the back of lorries. But what exactly are these 2D barcodes? And what do they mean for direct marketers like you?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have seen these small squares filled with black and white pixels. We see them almost daily, but few people realise the huge potential they have. Especially with the growing popularity of smart phones.

QR Codes and Direct Marketing

Using a QR code reader on their phone, mobile users can scan these quick-response codes and access a wealth of information. If you’re looking for a way to breathe new life into your direct mail marketing strategies, this is definitely it.

Easily generated and included on your mail shots, QR codes are one of the best ways to bring your direct marketing methods into the 21^st century. They can make them interactive, add a whole new element, or even let your customers make a purchase.

Here we look at four ways quick-response codes can be used to boost your direct mail marketing:

1) Share Data

QR codes may be tiny, but they can contain huge amounts of data. Marketers can use slightly different symbols, which can all hold increasing amounts. Generally though, these codes contain more 4,000 characters (text including spaces) or 2,900 bytes.

You don’t have to be a computer genius to know that’s a lot.

This gives you a great deal of freedom with the information you embed within the code. Your direct mail QR code could contain anything from a map to your bricks-and-mortar store, to product information.

2) Enriched Experience

Your recipients are living in a world where technology is King. The humble letter is now seen as ‘old school’. By including a QR code on your mail shots, you can enrich their experience by integrating paper with online.

Use your code to add an interactive element by taking your customers to a specific landing page on your website. You could also use it to direct them to the product promoted in your mail shot.

This helps you achieve your goals right away. You can generate organic traffic, and send people to your website with minimal effort. Customers love to feel valued, and see their shopping experience made easy. QR codes and direct mail is one of the best ways to do this.

3) Boost Sales

As well as enriching your recipients’ shopping experience, a QR code can boost your sales. By embedding it on your flyer, postcard, or letter; you can create an instant opportunity for your customers to buy.

For example, if you send customers a brochure, catalogue, or printed advert; include a QR code by the products. This can be programmed to link users to the product on your ecommerce store. You could also use the code as a way of getting a discount on the product,

This will encourage an immediate purchase, rather than delaying it while they think it through.

4) Track Campaign Success

One of the biggest challenges faced by direct mail marketers is tracking the success of their campaigns. Unlike email marketing, it is impossible to see how many people opened your mail shots. Often, the only way you can track success is by seeing how many discount codes were redeemed.

By adding a QR code to your mail shot, you can easily and effectively track the success of your campaigns. You can generate real data about the number of people who scanned your code, and those who brought from you.

This is especially important for marketers, as how else can you track the success of individual campaigns?

Even in a technology-obsessed world, there is space for direct mail marketing. QR codes are just one of the ways you can integrate your marketing, and bring your offline campaigns bang up to date. They’re affordable, effective, and easy to use. A marketers dream come true.