6 Reasons to Use QR Codes for Local Marketing

by | Oct 25, 2011

A few weeks ago we did a piece on the benefits of QR codes and gave a few ideas about where you could use them to give your localqr codes marketing a boost.  The main benefit with the QR codes that has us revisiting these little gems is that they form a great connection between online and offline media or marketing via a smartphone.

So why bother with them?

Because a lot of people are picking up on smartphone technology.  What was once an advanced piece of technology that only a few people had has transformed into the norm.  In March, the smartphone sector only had about 30% penetration but that number continues to climb rapidly with the introduction of new phones, the reduction in plan pricing and the introduction of more prepay options for affordable consumer access.  Compare that to the mere 22% of fortune 50 companies using QR codes and you can see that the adoption of QR codes is still in its infancy stages.

The key to success is to be on the leading edge of a new trend, and this is a golden opportunity to cash in on a new way to engage with your clients.  Since creating content and marketing your business online makes you a publisher, here are 6 reasons why you should mix QR codes into your content marketing strategy.

QR Codes Help you Engage Users

A big hurdle to get past is trying to move from a static, brochure like web presence to a more engaging user experience.  QR codes help you attract new users and encourage existing visitors to spend a bit more time within your sales funnel.  Think of all the additional information you can feed to a visitor or reader despite space limitations.

QR Codes Bridge the Online/Offline Gap

The QR codes will save you the space of having to fit, print and store a long URL for your site.  Likewise, you don’t have to rely on a reader or prospect to store or write down a URL, type it into a browser, etc.

Get More Response Out of Your Marketing

The QR codes allow you to get a greater response out of materials that wouldn’t normally be used for marketing.  Think placemats, menus, flyers, business cards, product packaging, a magazine cover, a video game box insert, a rental movie cover, a tag on clothing, etc.  Any consumer snapping their smartphone over a QR code could become a new customer for your business where they would normally pass right by your marketing material.

Provide Additional Product Info with QR Codes

With marketing and advertising you’ve got limited space.  Even with product packaging you’ve only got so much surface area you can put information on.  With a simple QR code on a product package, marketing kit, envelope, etc you can direct the reader to a landing page rich with information and benefit statements.

Convert shoppers

Consumers prefer to get information via their smartphone while they’re shopping, and they’re more likely to research a product and comparison shop in the store, in front of the product, while they’re on their phone.  With QR codes on or around products you can provide all the information a customer needs to close a sale.

Make Your Media Trackable

A great deal of the marketing you do might be difficult to track.  Other items that are less about marketing and more about branding might not be trackable by other means.  How do you track a flyer?  A QR code allows you to keep track of all the traffic coming in with statistics

Want to learn more about marketing with QR codes?  Visit us at Tulsa Internet Marketing Today