QR Codes and why you should use them in your Grand Rapids printing and marketing pieces

What are QR Codes

First of all, what is a QR Code? A QR code is an image similar to a bar code that when scanned takes you to a digital link for more information. When QR Codes first came out I strongly disliked them because they are ugly. In my opinion they looked like clutter on designs and you had to download an app to use them. That meant a lot of “extra work” had to be done if you really wanted to learn more about whatever peaked your interest while reading a magazine or seeing something on a flyer. However, the past couple of years my opinion has done a 180 on what these tiny magical squares or circles can do for tracking your customers engagement and lead generation because you no longer need an app - just open your camera on your smart phone and scan.

Why QR Codes are good to use in your branding pieces

A QR Code is a great call to action. When it comes to marketing your brand for lead generation, raising awareness for your charity or business, or simply sharing knowledge with the people, QR Codes work incredibly well.

When you pick up a flyer or get a political mailer you don’t want to read a lot. When someone is passionate about something they usually take a while to explain what they are trying to say. It’s hard to edit. (I know!) A wise person once said, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” This is true especially on printing flyers, direct mail, and newsletters. You’ve got a brief moment to capture someones attention and an eight sentence introduction on who you are or what you do just doesn’t work. Get to the meat and potatoes and then provide hooks for your audience to learn more. Use a QR code to get them to go down the rabbit hole and take them to your social media channels and/or website.

How many QR codes should you put on your printed flyer, yard sign, or newsletter?

For most things, I believe one QR Code is all you should do. Even though they are functional, they still are ugly. Just like logo soup can dilute a well thought out design, too many QR codes can do the same damage.

Here’s an example.

The Bridge Street Band decided to put info for our Venmo and PayPal accounts to be able to easily collect tips at band gigs.

When I first designed the poster for our tip jar it looked like this.

This has a lot going on and when someone is deciding to tip the Bridge Street Band there’s just too much to try and figure out. Especially the facebook and instagram info at the bottom.

Linktree has helped us with that problem. Create a QR code to a linktree and then you can make easy redirects so that you can edit on the fly with new content and information using the same QR Code the whole time.

The design below has one QR Code for folks to easily scan.

When the QR Code is scanned it takes the patron to this link below. You can see the branding is the same with the guitar pick at the top and all you need to know about the band including options on where to tip.

The art of the QR code is like a well placed exclamation point- you don’t want to overuse it. With QR codes you can keep it simple but also provide more information if the user wants it.

For the Bridge Street Band poster I chose a large QR code because lots of times someone is walking around with the tip jar and patrons literally have a few seconds to scan it.

Another example is a 4x6 postcard hand out we recently did for Lakes Elementary Parent Teacher Organization.

This has three points and then the call to action with the QR code. The mission of this printed 4x6 card was to inform people what the PTO does and to introduce a new way the organization is collecting money for the school year. When you scan the QR Code it takes you to this.

The Lakes PTO doesn’t have a website so this linktree is an awesome place to guide someone to everything the PTO has going on in the digital world. The metrics are pretty cool to see what links people are clicking on.

Swift Printing explains How to make a QR Code Here

Pro tip: Don’t include QR Codes on your digital marketing pieces. Please use hyperlinks for that. Making someone scan a QR code from their phone when they are already on their computer just adds an extra step and opportunity for someone to get distracted from all the other things that are going on. It’s easy to customize the design for each platform - take the time to do it.

In Conclusion

QR Codes are a great way to optimize your marketing efforts and be able to provide trackable data on whatever you’re promoting by blending traditional advertising with new age advertising. There are so many ways you can incorporate them into your marketing plan. What are your favorite ways?