What rock are you living under if you don’t know about QR codes? These scannable links have reached their peak ressurgance after how essential they were during touchless, distanced Covid times. Businesses have fully opted for this route for a lot of reasons. The top being they are trackable and editable, as opposed to traditional printed collateral.

And yet…they are also the worst! People slap them on everything and anything.

So despite QR codes being slightly old news, they are still here, and marketers should know how to use them properly.

QR Code Tips and Tricks:

• QR codes on TV need to be large and in charge. Most people sit 10 feet away from the screen, so if you must use a QR code, give people enough time to scan it.
• The shorter the URL, the better. QR codes mainly use three black squares that contain data. The shorter the URL, the less data to compress, making it easier to scan.
• Don’t add a QR for just anything. Advertisers can put QR codes on boxes, products, screens, even the sky. Ideally, you should keep QR codes away from moving objects or moving scannable targets.
• Make QR codes worth scanning. QR codes are not a great avenue for advertising. Rather, they should add value to a user experience (virtual try ons, personalized experiences, information, and so on).

Check out the full post by The Trade Desk for stats and examples of QR codes being used by big brands in the wild.

Bonus QR code Fun Facts:

• They are old enough to drink –– QR codes are 27 years old.
• QR stands for “quick response” code.
• China is the top user of QR codes.

So, speaking of QR codes, here’s a tool to try for them. Beaconstac has everything you might need for trackable and scalable QR experiences. Sure, it has a free QR generator, but it’s also a full-scale solution for:

• Creating branded QR codes.
• Managing global QR code campaigns.
• Measuring real-time engagement of your codes.

They even have marketing tie-ins like social media ad suggestions based on engagement.

If you’re going to use QR codes, use ’em right!

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