- Educate your public. about 2 in 3 people have seen QR codes and 1 third have scanned them. But most people have no idea how these funny barcodes work. So, it's always useful to get nice and simple instructions. I have seen a lot of flyers who actually explain how to scan the code and also suggested which QR code reader to use. i-Nigma and Beetag are pretty easy and also available for iPhones, Blackberry and Android. Plus, they are ad free!
- Make it visible and easy to access. Keep in mind that your public would have to take a picture of the barcode. It has to be set up accordingly.
- If QR codes contains an URL, it would be best to use a short URL. Even if QR codes can store more than 4,000 characters, the more characters you have, the busier your QR code will look. This might affect its scanability. For instance, I generated 2 different codes for the same URL: http://robindebrousse.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/crisis-in-japan-10-things-you-should-know/. The barcode on your left was created with the regular URL and the one on the right with the short one. Big difference huh?
QR codes generated by QRstuff
- Size matters. I wouldn't use QR codes smaller than the previous 2. Big barcodes are easier to scan and more reliable. The last thing you want is upset your public with codes they can't scan!
- Make sure you can track results. There are a few mobile barcode platforms (i-Nigma) or agency (QRe8) that offer you to track your QR code usage. This is very helpful to see if your strategy work and how channels interact with one another.
- Quiet zone is a must. Leave enough space around the code to leave the rest of your message out of the way of the barcode reader.
- Stand out from the crowd. People are getting bombarded by QR codes campaigns everyday. Strangely, most of them use the same boring black and white code. To me, they all look the same. There are a few QR code generators that give you the option to download your QR code as a PDF of SVG file. It's up to you to modify the angles and colour with Illustrator. Just make sure you do not move any of the block otherwise your code will remain nothing but a funny maze.
QRarts QR codes portforlio
- Scan before you deploy. This is obvious you might think. You won't believe the number of people who go to print with the wrong code just because they had no idea how to check it or just didn't bother scanning it. The last thing you want is to end up redirecting your consumer to a competitor's page ... or worse.
- Create value for the consumer. Before scanning QR codes becomes a second nature for each of us. You have to entice people to use their Smartphone. Most marketers would advertise free coupons or access to additional information to get people to take a pic!
- Make sure the landing page is Smartphone-proof. Improve customer experience by offering a website that is adapted to Smartphones. What's the point of using QR codes to drive traffic to a flash video that iPhone users cannot watch?
Picture from Quicker Listing
More resourcesGlobal Growth in Mobile Barcode Usage - Q2/ 2011
Using QR Codes (2D barcodes) For Business
How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business
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