QR Codes — Jumping from Print to Interactive
If you haven't seen a Quick Response Code yet, you’re bound to see one soon. QR Codes look something like screens from the early 80s Pac-Man video game – maze-like symbols that are actually two-dimensional (or matrix) barcodes that can be read from a mobile phone, provided it’s web-enabled, has a camera and a QR Code reader. (You can download the software for free on your smartphone or search online for a list of third-party readers suited for your phone).
Once the camera scans the code, consumers are directed to a variety of online content such as a personalized microsite, SMS text message, email address, video, podcast, profile, or downloadable coupon, for example. So now you have a quick and easy way to get consumers to jump from print to an interactive online experience (think of them as a type of physical hyperlink). While the applications are many, using QR Codes in printed pieces such as newspapers, magazines, posters, and direct mail are still some of the most popular methods to engage consumers immediately.
As education marketers, you could insert a QR Code in your back-to-school catalog to drive consumers to a coupon or special offer. Or link a conference invitation to a PURL, or personalized landing page, which could not only promote your event, but also provide a convenient response option as well. In fact, studies have shown that more than 42 percent of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online. QR Codes let them do just that quickly and easily.
Just in time for your back-to-school mailings, the USPS is offering a 3% discount on postage rates to mailers who include QR Codes on their mailpieces. There really aren’t many other regulations to qualify for the discount so get in gear and get a direct mail piece into the USPS’s hands no later than August 31, 2011. Learn more at USPS.com.
It’s clear that QR Codes have the ability to revolutionize direct mail. According to a study on interactive advertising models completed in July 2009, mobile advertising in the US will grow from $391 million in 2009 to $1.2 billion in 2014. This increase represents a 27 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), making mobile marketing second only to social media marketing with a CAGR of 34 percent.
Combining QR Codes with Direct Mail
- Makes a static piece interactive – making both forms of communication more effective
- Engages your customer while they are considering a product
- Potentially shortens your sales cycle
- Provides insights into consumer behavior
- Converts offline audiences into online relationships
You can easily create your code by QR Code generators such as kaywa.com and delivr.com. But since QR Codes are still relatively new, consider including instructions on how to download a QR Code reader on your direct mail piece.
With QR Codes, marketers can harness the power of direct mail and the Internet – making your marketing efforts more effective than ever. Along with other interactive methods such as PURLs, SMS texting and email, QR codes may well become one of the most powerful applications in the marketing world today.