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Cracking the QR Code: 5 Tips That Elevate Your Customer Engagement
Written By: Nelson James | Article Date: July 7, 2023
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We’ve all seen QR codes displayed on counter signs, printed on banners, and splashed on ads when we’re out and about. But how many of us stop to scan them? Do you ever wonder if any of them made a big impression?
For QR codes to stand out, you need to integrate them creatively into the ads and promotions of your campaign. Once people start scanning your banner QR code, your business can enjoy a boost in sales, improved brand recall, and increased website and social media traffic. So how can you grab the customer’s attention and get them to whip out their phones to scan your QR code? Here are some ideas from brands that successfully used these codes as part of their campaigns.
Use the following code to publish on your website.
1. Create a mobile shopping experience from anywhere.
QR codes are a convenient way to drive mobile shoppers to your site. Once they’re in there, they can easily make a purchase straight from their mobile devices. But what if you could get them to shop while riding a cab or when they’re on the go?
This is what L’Oréal and Glamour magazine did with “Shop The Look” or their Fashion Week 2012 campaign. The two powerful brands commissioned a fleet of New York City cabs and turned them into taxi shops. Bearing the signs “The Yves Saint Laurent Taxi Shops” and “Lancôme Taxi Shops” the fleet went around The Big Apple to give a lucky potential shopper a free ride to hot spots like the Lincoln Center, Condé Nast, and the Meatpacking District during Fashion Week.
Passengers saw the latest beauty trends updates on the taxi’s TV screens and got a free ride to their next appointment! All they had to do was to scan the Snaptag displayed in the taxi before downloading the app to shop for the promoted products. The results? A 22% purchase rate, an 80% increase in-app downloads, and 66% of their riders sharing their experience on social media like Facebook.
2. Unlock exclusive, interactive online content like branded stickers and filters.
People may discover your brand in person via banners or signs, but they can also take the conversation online. What does this mean for you brand? Ask yourself this: What is the most popular social media channel among my customers? Based on your answer, you can create a concept that would encourage them to post about your product after scanning a banner QR code.
Take Pepsi for example. To enable more social media posts from customers, the QR codes on Pepsi bottles unlocked more than 200 summer-themed digital stickers and augmented reality filters on Instagram. Some of the statements they got exclusive access to were “Tropic Like It’s Hot” and “Call Me on My Shell Phone,” which were so witty they made anyone excited to use them on their summer social media posts. Pepsi amassed more user-generated content and boosted their social media reach with this campaign.
3. Give passersby a reason to look (and linger).
Ads on signs and banners are usually the first you see, but rarely does anyone look twice. A visually captivating image is likelier to capture attention and compel people to rest their eyes on the advertisement.
Years ago, Victoria Secret’s “Sexier than Skin” campaign intrigued people with their electrifying posters and billboards. The models seem to appear nude with only QR codes covering certain body parts. The codes were practically begging to be scanned so people could “reveal” the uncensored image on their screen, and it made anyone who did remember the lingerie they saw more vividly after such an immersive experience.
Got any attention-grabbing visuals that will make folks want to scan the QR code on your banner or sign? Brainstorm what will catch their attention and pique their curiosity and make scanning a QR code an unforgettable moment for your target audience.
4. Immerse customers in a game that takes their eyes and hands off their phones.
Yes, you read that right. Getting customers to put down their phones will make a big impression, even if it starts with scanning a QR code. If your product or service is a better experience with time spent offline, take some notes from Miller Lite’s offline can.
Their campaign positioned Miller Time as the “original social media” to inspire time away from Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to more in-person conversations with friends over beer. Bar patrons and event attendees scanned a QR code that triggered a 30-minute countdown synced with other people’s phones. Once in the game, everyone had to put their phones down and use the 30 minutes to chat with each other to become eligible to win the limited-edition Miller Lite Official can.
A similar premise could work for any item that requires a sit-down, like a meal at a restaurant or an afternoon with the girls at the spa. Think of ways the QR code can encourage people to experience the product a product or service that will enjoy and connect in person, not with their phones — at least for the rest of the activity.
5. Introduce an augmented reality experience.
Is the face of your brand so iconic that customers will enjoy any form of interaction with you? Wine Label 19 Crimes believed they did, and they took QR codes to the next to prove it.
The Australian organization, Treasury Wine Estates, partnered with Snoop Dogg for the “Ask the Doggfather” campaign, where customers scanned their bottle of Snoop Cali Red on Askthedoggfather.com. From there, Snoop would appear on their phones ready to answer their questions. Using Snoop Dogg’s personality to entertain customers increased wine bottle sales from $4 million a year to $18 million in just 17 months. Millions of viewers watched videos demonstrating the “Ask the Doggfather” wine labels.
Is there a unique experience your brand’s endorser can offer? Because as Ask the Doggfather proved, an interaction with their favorite celebrity or influencer will compel them to scan that code.
Customize Attention-Grabbing Signs and Banners for Your QR Code
Ready to engage more customers with banner QR codes? After building your campaign and finding the perfect way to add it to your promos, check out some cool banners you can use to show it off. Signs.com has your back with our top-notch banners and signages that last on display and make your QR code pop for easy scanning. Explore how you can design your next campaign on a banner with us today.Share this article