Uses of QR Codes In Direct Mail Marketing
There are new developments in the marketing industry each day as technological advancements continue to grow. Companies no longer use expensive and tedious marketing methods that take months to generate any results.
They have also revolutionised direct mail marketing, which is one of the oldest ways of marketing. You can now conduct direct mail campaigns that are affordable, fast, productive, and trackable.
Plus, marketers have discovered various new marketing channels like social media marketing, mobile marketing, etc. These marketing channels further use several other elements, and one such element is the use of QR (Quick Response) codes.
QR marketing is relatively new and is already setting new records. You can see QR codes almost everywhere—on the bus station, behind your local restaurant’s menu, on your brand new t-shirt, etc. Anyone can pull out their mobile phone, scan these codes, and get all the details about a business right on their screen.
Companies can customise what they want the QR code to show after scanning. For example, suppose you want to promote a new product. You can generate a QR code that helps people scan it and access all the information regarding the product.
Similarly, you can do anything you want with QR code marketing. From promoting a new service or product to driving traffic to your social media pages, everything is possible.
There are a lot more exciting things about QR codes that we will discuss in this blog. Also, we will cover how to use QR codes in marketing.
What Are QR Codes?
QR codes are scannable 2D barcodes printed on items. They direct people to a landing page or to take a specific action like calling up your business, watching a video, etc.
Also, they facilitate quick data transfers between companies and customers.
In 1994, the Denso Wave company first invented QR codes to track their vehicles’ manufacturing processes. However, they were not popular during that time, and tracking things was their only use.
It is because users would need to download some software to scan these codes. Therefore, using QR codes was time-consuming, making it not worth it back then.
Also, you didn’t have the option to personalise the page where the code would take the user.
But, things have changed now as more people are scanning QR codes every day for different reasons. Some of them use the ‘scan and pay’ option to buy their groceries. Others use a QR code to avail of discounts.
The days of needing a software application to scan QR codes are long gone. Now, all smartphones have an in-built scanner that makes scanning super quick and easy.
In a poll, 72% of respondents said they scanned a QR code in the last month. It shows that almost everyone knows what a QR code is.
Hence, it is not surprising that using QR codes has become very trendy in various industries like retail, healthcare, entertainment, etc.
QR Codes in Direct Mail Marketing
Earlier, QR codes didn’t have any applications other than tracking things. But, today, every industry has embraced QR codes due to their benefits. The same applies to the marketing industry. Now, almost every company uses QR codes to promote its products and services.
So, how are QR codes used in marketing?
Well, for starters, start printing QR codes on all your products. On being scanned, these codes can take your customers to your website for more details. It is a very subtle way of including QR codes in your marketing strategies.
The next thing to do is print QR codes on your marketing materials like postcards, self-mailers, etc. Thus, you can incorporate QR codes in your direct mail marketing strategies.
In fact, the direct mail marketing industry has been using QR codes widely. They help companies track responses and measure campaign performance. Keep reading below to know more benefits of using QR codes in direct mail campaigns.
Benefits of Using QR Codes In Direct Mail Campaigns
Marketers are widely using QR codes to track their direct mail campaigns. They also use it to provide recipients with more information about their brand. But why are QR codes appealing to marketers?
The reason behind it is that QR codes are very beneficial in several ways, like:
QR Codes Don’t Take Up Much Space
QR codes don’t need a lot of space on your direct mail items. You don’t need to go for oversized postcards or letters to print a QR code. They are small and compact and can fit anywhere. Some marketers also create QR codes that are within the images used for their artwork. It further saves a lot of space.
Apart from saving space, QR codes also offer an attractive look to your direct mail design. You can customise your QR codes with different colours and shapes to make them eye-catching and appealing to the audience.
User-Friendly and Quick
It is not at all hard to understand QR codes. But, you may choose to add a line on how to scan the QR code and what the user should expect to see after scanning it.
All your direct mail recipients need to do is open the scanner on their smartphone and point it towards the code. The scanner will automatically read and understand the encrypted information and take them to their destination.
Today, customers don’t want to deal with anything slow and tedious. Thus, expecting them to enter a URL may be far-fetched. Instead, it is better to use QR codes that take no more than a few seconds to do their job.
Easy to Create
Creating QR codes is very easy. A lot of online QR code generators can help you with it. Also, some direct mail APIs like PostGrid can help you design personalised landing pages with custom QR codes—unique for every recipient.
Also, getting QR codes for your direct mail campaign is more affordable than you think.
Ideas to Incorporate QR Codes into Your Marketing Strategies
What are QR codes used for? How can you incorporate them into your direct mail marketing strategies? The following ideas can help you know the answers to these questions:
Send Message and Emails
Companies can send a well-thought text or an onboarding email to their prospects once they scan the QR code. This way, you can connect with those people who are hesitant to give their mobile number or email address. In some cases, you may also ask the user to provide their contact details through an online form.
Sending texts through QR codes is a very effective strategy as it supports sales, opt-in registrations, on-request upgrades, and technical support. Similarly, sending emails can help monitor data for email marketing.
Direct Users to Your Website
Directing users to your business website is one of the most effective QR code uses. You can take your customers to any web page you want. Thus, they don’t need to access your website and then search for a page within it.
Most companies direct users to a custom landing page that talks about their personal needs and how the brand can fulfil them.
Make sure to use unique QR codes for marketing campaigns so that you can track the results accurately.
Getting Customers to Leave a Review
89% of customers around the world read reviews before buying a product. 79% of shoppers trust online reviews the same way as personal recommendations. Hence, getting reviews from existing customers is crucial for businesses.
These testimonials and reviews help prospects make up their mind about a specific product or service. They act as a guide and are very helpful in boosting sales.
Hence, you should have a sound mechanism to ask customers to leave a review on your website or social media pages. Why not leverage QR codes to get reviews from your customers?
Send direct mail items with QR codes that direct users to the reviews page on your website. Prompt them to leave a short review about what they think about your business.
Take care to send such QR codes to existing customers only as they have already bought from you and are eligible to leave feedback. You can also give them a small discount or cashback on their next purchase for every review.
Engage Prospects With Short Videos
Many companies make a lot of videos about their brand and its products and services. These videos can help their target audience understand their operations in-depth. A study reveals that viewers retain about 95% of the message from a video compared to only 10% from reading something.
But, companies are unable to promote their videos and increase their reach. One of the best ways to do that is using QR codes to promote them. You can print and mail items with a QR code that directs recipients to a marketing video. Also, try asking them to share your videos with others to gain bonus points.
Such QR code ideas can help you increase your campaign engagement significantly.
Share Your Contact Details
It is a common practice to print contact details on direct mail items, like postcards and envelopes. But, it is still difficult to convince recipients to enter the phone number on their phone and call you up. So, make it easier for them.
Send your contact details to your prospects’ mobile phones within a second with the help of QR codes. It is the fastest way to get people to call you or send an email to your ID.
Download Apps
QR codes can take users to an app download page and also initiate the download automatically. Imagine if hundreds of people scan your QR codes and download your app on their phones. You can do so much more once the download is complete, like sending personalised notifications and gaining insights into the users’ shopping histories.
If your app downloads are low, try sending out direct mail items with such QR codes and wait for the results!
Direct Uses to Social Media Handles
Like app downloads, you may also want to increase your social media followers. Again, use QR codes that take users to your social media handles like Instagram and Facebook.
You may also provide a promo code to all the users who follow your social media pages through the QR code. This way, you can increase your online engagement and sales both.
Companies can also combine their direct mail and digital marketing strategy with QR codes for better results.
Digital Menu or Product Catalogues
Marketers may be unable to talk about all their products and services in a single direct mail item. We may have often seen the words ‘Visit website for more information on various marketing materials. Again, QR codes can help your customers visit your website by scanning the code.
But, you can add a twist to it to make the process more interesting for your audience. Instead of taking them to your website, let the QR code direct them to an online catalogue. It would be exciting to access the details of every single product right on their phones. Also, add a purchase link so that customers can order something if they like something from the catalogue.
In the same way, restaurants can create digital menus that help users access all their offerings in one glance.
Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonments
A lot of users abandon their shopping carts after adding things to them. Such incomplete checkouts may result in losses for a company.
Hence, try to motivate these users to finish their transactions. There are two steps to accomplish your goal—reminding them that there are some items in their carts and offering an incentive on completing checkouts.
QR codes can assist you in this process. On being scanned, they can direct customers to their shopping carts and apply the promo code to complete the transaction.
Share Business Location
Instead of searching Google maps for your office or store address, a customer can scan the QR code on your mailpiece to get the address link on their phone. It is time-saving and speedy, and also encourages customers to visit you.
Deliver Event Details
Want to invite prospects and customers to a trade event? Print QR codes on your direct mail items and send them to all your intended invitees. They can scan the code to get all the event details and also RSVP for it.
Convert First-Time Buyers Into Repeat Customers
Create QR codes that help first-time buyers get their purchase history on their phones. You can also design these codes to help customers order again through the same link.
All the QR code types mentioned above can be incorporated into your direct mail items. You can program these codes to do anything you want.
Other Tracking Systems You Can Use
Apart from QR codes, you can also employ other tracking systems like:
Personalised URLs
PURLs are another way to increase engagement and boost your campaign’s response levels. But, take care to only use short links as your customers may not want to enter long URLs.
One way to get recipients to visit your pURLs is to add their names to them. For example, www.seb-tonkins.postgrid.com.au/.
Dedicated Phone Numbers and Email Addresses
Add unique contact details on your direct mail items so that you can record your campaign responses precisely.
Coupon Codes
Instead of a QR code directing users to an online coupon, you can just print the coupon code on your mailpiece. The user can then visit your website and use the code whenever they want.
Store Walk-Ins
If you own a store and want to drive people there, add store walk-ins as a call to action. Include sentences like ‘Walk-in to your nearest store with this postcard to get a freebie.’
Wrapping Up
It is essential to track your campaign performance at every stage. It gives you a better idea of what works for you and what doesn’t. QR codes can help you do that in a very effective way. But, they can do a lot more than track your items.
In this blog, we have discussed all the possibilities to leverage QR codes for your direct mail marketing strategies. If you need any help to print and mail your items with such QR codes, contact PostGrid today. Our direct mail API can help you design, print, and send out your items in an automated manner. Hence, you can sit back and relax while PostGrid runs your campaign on your behalf.
The post Uses of QR Codes In Direct Mail Marketing appeared first on PostGrid.
source https://www.postgrid.com.au/qr-code-marketing-in-direct-mail-advertising/
source https://postgridaustralia.blogspot.com/2021/12/uses-of-qr-codes-in-direct-mail.html
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