B2B Marketing and QR Codes

At the end of last year, our colleague Ruth White-Cabbell from Cisco made us aware that Quick Response codes (QR codes) would be coming into more widespread use this year in B2B marketing. Ruth was right. We're hearing more and more about them.

Immediate Information Access

QR's are similar to the bar codes used in inventory and retail sales, but rather than one dimensional codes as used in these other applications, QR codes are two dimensional (2D) matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. This is why the potential for marketing use is so great.

When you scan or read a QR code with your camera-enabled Smartphone, you can:

• Link to digital content on the web
• Activate email, IM and SMS
• Connect the mobile device to a web browser

Creating the Code and the Content

There are a number of sites for generating QR codes – and they're all free. One is Kaywa and another is Delivr. With these sites you can easily create QR codes that link to a web page, text, phone numbers, or SMS. Another with even greater capabilities, including customizing the color and format for your codes is Kerem Erkan.

QR Code Readers – Keep in mind that your target needs a reader app on the smartphone in order to read the code. It's easy to let people know where to get the free app. One that works well on my iPhone is i-nigma, which claims to be the most widely used reader in the world. For the android, you can also try Barcode Scanner.

It's also important to remember that the content you drop into code needs to be formatted for smartphones­—meaning no flash animation or large images that will take too long to load and be difficult to read on the smaller screen.

Practical Uses and ROI Analytics

You can successfully test the use of QR codes by fitting them in to actions that fully support your marketing objectives. Ideally, QR codes can be put on collateral materials, incorporated into direct marketing mailing pieces and placed on Facebook page banners. They can be put on the front or back of business cards. One marketer even puts them on mugs and water bottles that are used for corporate giveaways.

Be Creative and Resourceful

You can experiment and be creative with the size, location and color of your QR codes on marketing materials, as well as the content. Sending your recipient to a company website can be useful—since the codes are accessed on individuals' phones—but they may be in the middle of another task. In that case, it might be more productive to direct them to a simpler format such as a landing page with a specific offer.

Trade Shows and Corporate Events

One of the fastest growing and most popular uses of QR Codes is for trade shows and corporate events. Marketing Consultant Leesa Butler says:

"I have used them at a number of events and seminars for a paperless program. Display the code at registration and various points so attendees can download the event program. Full color and no printing means space is not an issue. We can include speaker photos, bios, sponsors ads, etc. and everything is hyperlinked to each web site. They have made a huge impact."

Analytics—since QR codes most commonly link to urls, they fit right into the tracking services you currently use. Link shortening services bit.ly and goo.gl now automatically generate a QR code for sharing your shortened links.

As Ruth White-Cabbell puts it, "QR codes are a way to hyperlink our online and offline B2B marketing efforts." Take a look at Ruth's blog, The Truth About Marketing.