QR codes: when to use them, and how to make them successful
I've been working in digital marketing for over twenty years, mostly in the pharma/healthcare sector. For the last decade or so, I've watched a lot of my clients and colleagues try, and fail, to use QR codes effectively. People are sort of mystified as to why QR codes work in some situations and not others, but I always explain that it's easy to understand if you consider the user, and their needs and motivations.
For the purposes of this exercise, let's say that the measure of success, as it pertains to QR codes, is getting a user to scan your QR code and visit whatever website you've set as the destination. (Let's not worry about KPIs regarding time spent on site, or purchases, etc, for now.)
A QR code is very effective when the user/viewer needs the thing that it points to
Perfect example: a menu in a restaurant. You may find it annoying that the menu is only accessible via a QR code (as do I), but if you're hungry, well, you'd better scan that code. The only way this QR code can "fail" is for the customer to refuse and to leave the restaurant. (Or, okay, they could make someone else at the table order for them).
So in this case we're talking about basically a 100% success rate for the QR code! Amazing! How do we make that happen in advertising? Hooboy, you're not going to like the answer... (Coming up, two subheads below.)
A QR code can be effective when the user/viewer wants something that's made significantly easier by the QR code
Example: you're waiting in a long line at a museum, and there's a sign next to the line that says, "Skip the line; buy tickets online now," with a QR code.* The customer may feel very motivated to scan the code and visit the site. You're offering them something that has real value, i.e. a lot of saved time. (Note: a short vanity domain would probably work just as well in this case. Scan or type, both are quick and easy. And less tech-savvy users may not know how to use a QR code, believe it or not. This is absolutely true; Google it. Think about grandparents waiting in line with their grandchildren.)
(*This was actually my very first time biting the bullet and scanning a QR code, around 2012, at Edinburgh Castle, while looking at a queue of a few hundred people. At the time this also meant downloading a QR code scanning app! Luckily that functionality is built-in now.)
Now here's the big watchout:
A QR code is unlikely to perform well when it just leads to more marketing materials
This is the mistake I see people make in our industry a lot. "Learn more here" on a poster, with a QR code pointing to a brochure website, is unlikely to generate a lot of engagement.
For whatever it's worth, a vanity domain could be displayed instead, or in addition to the QR code, and neither of these things is likely to turn into a lot of website visits. That directive to the viewer, "Learn more here," makes it pretty clear to them that there's nothing on the other side of this QR code that they need, and there may or may not be something that they want. Really, the "want" here is on the part of us and/or our client; we want the user to engage more with our materials. Is there value to the user? Sure, there may be. But we're not doing much to convince them of that.
Of course, some really persuasive copy might help with this, and intrigue the viewer enough that they now want what the QR code can offer them.
I've talked to some people who say they'd prefer to just Google a brand name, rather than scan a QR code, so they're not getting exactly the info that the poster(/brochure/etc) wants them to see, but instead they'll find all the most relevant search results, including other perspectives.
How about this? A QR code with accompanying text that says, "Sign up for more info." This is interesting. Now you're implying that the viewer can access info that the public probably can't access through Google. This may imply to the user that they're being offered something of real value. However, it's also asking the user to sign up on a website, which a lot of people are reluctant to do. I'd recommend against requiring a sign-up unless there's a practical reason for it that's beneficial to the user, and not just the client wanting the user's data, which is often the case.
My POV about QR codes in advertising when people ask me is: they can't hurt, I guess! We just shouldn't expect them (or promise for them) to turn into a lot of website visits. They're maybe no better, and certainly no worse, than a short vanity domain. I have yet to see QR codes used in my industry with any great degree of success; nothing worth bragging about. If we're going to use a QR code, the one thing we want to avoid is making our client think it's going to magically get tons of engagement because it's a QR code. But adding it to our usual lineup of tactics is totally fine...
... Unless you're thinking about us a QR code in a digital piece. Then you need to read this: QR codes in digital .
– Manning
Questions/comments? Feel free to contact me at manning@manningkrull.com. I update these articles pretty frequently — best practices evolve over time as the world of digital quickly changes, and I always welcome insights from others.