The Digital Skinny

QR codes are a good bet for “Mom and Pop”

Realtors use QR codes to provide information to potential buyers, instantly.

The number one reason QR (quick response) codes are surfacing in mainstream today is that small to medium sized businesses can say farewell to yesterday’s shotgun approach for reaching potential customers. No more buying costly newspaper and other print ads and hoping for traffic—welcome to mobile marketing. The possibilities are huge and tracking performance has never been more precise. Plus, being able to measure a campaign in real-time allows for message adjustments on the fly, when necessary. A newspaper ad will never have this type of flexibility.

But let’s not kill the newspaper ad yet. Do you know that you can incorporate mobile marketing into a print ad? Publishing a QR code or even a “text 87654 for more info” blurb will not only engage potential customers, it will help measure response and collect data for future campaigns. Building an organic list from QR code response is a by-product of mobile marketing and worth a pot of gold.

QR codes are popping up everywhere. Marketers who once saw the novelty in QR codes are now witnessing their power and loving their economy. Today, you see them on just about everything, including:

billboards, signs and store windows
shoes, T-shirts, clothing labels and jewelry
bottles, food labels and icing on baked goods
business cards, return address labels, print ads

Where have you seen them?

The uses of quick response codes are unlimited. QR Codes will drive traffic all day, as long as you provide a reason to respond. Mom and Pop businesses around the country are climbing on the QR code bandwagon and reaping the rewards. How would you use a QR code?