Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Tips on How Mailers Can Optimize QR Code Use

Direct mail QR codes, mobile-device-scannable code storing an online url, have been both touted and declared "dead" by various marketing pundits in the last few years. For mailers pondering QR code inclusion, a recent Target Marketing magazine post by Summer Gould, president of Eye/Comm Inc., provides a useful discussion of the whys and hows of QR code use. Before marketers include a QR code in a mail piece, they need to decide what they hope to achieve with it, Gould points out. QR codes can drive online engagement, facilitate a phone call, provide a coupon, provide access to additional information, or allow order placement. If a QR code isn't doing any of those things, there is no benefit to the recipient (or the mailer), so it's not a useful response device. But once the direct mailer has a clear goal for the QR, the next step is to design the code for maximum results. Gould provides six key design guidelines: include instructions for mail recipients on how and why to scan; keep a 1/16-inch buffer of white space around the code; keep the code between a half inch and 1.5 inches in size for easy placement and scanning; use a url shortener to keep scanning time short; and make sure the user is taken to mobile-friendly online pages. Finally, of course, test the code with different devices and lighting conditions to make sure it works before mailing! For more QR code optimization tips, read http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/qr-code-qr-code/

No comments:

Post a Comment