Despite the popularity of communicating via email, custom mail services remain a popular way for businesses to get the message out about their products and services. One drawback of emails is almost half of consumers feel like they receive too many messages in their inboxes. In addition, emails are not as personable, persuasive, and cost-effective.
Custom mail services encompass a wide variety of helpful services such as product fulfillment, the development of mailing lists, and the availability of digital printing services. Another frequently requested type of custom mail service concerns QR codes.
What are QR codes and how can you use them for your next mail campaign?
What Are QR Codes?
As a type of technology that has been around for more than two decades, QR codes represent a two-dimensional barcode that opens a web page or allows a regular or potential customer to take other actions, such as make a call, register for an event, and save contact information. Scanning a QR code with a Smartphone camera allows a customer to gain access to the powerful features offered by the barcodes.
When you place a QR code on a piece of direct mail, you track customer data that helps you determine the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. QR codes generate helpful data such as scan and engagement rates, as well as the revenue generated from certain product purchases. Although gathering and organizing customer data represents the primary benefit of adding QR codes to your direct mail pieces, you can achieve other goals that turn direct mail marketing into a strategy that delivers a high rate of return on your business investment.
How to Optimize QR Codes
QR codes have evolved since their introduction more than 20 years ago. For example, Ikea adds a QR code that allows customers to determine how a product looks in their living space by leveraging the power of Augmented Reality.
Here are a few other ways your business can optimize the benefits of QR codes:
Access Digital Coupons
According to Statista, consumers redeemed more than 31 billion digital coupons in 2019. Adding QR codes to direct mail pieces gives your customers the option to scan a barcode and then redeem the value of a coupon that is associated with the QR code. This type of digital technology saves customers both time and money.
A Better Way to Contact Your Business
Business owners and operators have to deal with online feedback on social media sites, as well as the feedback uploaded to consumer-driven Yelp and Google pages. Although responding to customer feedback represents an essential part of doing business, it often is difficult for customers to reach you on social media platforms. The solution to the communication dilemma is to add the phone number of your business to a QR code. After scanning the barcode, customers call your business directly to resolve issues.
The Bottom Line
QR codes are the marketing wave of the future because of the rapid advancement of technology. Take advantage of the improved technology by creating colorful QR codes, adding your logo to every barcode, and including a persuasive call to action.