Some may ask, “What are the differences between a web key and a flash drive?” Well, maybe this can clarify any misconceptions. A flash drive is perfect for large amounts of portable data. As an undergraduate student I often used them to carry around presentations for my classes and they were perfect for carrying around large amounts of data. They were also perfect to back up important information. Unlike flash drives, web keys are not used to store data. A web key is used to launch a website, micro-site, or PURL that can be frequently updated, so the information on the site is always relevant and up-to-date because these updates will be seen each and every time the web key is plugged into the computer. Web keys have a much longer shelf life because they save a website address that will launch every time the web key is plugged in. This can be a contest, website, videos, PowerPoint decks, etc. Due to the fact that these small web keys contain no memory they don’t carry any viruses and therefore they are safe for all users. Web keys are effective vehicles for delivering information to your audience. The real benefit of using a web key versus a flash drive is its ability to track the prospect’s interaction with your website and all of the reporting capabilities you get because each interaction is trackable. 

In a newly released study by the mobile marketing and technology company, Nellymoser, QR Code usage by publishers, has increased sharply since last year. In Q1 of last year only 352 codes were published by the top 100 U.S. magazines. During Q1 of this year that number rose to 1,365. The positive trend continued into Q2 with the number of printed codes soaring t0 2,200.

It’s important to note that the study did not look at the number of code “scans”, but only the number of times they were used. Still, the study suggests that the popularity of QR Codes amongst advertisers is on the rise, at least in publishing. Not surprisingly, there has been steady growth in smartphone ownership in the past two years. In a Pew Internet study conducted at the beginning of this year, 46% of American adults owned a smartphone. That was up from 35% during the same time the previous year. Currently, more Americans own smartphones than traditional “dumb” phones.

What do you think about using QR Codes? Have you used them and if so, were they effective? Please sound-off below!

Last week I was driving through eastern Pennsylvania, on a long trip from Maryland to New York. I was somewhere between Allentown and Scranton when I pulled off to find something to eat. My driving companion was an audiobook I had just purchased and, ironically, it was Steven King’s latest thriller, 11.23.63. Like most of his books, this one was primarily set in a sleepy town in Maine. I hadn’t gotten to the part of the book that takes place in Dallas, Texas, during the fall of 1963. The town I was currently driving through was eerily similar to the picture King had painted in my head of the town in the story, Derry, Maine. To add to the irony, I pulled up behind an old 60’s style hearse, which sort of startled me. The hearse was painted in solid black with a big gold badge and a large QR code on the back window. The badge was for the name of a business, some sort of ghost hunters. Unfortunately, the QR code eluded me. Though I grabbed my phone and attempted a quick scan, the hearse pulled away too quickly as the light turned green.

I wish I had been able to scan that QR code but as a marketer, I was a bit impressed with the creativity of the owner of whatever business that was.

A ComScore study conducted last summer showed that 14 million Americans (or 6.2% of mobile device users) scanned a QR code in the month of June. These are certainly not huge numbers, but I concluded two things from this study. One, many people still don’t know what a QR code is, much less that they need an app on their phone to scan it. This makes them unique and different, and that’s not a bad thing for your marketing. Two, there is room for growth! At 6.2% user adoption, QR codes are still effective in marketing, so imagine what the results will look like when there is a 20 or 30% user adoption?

We hear from marketers who are still not sure about QR Codes. That’s because t ROI hasn’t been proven. But in our world, they are a relatively low cost, low risk add-on to any campaign. We have found effective ways to use QR codes in our high-impact print designs and they are a great.

The key to an effective QR code campaign is in the payoff. What’s in it for the end user who takes the time to scan your code? If you simply take them to your website, there isn’t much of a reward, is there? You should always direct them to a landing page that was specially designed for the campaign and matches the theme of the print piece. It has to be a special place the user can’t just get to by Google “ing” your company.

Subway recently did a great campaign where they sent coupons out in a mailer and included a QR code. When you scanned the QR code you were taken to a website that allowed you to play games for extra coupons. It was an effective way for Subway to bridge the gap between their print efforts and digital assets.

Another thing to consider is that you’re not boxed in by the basic black and white barcode style. Surely there are graphic designers that have no interest in slapping an ugly QR code on top of a beautifully designed piece. Not to worry! QR codes have an amazing amount of flexibility. The entire code is not necessary for an effective scan. Furthermore, the color makes no difference. It’s one of those things you have to tinker with. Change the QR code slightly to match your design and keep testing as you proceed. Though they can be flexible, covering up the wrong spot, even just a few pixels, could render the code useless.

We encourage our clients to try QR codes, as long as there is a reason to do so. We don’t just use them for the novelty of it. Building an effective integrated campaign will include several digital and print components, so you need to find a way to bring them together. QR codes can help, along with other digital technologies like web keys and purls.

We have been using QR Codes in our client’s integrated campaigns for quite some time. It’s always a challenge to use them in a creative enough way to get people to scan them, and then, of course, have a solid payoff for the user when they do scan them.

This is the challenge that all marketers face when they consider using QR Codes. In a recent article by iMedia Connection, contributor Sean X Cummings writes about the creative use of QR Codes and why they are failing for some marketers.

“From the relative lack of public understanding of what they even are, to the dearth of creativity in their usage, the QR code is destined to become just the little box that geek built. But if it does go the way of CueCat, only we are to blame.” (read more)

For more information about QR Codes, check out these articles.

Though QR Codes have been around for a long time, there acceptance by marketers has come about fairly recently. A lot has been written about QR Codes, not just by us, but by most everyone in the industry.

However, just like anything, you can get it all wrong. Since few people or agencies can really claim to have years and years of experience with QR Codes and marketing, there are a lot of poor executions out there.

In this recent article posted to the Direct Mail Insider, the author asks the question; can’t anyone get this right? It’s worth a quick read.

This summer the USPS has approved a 3% discount on First Class Standard and Non-Profit mailers that include a QR Code or MS Tag. The promotion, lasting from July 1st – August 31st, 2011 is designed to promote the use of new mobile technologies.

QR Codes have long been a topic of discussion here at Structural Graphics. With smart phone use at an all-time high and showing no signs of slowing, marketers are enjoying higher ROI by adding this additional response method to their mailings. Though BRC’s and 800 numbers are still delivering responses, you need to have an additional way for the tech-savvy on-the-go person to interact with your offer.

To read more about how we use QR Codes to increase client’s response rates, click here.

To get more information about the USPS promotion, click here.