How To Use QR Codes To Connect Online And Offline Marketing

Marketers and opinion leaders utilise social media extensively to reach their target audiences. In the United States, social media advertisements have been seen by more than half of all internet users.

People aren’t as annoyed by businesses or influencers selling items on social media as they are by display ads. In fact, 70% of Instagram users conduct brand research.

In addition, Brizfeel reports that more than half of all social media users follow either a celebrity or an influencer account.

Brands are participating, problems are being fixed, and customers are being offered unique purchasing opportunities; all in all, it appears to be a pretty healthy ecosystem.

Separate channels for online and offline participation plus the answer

Listening on social media is not a stand-in for actual customer feedback on marketing initiatives. Engagement Labs’ latest massive analysis on prominent companies proved the lack of correlation between online and physical engagement.

The majority illusion contributes to the already skewed nature of these indicators when working with influencers. It is also standard practise for influencers to purchase followers and likes in order to artificially inflate their audience size and subsequent engagement.

There are 3 approaches to bridging the gap between online and real-world traffic.

To accomplish all these purposes with minimal effort and expense, dynamic QR Codes are the way to go. A QR Code is considered dynamic if it can be updated at any time, even after it has been printed. That implies that the same QR Code may be used repeatedly to link to future social media postings from the same business.

Companies who have begun implementing QR codes are listed below. Companies like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Puma, Nike, and Fender are aggressively utilising QR Codes to encourage consumers to engage with their brands in a variety of ways, including app downloads, social media engagement, product reviews, and authenticated product calls.

Get interested people to visit your businesses, pop-ups, and events

Brands’ new flagship store promotions and influencers’ meet-up invites are impossible to ignore.

Even though some companies and influencers spend all their time on social media, the best approach to establish loyalty is to arrange in-person events like meetings, pop-up displays, and appearances. YouTuber Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger) and Twitch streamer Ninja both frequently perform live, while Stassi Schroeder recently toured in support of her podcast.

Including a dynamic QR Code in the article or sending one out in an email is a quick and easy way to boost participation and keep people interested.

Brands and influencers may use these QR Codes to continue spreading the latest news, invite users to add an event to their calendars, or have fans submit questions to their favourite influencers ahead of a Q&A session.

Communicate again with existing and potential customers

Customer retention may be improved by including a QR Code on product packaging or merch that directs purchasers to the brand’s or influencer’s social media profiles.

Many items now have social media logos to give the impression that the company is active there, but only a select handful really make it easy for customers to interact with the brand through their various profiles.

Ninety-six percent of social media users who mention a brand do not actually follow that brand. Therefore, consumers who buy products after seeing them promoted on Instagram or featured in an Influencer’s post are not interacting directly with the companies.

Bring in new social media users from offline sources.

It is also important to direct consumers who visit brick-and-mortar businesses or pop-up events to social media in order to create a continuous feedback loop.

Many businesses have realised the benefits of using QR Codes to incorporate social media into their offline campaigns.

Using the potential of Augmented Reality, Levi’s sponsored an in-store promotion in which customers could scan a Snapchat QR Code and access a Snapchat filter that would allow them to virtually try on a jacket.

Remarketing to previous Facebook visitors

Brands and influencers may use QR codes to retarget consumers and prospects on Facebook at any point in the buying process.

With 44% of customers saying Facebook has an impact on their purchasing decisions, this bodes well for sustained and increased sales. Only 26% of people who click on Facebook advertising actually buy something. (Adespresso is the source)

How to be a pro at creating meaningful interactions

Brizfeel estimates that 3.03 billion individuals throughout the world are active on social media. Despite this, many members of Generation Z and Millennials prefer to purchase at physical stores.

By failing to successfully close this loop, or by becoming preoccupied with social media analytics that may have little affect on physical conversions, brands and influencers are missing out on a tremendous opportunity.

Those companies who realise the value of an omnichannel experience are working hard to make it a reality.

The flagship stores of Nike, Puma, and Burberry all use QR Codes to provide consumers with exclusive services like expedited checkout and augmented reality demonstrations.

The QR Code looks like the most natural method to link customers with companies both online and off, and this is becoming increasingly important as “connected experiences” become the norm.