I was strolling through the Cherry Creek Mall in Colorado a few weeks ago and noticed a large poster for a Music in the Schools charity with John Stamos on it.
In the bottom right corner was a large QR code.
I always scan these codes for one reason.
I want to see if the marketing wizards who put the ad together were smart enough to have the code lead to a website created with responsive coding.
Responsive WordPress and Joomla HTML5 development changes a websites layout depending on what platform you are viewing the site on.
Sure enough after scanning in the code I was lead to a Desktop website squished into my narrow iPhone Safari browser.
Unable to read anything, I closed the browser and strolled on.
I was recently at Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando. Filled with cosplay nerds and inventive Jedi vendors of every kind I was again shocked by how many QR codes I scanned that lead to desktop websites.
For those of you who do not know what I am talking about, QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds (“modes”) of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or through supported extensions, virtually any kind of data.[1]
Proper use of a QR code might include:
- QR codes on movie posters that leads to the actual movie trailer.
- QR codes on a home sale brochure that shows more photos of the interior/exterior of the home.
- QR codes on charity flyers that leads to a website to donate.
- QR codes on POP tags to obtain more information about a product (reviews, specs, etc.)
But all lead to a MOBILE compatible website and the BEST of those go to a short but sweet site with a strong call to action to capture leads or at least an email address to follow up on later.
Before you start planning a QR code campaign, talk with a mobile responsive web development company and do your QR code marketing RIGHT!
Stern is an Aurora based responsive web design and inbound marketing company.