You probably own or run a business. It could be a brick-and-mortar shop or an online store. And you want to boost your business.
To do it, you’re probably planning on using print media marketing. Print media, as a marketing tool, has a longer attention span than digital media.
However, the downside to print media is—it is neither actionable nor trackable. Well, not anymore. Print media can now be made both trackable and actionable with a simple addition—QR Codes.
So you’re looking forward to using QR Codes on billboards as a part of your marketing initiatives.
In this article, we’ll see what exactly can you achieve with a QR Code on your billboard ads.
A. How QR Codes on billboards are useful
QR Codes can offer you high levels of customer engagement. And here are some popular ways to go about it:
1. Drive web traffic or social media following
Say you are running print media promotions using billboards and want to take people to your website. It could be to get your audience to watch a video, check out your product range, or even make a purchase.
Here, a Website URL QR Code can help you do that. The target audience will simply have to scan it with their smartphone to visit your website. That means they’ll not have to manually type the web link to visit it. A simple scan is all that they’ll have to perform. And the easier the process, the better is the engagement rate.
Similarly, you can also get them to follow you on social media with a Social Media QR Code. When scanned, they will see a landing page with buttons linking to all your social media accounts. They can then select their favorite one to follow you online.
2. Offer coupons and discounts
It’s common for businesses to run promotional campaigns by offering discounts and coupons. They help you generate better sales. And if you’re planning on using billboards to get the job done, QR Codes can help you again. How?
Just place a Coupon QR Code on the billboard. When scanned, it will allow your target audience to easily access the encoded coupon code and redeem it.
This not only ensures a hassle-free user experience but helps to increase conversions. After all, the easier the process, the better are the conversions.
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3. Increase your mobile app downloads
If you have a mobile app for your business, you’d want people to download it. And to enable that, you’ll have to run promotions.
Here, a QR Code can help boost up your promotional effort. Simply add an App Store QR Code on your promotional material such as billboards. When scanned, it will redirect the end-users to your app on the relevant app store depending on their phone’s operating system.
In addition, if you’d like them to visit a particular page in your app, you can go for an App Deep Link QR Code.
Related : How To Make QR Code For App Links
4. Generate leads
Lead generation is one of the most common and efficient ways to generate sales. And to collect leads, you need to use lead generation forms.
But here’s the problem—when you add the form link to marketing creatives, people have to open their devices, click the browser, type tediously the form link to access it, and finally fill it.
Now, this is a long process and it requires effort. While some people may go through it, others won’t bother.
However, QR Codes are up for the challenge. They offer the lead generation feature. When end-users scan the lead-generation-enabled QR Code, they will be prompted to fill the lead generation form. Once they do it, they will see the desired content. It could be text saying ‘Thank You’, a coupon code, or even a document (lead magnet).
Here’s how this works:
- You create the desired QR Code and enable lead generation with the information you’d like to collect
- You add this QR Code to the billboards
- Your audience sees the QR Code on the billboard and scans it
- They see a form with the fields specified by you
- Once they fill the form, they submit it to see the content encoded in the QR Code
You can access these leads anytime you want via your QR Code service provider. Easy, right?
5. Help people know your business’ exact location
It’s common for businesses to get people to visit their brick-and-mortar stores. And to inform your audience about the same, you will add the address to the promotional material such as billboards.
Here, a Google Maps QR Code can help them visit your store. How? When scanned, it takes the end-users to see the encoded location on their phone’s maps application. No need for them to put manual effort into locating your business or asking for directions.
6. Easily share your contact details
You know how important it is to share your contact details with your potential customers. It allows them to easily contact you whenever they need your services.
And a VCard QR Code helps you to do it. How? Just place it on your billboards. And people can then scan the QR code to see all your contact details. It could be your name, contact number, email, address, website, and even your social media handles. Along with these, they also see the option—Save as Contact.
That means they can save you as a contact with a single click. That’s it. No need for them to manually type your details to add you as a contact. Convenient, right?
B. Examples of QR Codes on billboards
1. Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein, a fashion company, had replaced three of its billboards—two in NYC and one in LA. Here, they incorporated bright red QR Codes on these billboards with CTA—”Get It Uncensored.”
Passersby could use their smartphones to scan the QR Code. Doing this would redirect them to an exclusive, 40-second commercial featuring models Lara Stone, “A.J.,” Sid Ellisdon, Grayson Vaughan, and Eric Anderson. And once the commercial ends, watchers could even share the QR Code with their Facebook and Twitter networks.
2. Victoria’s Secret
In 2012, Victoria’s Secret, an American premium womenswear and beauty products manufacturer, displayed QR Codes on billboards. The aim was to encourage people to scan and view the brand’s latest lingerie collection.
3. BTS QR Code
BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is one of the most popular South Korean boy band groups. And they are using QR Codes on billboards for their fans.
When scanned, it led the fans to their website called the “ARMYPEDIA”. Here, they could access all the BTS information corresponding to that particular date.
For more such interactive QR Code Campaigns, you can download a free e-book curated by our experts on QR Code Trends 2024 and get access to the 20+ famous QR Code Campaigns from 2024.
C. How to create a QR Code for billboards
Now you know how QR Codes on billboards are useful. The next question—how to create one?
1. Decide on your QR Code category
Depending on what you’d want your end-users to see, you’d need to select the relevant QR Code category.
For example, if you’d want to redirect them to your website, you’d need to create a Website URL QR Code. But to give them discount coupons, you’d have to create a Coupon QR Code.
Once you have decided on the QR Code category, you can head on to your chosen QR Code generator. In case you haven’t chosen one, here is a detailed comparison chart on the best QR Code generators available online. You can go through it to make a sound decision.
2. Create a QR Code
Using Scanova QR Code generator for a demo, here is how you can create a QR Code for billboards:
a. Go to Scanova
b. Select the most relevant QR Code category
c. On the page that loads, add the content you want to encode in the QR Code and click Continue
d. Name the QR Code and click Create QR Code
e. Now, you’ll see the preview of the QR Code on the right. Under it, you’ll see the Edit Design button. If you click on it, you’ll see two design options—Custom Logo Design and Custom Background Design
Custom logo design allows you to add your business’s logo and colors to the QR Code. On the other hand, custom background design helps you place your QR Code on any image.
f. Once you’ve decided on design or no design, click Download. A window will open, prompting you to sign-up for a 14-day free trial. Once you’ve signed up, proceed to download the QR Code
g. Now, you’ll be asked to specify the QR Code image’s format and size
Note: Since you’re going to use the QR Code on billboards, it’s recommended to download it in vector formats such as SVG, EPS, PS, and PDF. They ensure that the QR Code doesn’t get pixelated no matter how much resizing is done.
h. Specify these details and click on Export
That’s it. Your QR Code will be downloaded. It is always advisable to test scan the QR Code before putting it out for the target audience.
That is all you need to know about how QR Codes can be used on billboards. You can now create your own QR Code to attract passersby’s attention and boost your business.
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