The world is opening up again. Is it a good move? That’s not what we’re here to discuss. Discussion or not, in-person events are making a comeback. For many, this will mean convention appearances, complete with booths, swag, hotel stays, and networking. Because it’s in-person, many people won’t see the benefits that digital marketing can have. Why would they? It’s 2D marketing strategies, and you’re trying to impose them onto a 3D world. How much of an impact could it possibly have?
Well, if you let it, it can have an awful lot of impact, actually. You can gather tons of good data from the real world if you know how to properly leverage your tools. There’s a decent chance that you already have everything you need, and you don’t even know it!
This real world digital marketing can be achieved in a myriad of ways, but we want to focus on one specifically: The beautiful, dazzling Quick Response (QR) code. Isn’t she lovely?
A Quiet Resurgence
Once thought to be a flash-in-the-pan gimmick, the QR code is experiencing a bit of a boost lately! Restaurants reopening amid a global health crisis have ditched the physical menus for QR codes on the tables. Simply scan them, and the menu pops up on your device. Easy-peasy.
In certain locations, people are even being issued specific QR codes in order to prove their vaccination status. In the past, QR codes were often sort of pushed into the background. They were present on things like advertisements and other marketing messaging, but desperately underutilized. Don’t make this mistake. Embrace the QR code.
QR and Salesforce: A Match Made In Heaven
What a lot of digital marketing professionals fail to realize is that QR codes can be linked to Salesforce campaigns. This can be an absolute *goldmine* of data that you can use. Think about where you’re printing these QR codes. Are they on the tables at a coffee shop?
On the back of a restroom door? Maybe they simply printed on the swag you’re handing out at various conventions and gatherings where your organization has a presence. No matter where they’ve ended up, you can track which of those locations nets you the most visits! Different QR codes for different placements means trackable, quantifiable data telling you where your marketing is most effective, and even how much ROI you’re generating from these different locations and strategies. You’ll be able to associate prospects, leads, and contacts in Salesforce directly to the campaign, and will be able to tell which print ad that gave you the most traffic and conversions. Prior to the printing, you can just create different codes with custom redirects and completion actions that will add the prospect right to a Salesforce campaign!
CTA Clarity is Important!
Something to note about the lovely QR code is that once you get it all printed up, it’s set. It’s going to go where you told it to go, and that can’t be updated. But maybe something changed, and you’re now stuck with them going to the wrong place. What then?
Don’t fret! There’s page actions! Just add some of those, and your 1,200 newly minted QR codes can still be relevant. It’s just something to be aware of before the printing, and a reminder that in the beginning stages of a campaign, things tend to be in flux. This is normal, and expected. Just wait until you have all the other aspects of the campaign lined up before you commit to the manufacturing of physical QR codes.
What Is Done Cannot Be Undone
Whether you’re using your QR codes to link to a landing page, prompt the downloading of an app, or even just to write your organization an email, you want to make sure that your prospect knows what your QR code does.
If they don’t know what to expect once they scan it, it’s less likely they’ll scan it at all. As in most things, it pays to be upfront with people, as transparency can build a lot of trust. Trust leads to conversions, and we like conversions.
