Weigh It Out: QR Code Pros and Cons (Part 1)

There are people who find QR codes as a very useful digital marketing tool.  Yet, there are also those who see the pixilated square as hostile-looking and annoying.  Public opinion is rather divided, and this is probably one hindrance to QR codes finally making it mainstream.

We have made a list of QR code pros and cons to help you see these codes more objectively.

The Pros:

 1. QR codes bring novelty and mystery, thus appealing to people’s curiosity. 

QR code technology is basically new, so people are curious as to what it really is, what the buzz is about the strange-looking codes, and what the codes can do.  Plus, QR codes have hidden messages that people cannot see unless they whip out their smartphones.  People cannot really help but find out this hidden message for themselves.  They see a QR code on the box of their favorite tacos, and they cannot help the urge to see what it contains.

 2. QR codes are versatile and flexible.

They are versatile and flexible in terms of use or application.  If you are a business owner and have decided on a QR code campaign, then know that you can place your codes on just about anything.  As long as it’s visual media, you can apply a QR code on it.  Add your codes on newspapers, magazines, product packaging, billboards, posters, business cards, TV ads, storefronts, etc.

QR codes are also versatile and flexible in terms of content.  You can have the code resolve to your website, direct scanners to your Facebook like page or your Twitter account, lead them to a video clip you posted on YouTube, or take you to a photo gallery.  And this online content can achieve whatever purpose you want, may it be for advertising a product, for getting people into your site and your social media pages, for inviting people to join a particular cause, for providing them information about something, or even for simply entertaining them.

3. QR codes can be easily tracked.

Businesses that are using QR codes for marketing can easily assess how their campaign is doing because they can track of the numbers.  They can use web analytics to find out whether people are scanning their codes, or which of their QR code placements are getting the most number of scans.  Thus, they can tell which part of their QR code campaign works, and which part doesn’t or still needs improvement.

4. QR codes can easily send mobile users to your online content.

All you need is to make sure your online content has been optimized for mobile use, and you can easily have people checking it.  Because QR codes rid users of the need to type out a URL letter by letter, it’s easier for them.  They no longer feel the hassle that comes with visiting a site, so they just do it.

5. QR codes are practically free.

There are many sites that generate QR codes for you without charge.  Or if you want your code customized, you can hire artists and QR code experts to design one for you.  Whether you get your code for free or you pay for it, you still get to save big bucks if you compare it with how much you would spend on traditional marketing and advertising campaigns.