Changed user behaviour with QR codes presents lead generation opportunities.

Branded QR Labels marry two emergent trends over the last 12 months; the need for demarcation solutions, and the rapid normalisation of the QR code in daily life. This provides the opportunity to use barriers to create a long-term passive source of leads. 

Normalisation of QR codes  

This has been one of the biggest changes of 2020, aside from the obvious. Before the COVID-19 outbreak the QR code was niche, most people had never used one, and many people had no idea how to. The last 12 months have changed that.  

People are now using QR codes as part of their daily life, and importantly, they’re using them for convenience. This normalised behaviour creates a marketing opportunity as we now have a reliable method in common use that can carry potential customers from discovering a product in the real world, to landing directly on the right page to take action in the digital world. 

Benefits 

These are the key benefits of equipping your barriers with a Branded QR Label. 

  • Each barrier becomes a potential source of leads 
  • Delivers brand awareness 
  • Land potential customers directly on the right webpage 
  • Viral effect 
  • Low cost & long-lasting 
  • Measurable performance via analytics

Lead Generation 

The primary role of the Branded QR Label is to generate leads for your business. 

Barriers out in the market doing their job are the best adverts for potential customers, they can see them working and they have the social proof of being used by other organisations. This presents the perfect opportunity to prompt potential customers to act, and offering them an easy way to do so.  

By scanning the QR code the user is taken directly to a page where they can request a quote, buy, or get more information on the product.  

The ability to scan a QR code also makes it less likely that they will resort to Google, meaning that competition can be avoided. 

Branding Potential 

While not the primary goal, the potential for increasing brand awareness should not be overlooked.  

Heras is an excellent example of brand awareness in the demarcation market. Nearly all of their fencing panels you see around are branded, and in the temporary fencing space the terms ‘heras fencing’ and ‘harris fencing’ (a common misspelling) receive more searches than ‘temporary fencing’.  

This did not happen by accident; it is the result of years of brand investment in a space where the competition was not doing the same. 

That most competition is unbranded leaves open the potential for long term branding benefits in addition to the potential for direct lead generation. 

Direct to Product 

As a rule, the more steps it takes a user to do something, the fewer will. Often it is far easier to drop to the next search result on Google than it is trying to find what they are after on a given website. 

A huge advantage of a potential customer getting to your website via scanning the QR code is that they can be taken to the exact page where they need to be. They do not need to navigate or get lost on the website. In one motion they go from scanning the product to landing where they need to be to take action.  

Taking potential customers directly to the page they need to be will increase the chances of converting them into a lead. 

Viral Effect 

Branded QR Labels stand in their own marketing niche in regards to where they fit in a typical marketing strategy. Unlike other mediums it is the product itself that is doing the advertising, the Branded QR Label just serves to prompt a potential customer to act and provides them a means to do so. The more barriers that are in the marketplace, the more opportunities there are to generate a lead. 

This leaves open the potential for a viral effect, as each new customer is also a potential source of new leads. 

Benefit for the Customer 

Customers are using QR codes when there is a benefit to doing so, and there is a clear benefit in scanning a Branded QR Label. It is convenient.  

The product is there. They can see it being used. This both lets them assess the product and provides the social proof that other originations are using the product to solve the problem that the customer is having. 

Scanning the QR code also removes any uncertainty. If they were to Google the product there is a chance that they will get the wrong one, or a less reliable business. Scanning the QR code avoids this risk. They can get to the product that is right there in front of them. 

Costs & Longevity 

Branded QR Labels cost just £0.50p per barrier, an increase of 3.125%. 

However, for this small investment each of the labelled barriers has the potential to generate more business. This opportunity is entirely missed without labeling. 

Additionally, QR codes do not expire. Barriers fitted with a Branded QR Label can have the ability to generate leads for years. 

Measurable Performance and Managed Campaign 

Unlike standard branding that is difficult to attribute a lead to, any scans from a QR code can be tracked. 

The dynamic QR code we use allows us to report on the time, date, and location of each scan, all of which we feedback. We also use a UTM for the traffic sent to your website, meaning it can be tracked using Google Analytics. In this way you can see the impact that Branded QR Labels are having. 

ZND UK can also manage the entire campaign for you. Rather than direct scans to your website we would create a landing page branded with your assets. Any leads generated would be sent directly to yourselves, and we would supply a monthly performance report. 

The advantage of a managed campaign is that we can work to optimise the landing page, making changes based on user behavior. 

Unique Timing 

Before COVID-19 the application of a QR code to products may not have been worth considering, as QR code usage was very low and the demand for demarcation equipment was very niche. All this has changed in the space of only a few months. 

Thanks to social distancing measures in place across the country, the need for and exposure to demarcation solutions is greater than ever before. This change greatly improves the chances of equipment standing before a potential customer. 

In addition to this, due to the sudden need to adopt demarcation solutions many customers are likely to have very limited experience or knowledge of the marketplace, and therefore will likely be more receptive to a clear solution when presented. 

Likewise, at the start of the year usage of QR codes was very limited, and the likelihood of a potential customer also having experience with a QR code was low. Now that most organisations are utilising QR codes as part of social distancing measures the population of the UK has been given a crash course in their use. The public now know what they are for, know they can use them, and know how to use them.  

Both of these trends add up to an opportunity that is very new, and as of yet it does not appear to have been seized by businesses in this space.  

Early Adopter  

The earliest ones to adopt this will have a clear advantage. As mentioned above it is a recent shift in the market, and that most barriers do not have branding means the ones that do will have a disproportionate impact. 

Summary 

This is a new marketing opportunity that takes advantage of shifting market trends. The potential return on the investment in Branded QR Labels is a long-term passive supply of leads generated by your products, in addition to the brand awareness that they will deliver.