Some companies (and their marketing/advertising agencies) tend to focus on branding. They want to make sure that consumers recognize them and associate certain characteristics with their company. They’re after mindshare. They want to create an image in your mind. When you think of “widgets” they want you to think of their widgets. It’s why they spend a lot of time and money on their logos. They want something immediately recognizable that makes consumers think of them. This is a good thing, but by itself, it doesn’t generate business.
Another part of the marketing equation is response. You want people to respond to your brand. You want them to respond to your offers. You want them to engage with you. And people involved in this part of the equation focus on activities designed to get consumers to call, click, or visit. Sometimes these two aspects of marketing seem to live in parallel universes—never touching one another.
Here’s one way you can bring both branding and response generation together.
We’ve discussed Quick Response codes (QR codes) in the past. They are a great way to get people to a landing page on your website. You can use them in brochures, billboards, posters or a variety of other things. People scan them with their smart phones and are directed to whatever page on your website you decide. But now you can embed your logo (or another image) in the QR code. What was once a somewhat boring black and white box can now carry your image. It’s a great way to reinforce your brand while you’re generating specific responses.
You may want to share this idea with your marketing advertising agency. Or if you have an in-house agency, share the following link that will provide them with a step-by-step process on how to add an image to a QR Code go to:
http://qreateandtrack.com/2011/01/05/adding-an-image-to-a-qr-code/
Branding and response working together! It’s an idea whose time has come!