Bar Code Industry News
A huge challenge in trade show marketing is creating a way to differentiate your booth, and therefore your products and services, from the hundreds of others competing for visitor time and interest. QR (quick response) 2D barcodes, when used in a carefully crafted and integrated marketing strategy, could be the tool that moves your company from the sidelines to center stage.
(Images courtesy of NeoMedia Technologies)
According to Laura Marriott, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, exhibitors would do well to create an immersive experience for visitors to their display, and QR codes are a great way to begin the interaction. “You want a significant call to action right away,” she noted. “Get them involved and connected to your company and product by using the QR code that navigates to a downloadable reader, then use supporting signage and literature with the codes to present the information you want them to store and access when they return to their workplace.”
One example Marriott cited was a partnership between NeoMedia and InterActive Nutrition at the Arnold Sports Festival. With nearly 200,000 attendees, their goal was to capture contact info from their target audience of bodybuilders, athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Teaser QR codes were placed on placards at InterActive Nutrition’s booth, and event attendees were invited to scan the codes to receive special deals and prizes. Codes were also placed in magazine ads that sent scanners to the company’s Facebook page. The result was a 40 percent increase in their mailing list as a result of the high number of attendees scanning the bar codes.
Here are five tips to consider when creating your trade show marketing strategy using QR codes.
- Never assume that your visitor is familiar with the technology. Learn your visitors’ comfort level with QR codes and use it to your advantage in engaging them with your company’s products and services.
- Remember that you are exhibiting for one primary purpose: to build your database of potential clients and to strengthen your relationships with existing ones. Gear your message, and your medium, to that end.
- Use QR codes in unexpected ways throughout the exhibit hall and within your booth. Directional kiosks with maps leading to your booth or codes enticing visitors to scan for special deals will engage potential visitors in an interactive and stimulating experience.
- Encourage visitors to download a reader at the booth, enabling them to scan all the information you want them to capture before leaving the booth. This is a great way to provide product “literature” that will be more long lasting and far more cost-effective than printed materials.
- Use QR codes on multiple elements of your booth display and in follow-up mailings. By being consistent in your core message while providing varied content, you’re creating a memorable experience for your visitors and keeping your products and services top of mind long after the trade show interaction.
QR code technology can be the element that differentiates your company from the other hundreds of companies on the floor while enhancing your CRM program.
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