QR Codes Bring Email, Mobile Coupons to Life

Marketers today face a dizzying array of options designed to help capture audience attention and drive sales. While email marketing through newsletters and coupons remains one of the most popular and successful vehicles for driving both online and in-store sales, mobile technologies have quickly gained momentum as the go-to choice for reaching consumers who are increasingly dependent on their mobile devices for everything from socializing to banking and shopping.

The move to mobile marketing is largely driven by the rapid consumer adoption of cellular and smartphone devices. It’s astonishing that of the more than 7 billion people on earth, 5.1 billion own a cell phone[1], and in the U.S. more than 90 percent of citizens keep their mobile device within reach 24/7.[2]

Attempting to capitalize on this immense market opportunity may at first seem an overwhelming challenge. However, the emergence of QR code technology is making it easier than you might think for even the smallest businesses to take advantage of the mobile marketing movement.

Using QRs to Drive E-mail Engagement, Create New Consumer Touch Points

Traditionally, email marketing has centered on distributing emails embedded with specially-encoded hotlinks to customers who are automatically rewarded with a discount, free shipping or other purchase incentive simply by clicking the link. Most often, this interface takes place on a PC and is designed primarily to drive online sales. But, as consumers increasingly turn to mobile technologies, marketers are looking for new ways to bridge the gap between the PC and mobile device to keep up with this dynamic consumer behavior.

Embedding QR codes that launch interactive mobile experiences within traditional email messages enables marketers to not only add an interactive element to relatively static email content but also create new touch points to communicate with their audience. For the recipient, the process is quite simple and intuitive, considering that the vast majority of mobile users have their phone within reach at any time (I’ll bet yours is resting nearby, right now). The recipient views the email on his or her PC screen and, intrigued by the call to action to scan the code, picks up his or her phone and snaps the QR code, which immediately launches a specific microsite, video or other interactive content specifically designed for the QR code recipients.

Not only is the recipient rewarded with this rich and engaging content and perhaps a coupon, but the marketer can now easily ask for the recipient’s mobile number to continue sending offers directly to the mobile device, opening this important new line of communication to create yet another touch point for ongoing interaction.

QRs Make Mobile Engagement Fast and Easy

The ability to enhance virtually any static marketing piece—billboard, print ad, bus stop signage, etc.—with a QR code is a powerful, yet incredibly easy way to capture the mobile audience. Consumers love the ease, immediacy and convenience of simply taking a quick snapshot to access interactive content. Meanwhile, marketers enjoy the ability to track user access, interaction and effectiveness of the campaign. Again, engaging mobile users through QR codes also provides the perfect opportunity to solicit mobile numbers to continue the conversation with future offers.

Embedding QR codes with mobile coupons can drive both in-store and online sales, as consumers are 10 times more likely to redeem mobile coupons as they are traditional ones.[3] Mobile coupons delivered through QR code can even be configured for timed expiration from the time they are unlocked to drive immediate or delayed response.

Aside from the ease and convenience of mobile coupons, consumers are drawn to the perceived exclusivity of the experience. While anyone can read the ad or view the billboard, not everyone can take advantage of the special QR code deal – only those with phone-in-hand can get in on the secret. The mystery and intrigue of what awaits behind the code combined with this “insider” feel is a powerful incentive for users to snap the code.

In addition to driving mobile engagement, QR codes can even be used to track back to email communication, once again bridging the gap between the two media. Easy-to-use QR code generators can take any email message and convert it to a code that can be placed anywhere, in print or online. When a mobile user scans the code, it automatically generates an email message with the content you’ve designed, ready for sending. This tactic provides an easy way for mobile users to share your content with email contacts and potentially earn rewards for doing so.

QR Codes & Mobile Marketing Made Easy

While all of this high-tech mobile marketing magic may sound difficult and overwhelming, especially for small businesses, it’s actually quite easy to devise a comprehensive, integrated mobile program, complete with QR code technology.

There are a number of free QR Code generators that are simple to use: just drop in the text, url, content or action to be performed, and copy and paste the resulting image into an email, mobile newsletter or webpage.

To manage mobile marketing subscriptions and message generation, tools like GraphicMail’s Mobile Campaigns solution provides a complete toolset to build a mobile site, send graphic-rich mobile messages, including SMS + link and mobile survey tools, and manage and analyze it all from a single, user-friendly dashboard.

**Statistics gleaned from “10 Incredible Mobile Marketing Insights – Infographic” by Convonix

http://www.convonix.com/blog/10-incredible-mobile-marketing-insights-infographic/