The 6 Worst QR Code Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Over the past couple of months we’ve had the privilege of watching and helping people create marvelous and intriguing QR code campaigns for everything from donation drives to enhanced product labels. Unfortunately, during this same time span we’ve also been victims and witnesses of the many poorly executed QR code campaigns that seem to be lurking around every street corner. You know the ones – small, black and white, scanning takes you to a full blown flash based website… Frankly, it’s embarrassing to the whole QR code industry. That’s why we feel it’s our duty at QRlicious to inform you about the biggest mistakes you can make and how to avoid them! Besides you don’t want us to stumble upon your QR code “in the wild” and laugh at it…do you?

Problem: Too small to scan!
Solution: Make it loud and show it proud! You want people to see and scan your QR code so don’t be afraid to amp up the size a little! Too many people are printing QR codes smaller then an inch or two and half centimeters. This can create many problems when trying to scan in low lighting and if your QR code has a lot of information (like a vCard) then it might not scan at all! Yikes! So make sure you are printing and displaying your QR codes as BIG as possible!

Problem: Ugly black and white QR code!
Solution: Chances are you know the solution to this and a good amount of you have probably already fixed this by getting yourself a custom branded QR code from us! Branded QR codes help you gain the trust of your audience and it gives them an idea of what they are in for when the scan your QR code. Customizing your QR code also helps you stand out from black and white QR crowd, which is going to become more and more important as adoption continues to rise among businesses and consumers.

Problem: No mobile website!
Solution: This one is a little less obvious but I think people are slowly catching on. When someone scans your QR code please do not send them to a full blown website…especially one filled with flash elements…and huge image files. Many people are still in 3G and Edge network only areas and iPhones don’t even support flash. Plus, getting a mobile optimized site is easier then ever with services like Dudamobile and Mofuse popping up left and right, ready to help you optimize your existing website for mobile users at the cost of a couple lattes.

Problem: No tracking and non dynamic URLs!
Solution: This is more of a problem for you, the business owner, then for your audience but it is still an ESSENTIAL part of putting together a successful QR code campaign. Tracking lets you know just how well your QR code campaign is going by giving you data on when, where, and how people are scanning your QR codes. Plus, with the ease and affordability of QR code tracking services like QRstuff, there is really no excuse for not doing some sort of campaign analysis. QRstuff also offers users the ability to use a dynamic short URL in place of the long form URL when generating a QR code. This allows you to change the long form destination URL at anytime without having to regenerate, customize, and print your QR code all over again – that alone is worth it!

Problem: No compelling offer or incentive to scan!
Solution: Tell me why you I should scan your QR code over the rest in that magazine! Are you going to give me a coupon or show me a badass new movie trailer? Tell me what I’m in for and you will gain my trust and my scan!

Problem: No clear instructions!
Solution: Believe it or not, QR codes are still a fairly new concept for many people. Tell people how to get a QR code scanner and how to scan your QR codes. Then watch their face light up in awe as they scan their first code and tell you that you’re on the cutting edge! Don’t believe me? Try it right now!

Source: http://www.qrlicious.com