The Secret To Powerful, Profitable QR Codes In Your Print Newsletter

We’re thrilled to create print newsletter campaigns that empower your customer retention and referral rates, but when it comes to direct mail, the impact is often gradual across months of time. So, how do you know that you’re getting readers at all? 

Enter: QR Codes Or Quick Response Codes.

For a few years, many thought that QR codes would disappear, but the contactless needs of the pandemic brought them back in powerful ways. According to PYMNTS, over half of the restaurants in the U.S. utilize QR codes to access menus or make payments. In 2020, studies showed that over 11 million households in the U.S. utilized QR codes. This is partially because in 2017, many smartphones began to feature QR code reading as a default feature in their camera apps.

No matter who your reader demographic is, if they have smartphones, they can use your QR codes with complete ease — just like they have scanned many other QR codes in the past couple of years.

How do I start using QR codes for my print newsletter? 

First, you should utilize a free QR code generator and tracker. Qrd.by is a great place to start, since their QR codes will never expire, are free for commercial use, and the platform even provides free tracking and analytics. 

Plus, they have a ton of templates to match whatever platform you’d like your QR code to link to, from Facebook to Google Maps! This makes it even easier for your customer to know what to use your QR code for. 

What do I use my QR codes for, exactly? 

Imagine you’re a customer who just received your newsletter in the mail. You notice a QR code at the bottom. However, taking your phone out of your pocket feels like too much of a hassle … That is, until you notice you’ll receive a free ___ if you do. 

Fill in the blank. What will convince you to use that QR code? It’s probably not simply a link to a company website, unless there’s a call-to-action about scheduling or buying for a specific reason (especially if time-sensitive). It’s more likely that you’ll utilize a QR code if it’ll get you a promotional offer, or a freebie. 

That’s why we highly recommend utilizing your QR codes for lead magnets or free resources that will cause the customer to “miss out” if they don’t take advantage right now! This can include free e-books, webinars, mini-courses, checklists, guides, PDFs, quizzes, and more. This is crucial for getting engagement. After all, to propel your customers to put down the newsletter and take out their smartphone, you must give them a compelling reason. 

Lead magnets (AKA free items) are one of the best reasons you can offer, and they can bolster customer loyalty, trust, and, of course, retention and referrals on top of your newsletter content! 

We hope this is a helpful reminder of why and how to take advantage of QR codes for your print newsletter! It might be one of the biggest ways you can boost your own newsletter campaign, and impress your customers with your ability to adapt your customer experience to meet modern needs. 
P.S. Want to hear pro tips regularly? Follow us on Twitter, where we’ve brought up QR codes and many more helpful marketing tips in the past!