Looking for a way to leverage traditional advertising mailers with new technology to generate data and drive sales/revenue? Adding QR codes in direct mail strategy can be a great way to track interactions with a particular mailer and to get your audience to your website or dedicated landing page for more information. To take the technology a step further, IP targeting provides a match back to a physical address to serve digital ads to someone that just received a direct mail piece can help with top of mind awareness and brand development.
According to the 2024 Uniqode QR Code Trends & Statistics Report 2024 QR code creation has skyrocketed by 4x between 2021 and 2023. Businesses across many industries, including telecommunications, retail, hospitality, education, healthcare, etc. have embraced QR codes to uncover creative customer engagement touchpoints and deliver pertinent information. Factors such as ease of use, ease of creation, and versatility have contributed to the exponential growth in QR code creation. The digital form of QR codes makes it easy to analyze how much traffic and interaction a code is getting. Some QR code platforms are compatible with Google Analytics, which can store demographic and user behavior data.
So why is using a QR code in marketing so popular? QR codes are visual and immediate, offering instant gratification. QR codes cut through the noise like no other medium can with contactless engagement, easy data collection, tracking, and enhanced prospect engagement.
Here are 10 reasons to use QR codes in a direct mail piece to market a product or service:
1. Convenience
QR codes allow recipients to quickly access digital content with a simple scan, eliminating the need for manual typing of URLs or other information. They can scan at their own convenience, when the time is best for them or they need the information.
2. Enhanced Engagement
They provide an interactive element to traditional direct mail, encouraging recipients to engage with the content beyond just reading. It gives the piece a shelf life, where before it might have gone straight to the trash, but now they may keep it to scan at a later time.
3. Trackability
Marketers can track QR code scans, providing valuable data on the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns and enabling better targeting and optimization. Having the digital footprint for a printed piece is better insight into an ROI on this ad spend.
4. Bridge Between Offline and Online
QR codes seamlessly connect physical mail to digital content, enabling a smooth transition for recipients from print to online experiences.
5. Space Efficiency
QR codes can convey a lot of information in a small space, allowing marketers to include additional details, offers, or multimedia content without cluttering the direct mail piece.
6. Instant Access to Information
Recipients can quickly access product details, promotional offers, videos, or other relevant content by scanning the QR code, leading to faster decision-making.
7. Mobile Optimization
As QR codes are scanned using smartphones, they cater to the mobile-centric behavior of modern consumers, ensuring compatibility with their preferred devices.
8. Cost-Effectiveness
Incorporating QR codes into direct mail campaigns can be a cost-effective way to provide additional value and content without significantly increasing printing or postage costs.
9. Personalization
QR codes can be dynamically generated to provide personalized content based on recipient data, such as location, purchase history, or preferences, increasing relevance and engagement.
10. Encourages Action
QR codes often serve as a clear call-to-action, prompting recipients to take immediate steps such as visiting a website, downloading an app, or signing up for a service, thus driving conversions.
You may ask — what is IP targeting for direct mail? IP targeting is a method of digital marketing that involves targeting consumers using their IP address and delivering online advertisements accordingly. To tie this with direct mail, you can use a direct mail list, and match the IP addresses for specific audiences. Then you can use a campaign to deliver a cohesive message or offer via snail mail and electronically.
Recently, Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC), a client of Brandon, utilized IP targeting for a specific campaign to track by neighborhood direct mail pieces and match with a digital address to serve digital ads as another touchpoint to specific residents with a specific offer. “We did a good job of hitting these neighborhoods with multiple, personalized direct mail postcards that included their special URL. We then followed up with the people from these neighborhoods with digital banner ads that landed them on these dedicated landing pages with their neighborhood sign and HTC van images. In some neighborhoods, HTC also followed up with door-to-door sales. As a result of the campaign, there were service increases of over 50% in multiple neighborhoods.” Dawn Knopff, Account Director with Brandon, said. “The client was very happy with the results from this campaign.”
Supercharge Your Direct Mail with QR codes & IP Targeting
Direct mail isn’t dead, it’s evolving! Our marketing experts at Brandon will help you leverage cutting-edge tech to boost engagement, track results, and personalize your outreach. Ready to craft a direct mail campaign that gets noticed? Contact us today and unlock the true potential of your direct mail marketing.