Direct mail marketing has come a long way. While the foundation of a good direct mail marketing campaign will never change, including tools like QR codes in your mailers gives the people on your mailing list an easy way to interact with you and your business.
So, what are some ways you can use QR codes to benefit your business and boost your return on investment, or ROI? Aspen Automotive put this list of QR code marketing ideas together to help you take your campaign to the next level.
Learn About Other Advertising Technology Tools
What Are QR Codes?
Before we give you some inspiration for how to use QR codes, let’s go over some basics. First, what are QR codes, anyway? Quick response (QR) codes are scannable barcodes that are linked to a landing page. While they don’t look like the barcodes you’d find on products in the grocery store, they catch the reader’s eye and are easy to use.
The great thing about QR codes is that anyone with a smartphone can use them. By just following these six steps, anyone with an iPhone or Android can go from being curious to on your landing page in just a few seconds:
- Take out your phone
- Open the camera
- Hold it up to the QR code
- Don’t take a picture
- Wait for the URL to pop up
- Tap the URL
How QR Codes Can Be Used in Direct Mail Marketing
Including QR codes in your mailers is both easy and effective. They increase customer engagement by inviting both leads and existing customers to learn more, redeem an offer, or join a mailing list. Plus, you can include them on just about anything. Once you’ve created a landing page and written a strong call to action (CTA), feel free to stamp a QR code on the following types of mailers:
- Postcards
- Self-mailers
- Letters
- Catalogs
- Dimensional mailers
In addition to their versatility, QR codes can link to all sorts of different things. Consider these QR code marketing ideas the next time you’re brainstorming your next campaign.
Redeem Offers
Running an exclusive offer? A QR code gives recipients a quick, one-step way to redeem it. Whether it’s a discount on service, a coupon for a carwash, or a reduced rate on a vehicle, all your leads have to do is point and tap, and they can take you up on it right away.
Browse Inventory
As an automotive business, your goal is always to get people to look through your inventory. A QR code can be used to instantly link leads to the cars and SUVs that you have to offer. You can even tailor the codes to feature your selection of the latest model year, used cars, or any specific models that you want to showcase.
Learn More
If your goal is to help people learn about your business, what you stand for, and what services you offer, a QR code is a perfect tool. Connect consumers to your About Us page, and they’ll get to find out what you’re all about.
You can also use codes to provide people with additional information about a whole range of topics, including vehicle reviews, sales, and the importance of service and maintenance. Any kind of content you want to feature can be on customers’ screens in no time, thanks to QR codes.
Subscribe to Email List
Nobody likes spam. It makes your inbox feel overwhelming, plus it’s usually for offers that you don’t care about. Sending out unsolicited emails can give your business a bad reputation. The best way to combat this is by using direct mail. Letting people decide whether they want to receive emails from you is much better customer service. Invite them to join your email list, then add a QR code that allows them to enroll.
Follow Social Media
Social media is another great way to keep people engaged and informed. Luckily, getting people to follow you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube is easy. Just include a QR code that links to your business’ social media profile and invite people to like, follow, or subscribe.
Add Events to Calendar
If you’re holding a fundraiser or having a sale over a holiday weekend, you’ll want to get the word out. Direct mail is a perfect way to do that. Still, people are busy and it’s easy to forget. To help them remember, try using a QR code that automatically adds your event to their calendar.
Enter Contests
Everyone loves contests. They’re fun and they give you the chance to win something. Using direct mail to announce an upcoming contest is smart. Putting a QR code in your mailers that lets people automatically enter the contest is brilliant.
Schedule Service
Maintenance is an essential part of owning a car. Service reminders are a good use of direct mail marketing, especially if you include a QR code that lets people schedule their next service appointment in seconds.
Schedule a Test Drive
Another great way to invite people into your dealership is to use QR codes for scheduling a test drive. This is a simple way to highlight a specific model that you’re pushing and to get interested people behind the wheel.
Make Mailers More Fun
Not only do QR codes provide people with a way to learn more and schedule appointments, but they also give you the opportunity to have some fun with your mailers. Experiment with different designs and build them around your QR codes. You could even make them feel like a prize at the center of your folding mailers.
Track Data
While the other ideas we’ve mentioned are ways to draw customers in, you can also use QR codes to improve your direct mail marketing campaigns moving forward. With the right data solutions, you can keep track of every time someone scans one of your QR codes.
Using that data, you can gauge their level of interest and follow up accordingly. That kind of data is especially valuable when it comes to staying in touch with people and planning your marketing strategy.
For example, you can follow a customer’s journey from browsing to buying to sending service reminders. You can also adjust your future marketing campaigns based on what worked and what didn’t.
Learn More About Using QR Codes
If these QR code marketing ideas have inspired you to add them into your next direct mail marketing campaign, contact us at Aspen Automotive. With our experience in direct mail and Epsilon’s data solutions, we’ll help you design a successful campaign with quality content and effective QR codes.
