On Wednesday I had the pleasure of being a guest host for the week’s #NPTalk on QR Code mania. What a blast! The hour went by so quickly with such great dialog. We even had some great laughs over BillboardQRCodes! All fun aside, I felt compiling the important key take aways from the discussion was necessary to help all nonprofit professionals out there in assessing whether QR Codes are potentially the way to go for their organization – and if so – to be armed with info to create successful campaigns.
For those of you with a Smartphone, you have seen and likely scanned a QR (Quick Response) code of one kind or another. Take a peak at Joe Water’s Pinterestpage for a delightful array.
They are a relatively newtechnology only available through mobile devices like Smartphones. While the consumer has to download an ‘app’ onto their iPhone, Android or Blackberry, my prediction is these apps will eventually be pre-loaded on each device before purchase. But for now, download they must!
Either way, the potential advantages of implementing a QR Code campaign to enhance organizational results are: Instant engagement, end-user convenience and timely call to action. Whether this new tool is being used to gain more volunteers, followers, donors or advocates, one thing is certain – you must think it through!
So, where can QR Codes be used – and what actions can be taken once someone scans one?
1. Physical venues of most any kind are an excellent way to engage audiences and produce desired results. For example, any museum, zoo, botanical garden or concert hall could integrate a QR code campaign to help further educate attendees. Perhaps a Zoo’s Lion’s Den has a QR code to provide unique info too detailed to physically list on signage, along with a coupon for 20% off a stuffed ‘Simba’ at the Zoo store. hmm?
Or how about putting a QR code in a concert program to get a full list of the season’s shows with an add-to-calendar function plus 15% off for new members if they join during tonight’s show?
2. Marketing collateral such as postcards, direct mail pieces, business cards and advertisements were also discussed as excellent places to use QR Codes. The intended audience would determine landing page and call to action. Perhaps your sending a postcard to your entire mailing list to announce the annual fundraiser and encourage early registration? Adding a QR code with ability for the recipient to register from their phone in a flash would be a great way to increase participation and results.
Sending your annual appeal out to faithful year over year donors? Tell them your lowering costs by cutting the amount of snail mail sent and encourage them to give on the mobile web donation page with a quick scan!
3. Live events can be a great way to create greater engagement. If it’s a fundraising event, I wouldn’t advise using QR codes to ask for more donations. NO! They’ve already worked hard to raise money for you.
But perhaps they can provide an e-signature and tell their congressman to support that upcoming bill to improve the advocacy for your cause. All with a scan and couple taps. Could that double, perhaps triple participation? Make it easy for people to make an impact – power in numbers as they say!
So many creative ideas were shared, including perhaps using QR codes with sponsorships, like having one at a golf tournament tee.
Other things that people could actually ‘do’ after a scan?
- Watch a video
- Take a poll
- Follow social media
- Purchase something
- Download a Vcard
- Sign up as a volunteer
- Check-in
- Send a text or make a call
With so many uses – it can be overwhelming when trying to embark on something so new and unknown. Taking small steps and launching a test campaign can be a great way to begin. The first important step is determining both audience and desired outcome.
Some tips to get you started:
1. Start with a campaign that targets younger audiences.
2. DO ensure the landing page(s) are mobile-optimized. Only people on Smartphones will be scanning them!
3. Be sure to track the url code of landing page in your google analytics.
4. Ensure the call to action will be quick, ideally 30 seconds or less to complete. (if you are supplying info/education, this rule would not apply)
5. Publicize what the QR code will allow users to do! Are you asking to send email in advocacy campaign? Or give a donation? This is an opt-in marketing piece, informing participants is key.
6. Never use multiple QR codes in same general area. The exception to this would be if members of your audience speak other languages.
7. Test, test, test! Internal and a couple of volunteers.
8. Finally, only ask for your audience to take 1 action. Don’t ask someone to advocate AND follow your facebook page – as an example.
Finally, what are some known consumer barriers with using this technology?
A big fail can be a poor QR code reader, or the inability to scan a QR Code because there’s no Internet connection. Or it’s dark and the reader can’t do it’s job! Since the reader takes the user to a web page, no action can be taken if there’s no signal. Many people, even with Smartphones, don’t know or understand what they’re meant to do, so showing people how to download a reader and why they would want to try it is initially important. Big brands and media, heavy users of these codes, are lowering this barrier as they continue to proliferate our lives. The most obvious barrier? People who don’t have a Smartphone! But alas, as we crack the 50% mark for US adult ownership (predicted later this year), and this number jumps to nearly 75% of adults under 45 – these younger mobile generations cannot be ignored.
While it remains to be seen whether QR codes will grow as a permanent fixture in our lives, their value as a fun and interactive direct response marketing, advocacy & fundraising tool is certainly not something we should ignore.
This slideshare, presented by Blackbaud at their 2011 conference, provides an excellent list of down-loadable apps and free QR Code creator products – as well as some really fun examples. Enjoy!
Article by Tonia Zampieri
Tonia Zampieri is the Principal and Founder of The M Gen, LLC, a firm that offers mobile products and services to the nonprofit sector , effectively delivering the mobile generation. She has nearly 10 years of digital fundraising and marketing and launched one of the very first nonprofit iPhone apps, Tap-n-Give on iTunes in 2009.
Tonia has written 1 awesome articles for us at Nonprofit Talk | Nonprofits Empowered and Connected
Twitter: @iheartcharity
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