People are always singing praises about the marketing potential of QR codes. However, is there actually any benefit to investing time and effort into developing a QR ode campaign? Of course, there are benefits! Just take a look at these 4 business sectors that have benefited by incorporating QR codes as part of their marketing strategy.

Music & Records

The music publishing business was one of the earliest sectors in the entertainment industry to identify the marketing potential of QR codes. The music business has come a long way since the early days of vinyl and trying to get people to buy physical copies of an album is getting increasingly more difficult in the digital age. This is where music publishers have sought to explore the marketing potential of QR codes. Inside the music CD album cover, one can find QR codes that give the buyer access to exclusive material, including music videos, special edition tracks, interview videos, etc. This is how the music publishing industry uses QR codes to appease fans.

Retail

When it comes to utilizing QR codes efficiently, no other industry can claim to do it better than the retail sector. Just when you think you have seen it all, retail companies come up with a new uses for the QR code that have you reaching for your smartphone in no time. One area that the retail sector has really benefitted from QR codes is coupons and promotions. No longer so customers have to take a print out of the email and bring it with them to the store. The promotional emails contain a QR code that can be displayed on the customer’s smartphone and scanned directly in the store. This greatly increases the efficiency of a company’s promotional campaign and makes it more inviting for new customers to sign up for the corporate newsletter.

Real Estate

On the surface, real estate advertising may not seem to have changed much. However, look closely and you will find that although the ads on hoardings and bus stop benches remain, they distinctly reflect the technological developments in communications. Every realtor knows that no matter how good your sales skills are, they are futile if clients are unable to contact you. Nowadays, besides providing the usual phone numbers and web addresses, real estate ads also contain QR codes. When scanned, the code redirects you to the realtor’s website, stores the realtor’s contact information on your device or even starts dialling the realtor’s number so that you can talk to him/her right away.

Restaurant & Dining

Compared to other business sectors, restaurants are relatively new to the use of QR codes as a marketing tool. However, it has made a huge impact within a very short time. Most people find out about new restaurants from reviews. As a result, restaurants have started providing reviewers with a custom QR code that is published along with the restaurants review. Read a good review and want to try out the restaurant? Simple scan the QR code and your phone will dial the restaurant’s number so that you can make a reservation. Alternatively, users can also be directed to the restaurant’s website or a page where users can view the latest menu online.

When implemented correctly, QR codes can be the lynchpin for a very successful marketing campaign, no matter which business sector a company operates in.

This is a guest post written by Mathew Ronalds.