Best practices for QR codes on posters
1. Create mystery and anticipation
Posters are meant to get viewers interested in whatever it is you’re advertising. A little mystery and intrigue can go a long way toward boosting interest in your campaign and QR codes on posters can help with that. Rather than giving away all the pertinent information, you may want to just drop a few hints and let visitors piece the message together.
Let viewers know you have something to announce and use a YouTube QR code to show them a trailer or promo video for your announcement. Use a Download File QR code to give visitors an excerpt on a PDF or an MP3 file to encourage them to explore your event further.
2. Capture a wider audience
How do you reach all of your potential followers across multiple social platforms? Being a savvy brand, you probably have social media accounts on all the platforms that matter. A Social Links QR code on your poster will open a list of all your accounts and visitors can choose the ones they want to follow you on, even TikTok.
If you’re giving a talk at an event, have a vCard QR code so guests can scan it and network with you. Or, if your talk includes presentation slides, make the slides or other information available with a Download File QR code that gives visitors the slides on a PDF.
3. Give ‘em more
A standard poster can fit a lot of information, but the more info you put on it, the less aesthetically pleasing it becomes. That’s where QR codes on posters can help out. If you have extra information that doesn’t fit on the poster, put it on a specially designed mobile web page and link it to a Mobile Page QR code so viewers can enjoy all the extra information.
Maybe it’s a photo gallery of pictures or more printed information or even a series of video clips that are pertinent to the poster’s content. Use a Website QR code and have the poster lead to your website where visitors can dig into the information further.
4. Manage events
Getting people into the door of your event is important for its success. A Google Maps QR code with the exact location will lead visitors right to the spot where your event is. A Mobile Page QR code can act as an event page with the time, date, location and info about the event. Use photos, videos and text to make it look as good as your poster.
A Website QR code can lead directly to the ticket purchasing site or, if you’re a nonprofit, you can have a PayPal QR code that lets viewers give your cause a donation even if they can’t make it to the event.
5. Measure your marketing
The only way to improve your marketing campaigns is by measuring them to see what works and what needs work. Dynamic QR codes on posters allow you to do this by giving you reams of data to sift through, which you can also download in a report to share with your team.
With this real-time information, you’ll be able to make adjustments to your campaigns to make them even more successful.
QR codes on Posters: the benefits
The modern posters as we know them have been around for hundreds of years and they’ve stayed largely the same for most of that time. But, in recent years they’ve gotten a facelift in the form of QR codes on posters that connect viewers to online content. 2D posters + 2D QR codes = multidimensional ad campaigns.
Make it happen in 3 minutes
How to generate QR codes
on posters
1. Register for a 14-day free trial with QRcodeKit.com and choose the type of QR code you want on your poster.
2. Enter the necessary information for that QR code type.
3. Customize your QR code by editing the short URL and creating a template for it. Add your brand’s name, logo and colors.
4. Download your QR code in the file format you need. (We can help you choose the right one.)
5. Integrate your newly-created QR code into your poster design.
6. Watch the magic happen.
Ready to jump level?
Turn your posters into an interactive marketing tool
How to make your QR codes on posters work for you
QR codes on posters add a whole new element to your communciation and instantly improve it, but to get the maximum positive effect out of them, it helps to follow these best practices.
1. Guide people
A QR code by itself is great, but a QR code with a call to action (CTA) that instructs visitors to scan it is a thousand times better. That’s because viewers may not know what the QR code is or they may not be inclined to scan it because they don’t know what it leads to. If you tell them what it connects to, they’ll be more likely to scan it because it gives them a reason to do it.
2. Add a logo
3. Bank your designs
4. Make that short URL memorable
Here’s a juicy tidbit about these URLs: you can customize them. That’s right! You can change your short URL to say whatever you want. Change it to your brand name and that’s a whole new level of brand recognition.
Here’s an even juicier tidbit: the short URLs work on their own even without the codes, which makes them ideal for digital promotion via social media posts where you don’t need a QR code.
Here’s an even juicierer tidbit: if you want to crank your branding up to 11, go for the white label masking option, which hides any mention of QRcodeKit.com and makes it look like the entire code and URL comes from your own website. (It’ll be our little secret.)
5. Test before you print
Codes should be no smaller than 3 x 3 cm (1 x 1 in) and they should contain enough contrast for devices to be able to recognize them as QR codes. The foreground should be a darker color than the background.
The only way to be sure that your code is scannable is to test it frequently with multiple devices.
QR codes on posters power up your marketing
Cities and Culture
Cultural events are fun and educational and the poster design possibilities are endless. May we suggest adding a QR code to your next cultural event poster? A YouTube QR code can lead to a promo video featuring moments from past years’ events. Or, a Coupon QR code is a fabulous way of giving visitors a little discount on the entry price to entice them inside. Is your event being held in an out-of-the-way place? A Google Maps QR code will deliver visitors right to your entryway.
Event Management
Social media is often the best way for visitors to stay up to date with events that any given organization holds. To gain more followers and thus more event attendees, put a Social Links QR code on your poster along with a call to action asking viewers to follow you on your various accounts so they always know what’s going on.
Our dynamic QR code will let you track how many total and unique scans you’re getting on a given day along with the locations where those scans are coming from and even what type of device and operating systems are being used for the scans. That’s a lot of information to work with so you can adjust your campaigns and get even more scans.
Nonprofits
If you have a particularly well designed poster, it may be enough to sway viewers to donate right then and there while they’re viewing it. Facilitate these impromptu donations by linking a PayPal QR code to your PayPal account. Or, if you have a donation page on your website, connect a Website QR code to it and watch the funds pour in.
Educational Institutions
Educational institutions that have a strong visual element to them like art or photography are bound to have amazing looking posters, but a Mobile Page QR code that leads to a photo gallery showcasing students’ work will augment even the best posters. Schools that don’t have an obvious visual element can use a YouTube QR code that features a promotional video to appeal to prospective students.
Does your educational institution have an app to help new students get oriented and keep everyone up to date with the school’s goings on? Promote your app on posters and include an App Download QR code. The code detects the type of operating system being used to scan it and takes visitors to the appropriate app store.
Personal Use
Are you giving a presentation where you’ve done a ton of research, but you don’t quite have enough room on your slides or in your booth to fit it all in? Have a Download File QR code on the posters with a PDF outlining all of your research. Anyone who is interested can download the file and dig into your findings.
