We like QR codes. We really do. When they’re used well, that small little square makes it ridiculously easy to take someone from a physical piece of marketing to a digital destination without making them type in a URL, search for your business, or remember what they saw on a flyer three days ago.
But that’s only when they’re used well.Somewhere along the way, we went from “Hey, this is a pretty handy little tool” to “Put a QR code on it!”
So, before you slap one on your next flyer because there’s a suspiciously empty corner that needs something, we’re staging a QR code intervention to keep yours from becoming a tiny square of wasted potential.
QR Codes Are Really Good at One Thing
Think of a QR code as a little bridge between the physical and digital worlds.
Someone is holding a flyer, standing at a checkout counter, looking at a menu, or holding your business card. You want them to do something online. The QR code says, “Don’t worry, I’ll get you there.”
A flyer promoting an event can send someone directly to registration. A direct mail piece can take them to a special offer. A business card can link to a website or scheduling page. A restaurant menu can send customers to online ordering or additional information.
They’re also handy on table tents, event signage, product displays, packaging, and other places where someone is already physically interacting with your brand.
The common denominator? Your audience is holding something physical, and you want them to go somewhere digital. That’s when a QR code SHOULD be used. If it makes the next step easier for your audience, you’ve got a winner. If it doesn’t, well… we’ve got a few things to discuss.
But wait, there’s more!
QR codes can also give us something marketers love almost as much as a good shortcut: data. When they’re set up with tracking, QR codes can show you how many people scanned them, giving you a better idea of whether that flyer, direct mail piece, sign, or other printed marketing is actually getting people to take action.
Because unlike a flyer that disappears into the wild, a trackable QR code can give you a little evidence that your marketing is doing its job. And who doesn’t love a little proof?
The Biggest QR Code Mistake? Putting One on Digital Marketing
This is where we may step onto our soapbox for a minute.
Please stop putting QR codes on digital media!!!
If someone is looking at your Instagram or Facebook post on their phone, you’re asking them to use their phone to scan something that is currently on their phone. (See the issue there?)
That’s a little like handing someone a key and then telling them they need to use a key to unlock the key.
Sure, they could screenshot the graphic. They could grab another device. They could find a workaround. But would they? Almost certainly not and they shouldn’t have to work that hard.
If your audience is already consuming your marketing digitally, give them a digital way to take the next step. Use a clickable link, put the URL in the caption, direct them to your website, or use the platform’s built-in link options.
The same goes for digital flyers, emails, and other online materials. If the destination is already one click away, a QR code isn’t creating convenience. It’s creating more work that nobody asked for.
Billboards Are a Little More Complicated
Now, billboards are where we’re willing to give QR codes a little more grace.
They can work. But whether they work depends entirely on the situation.
How large is the code? How far away is the billboard? How fast is traffic moving? Is it near a stoplight? Will someone have enough time to safely scan it? And, perhaps most importantly, is the destination worth the effort?
A large QR code on a billboard near a busy intersection where traffic regularly stops could be perfectly reasonable. A tiny QR code next to a highway where everyone is traveling 70 miles per hour? We’re going to go ahead and vote no on that one and say a short, memorable URL might be a much better use of the space.
Remember: The point isn’t whether someone can scan it. The point is whether they’re realistically going to.
Hold Up. What Do You Mean a “Memorable URL?”
A memorable URL is exactly what it sounds like: a short, easy-to-remember web address that takes people directly where you want them to go.
Your audience should probably be able to remember your regular website URL, but if you’re promoting a specific offer, service, or event, why send them to your homepage and make them dig for it?
Give them a short URL that takes them exactly where you want them to go.
YourBusiness.com/Fair is a lot more useful than YourBusiness.com when you’re promoting a specific State Fair offer.
It may not be clickable, but memorable still matters. Make it easy to remember, easy to type, and easy to find. Because if someone has to play detective to find the information you just spent money putting in front of them, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll give up before they become a customer.
If You Use a QR Code, Give It a Job
Before you add one to your design, know what you want the person on the other side to do.
Should they register for an event? View a menu? Schedule an appointment? Claim an offer? Read more about a service? Leave a review?
And don’t make that job mysterious.
“Scan Me” is technically an instruction, but it isn’t exactly a compelling reason to hand over your phone’s camera. For all your audience knows, they’re about to unlock a secret menu or accidentally sign up for 14 emails about cryptocurrency.
Tell them what’s waiting on the other side:
- Scan to view the full menu
- Scan to book your appointment
- Scan to claim your offer
- Scan to register
Now the QR code has context, and your audience has a reason to use it. Then deliver what you promised.
If your flyer says, “Scan to Schedule Your Appointment,” don’t send someone to your homepage and make them hunt around for the scheduling page.
That’s like putting a giant “FREE COFFEE” sign on your front door and then making people wander around the building looking for the coffee pot. It’s misleading and plain rude.
Your destination should work well on mobile, load quickly, and make the next step obvious.
You got them through the door. Don’t make them regret coming in.
The Moment of Truth: QR Code or No QR Code?
You don’t need a 47-step strategy. You just need to think like the person who will actually see it.
Before you add one, ask:
- Where will people see this? Is it physical or digital?
- What device will they be using? If they’re already on their phone, a QR code probably isn’t helping.
- What do I want them to do? Know the goal before choosing the tool.
- Is scanning the easiest way to get there? If a clickable link or short URL is simpler, use it.
- Can people realistically scan it? Think about size, placement, distance, and viewing conditions.
- Does the destination match the CTA? Don’t make people go on a scavenger hunt for what you promised them.
And, for the love of all things marketing, test the QR code before you print 5,000 copies of anything!
Scan it yourself. Have someone else scan it. Try it from the distance where your audience will actually see it.
A QR code that works beautifully on your designer’s computer but refuses to scan once it’s printed at two inches wide is not a successful QR code. It’s a very expensive decoration.
Before You Add the QR Code, Think About the Person Holding It
Because that’s really what this comes down to, not what looks good in the design file. Not whether QR codes are trendy. Not whether you have a suspicious amount of empty space in the bottom corner.
Think about the person who actually has to use it. If scanning makes their life easier, fantastic. Give that QR code a home. If it makes them jump through hoops, find another way.
Your audience will appreciate it. And, frankly, so will we.
