• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Printing for Less

Printing for Less

Satisfaction Guarantee

At Printing for Less, we've offered high quality online printing services since 1996. Shop business cards, booklets, stickers, and more!

800-930-2423
Get A Quote
  • Products
    • Announcements
    • Banners
    • Booklets
    • Booklet Envelopes
    • Bookmarks
    • Branded Box Printing
    • Brochure Holders
    • Brochures
    • Buck Slips
    • Business Cards
    • Calendar Printing
    • Campaign Printing
    • Carbonless Forms
    • Catalogs
    • CD Covers
    • Club Cards
    • Coil Bound Booklets
    • Custom Printing
    • Digital Printing
    • Door Hangers
    • EDDM Postcards
    • Envelopes
    • File Folders
    • Flyers
    • Folded Business Cards
    • Folders
    • Forms
    • Greeting Cards
    • Hang Tags
    • Holiday Cards
    • Invitations
    • Labels
    • Large Envelopes
    • Large Format
    • Large Posters
    • Letterhead/Envelope
    • Magnets
    • Mailer Printing
    • Mailing Envelopes
    • Mailing Services
    • Memo Pads
    • Menus
    • NCR Forms
    • Newsletters
    • Note Cards
    • Notepads
    • Offering Envelopes
    • Packaging
    • Plastic Cards
    • Pocket Folders
    • Postcards
    • Posters
    • Post-it® Notes
    • Presentation Folders
    • Rack Cards
    • Recieipt Books
    • Remittance Envelopes
    • Sell Sheets
    • Signs
    • Statement Stuffers
    • Stationery
    • Stickers
    • Table Tents
    • Tickets
    • Variable Data Printing
    • Vinyl Banners
    • Yard Signs
  • Industries
    • Advertising & Design
    • Real Estate
    • Medical
    • Food & Beverage
    • Non-Profit
    • University
    • Technology
    • Enterprise
  • Services
    • Reseller Program
    • Fulfillment
    • Digital Printing
    • Mailing Services
    • Custom Solutions
    • Design Services
    • Hybrid Experience Platform
  • Resources
    • Marketing & Design Tips
    • Templates
    • Blog
    • Help & FAQs
    • Printing Terms & Glossary
    • Video Library
  • Get Samples
  • My Login
  • Contact
  • About
    • Why Printing for Less?
    • Our Team
    • Sustainable Practices

Mail QR Codes: How Digital Tech Can Transform Traditional Printing

Mail QR Codes

You’ve used it to enter a venue, follow your favorite brand on social media, and pull up the menu at your local restaurant. You know what we’re talking about: the Quick Response Code—better known as the QR code.

Besides these common uses of QR code technology, there are a wealth of uses for the black-and-white graphic in marketing. Its unique ability to connect the physical and digital worlds has proven to be particularly useful for syncing print marketing materials and digital campaigns. Here’s what you need to know about QR codes and how they can enhance your mailers with a digital touch.

How QR Codes Have Evolved

While they may seem ubiquitous nowadays, QR codes have only become a part of everyday life over the past few years. Originally developed in 1994, the first QR codes were used by a Japanese automaker to track parts as they progressed along assembly lines. In the 2000s, as access to camera phones with QR scanning capabilities gradually increased, QR codes shifted into the world of marketing, with businesses starting to use them to share coupons or to quickly share a weblink with customers.

But QR codes really—and we mean really—took off in 2020. Across the world, restaurants uploaded digital menus that could be accessed via a QR code for safer, touchless interactions. QR codes were also used for contact tracing and check-ins at various venues. They quickly became part of people’s everyday experience. In 2022, QR code usage grew, with a 433% increase in scans compared to 2021. So while QR codes have existed for over two decades, the time is now ripe to fully make use of them for marketing purposes.

Why Use QR Codes in Marketing

QR codes have a unique ability to redirect consumers from the printed page to a website or social media account in a single click. They create a seamless link from physical marketing campaigns to online content, which is an invaluable thing for marketers.

“QR codes are easy and straightforward for the consumer,” explains Kristi Eby, National Account Executive at Printing for Less. “While it is likely that someone would mistype a link or website URL, a QR code leaves no room for that human error. They are a great way to link online and print marketing together.”

Ambre Zachmann, Printing for Less’ eCommerce Marketing Specialist, also recognizes the enormous potential QR codes have for marketing purposes. “QR codes have really evolved to help enhance the omnichannel experience. Using a QR code in your offline efforts to bring customers or prospects into a digital environment creates an engaging, unique experience. It helps them to see all sides of your business.”

Why Use QR Codes in Marketing

Ways to Integrate QR Codes into Mail Campaigns

There are various ways QR codes can be used to bridge (and even enhance) print and digital marketing strategies. The square codes can be printed onto virtually all print marketing materials, including postcards, brochures, posters, business cards, you name it. They can also be used for different purposes.

Ways to Integrate QR Codes into Mail Campaigns

For instance, a QR code printed on your business card could link to a PDF of your resume; a QR code printed on a mailer could link to a special discount for consumers. The possibilities are endless. Here are some of our favorite QR code ideas to inspire your upcoming campaign.

Expand the page

We know how effective direct mail campaigns are: compared to email, physical mailers have a much higher open rate (up to 90%!). But there are limitations to what you can share in a postcard or brochure. Literally. The page can only hold so much information.

Instead of crowding your prints, use QR codes to invite consumers to learn more about your products or services. It’s an easy way to give them the information they need about your business without compromising print designs.

Referral bonus incentive

Businesses that send thank you cards to new customers can make things more interesting by including a QR code that links to a referral bonus incentive. This approach was recently used by a Printing for Less customer, who said the strategy was a success. “When the recipient scanned the QR code, they were invited to share their information and that of a friend or family member to receive a $75 credit,” says Kristi. “This campaign was highly effective, functioning both as appreciation for current customers and to expand the brand’s client base.”

Dynamic campaign tracking

In addition to providing value to recipients (via product information, discounts, and more), QR codes are very helpful to marketers, generating insights about the person scanning the code with their smartphone.

Dynamic Campaign Tracking

These insights, including where a scan came from, what type of device, and when it occurred, can help you track the success of your marketing campaigns. At Printing for Less, we now offer dynamic QR code tracking, which lets you print a unique QR code on each mailer to track in detail how your campaign is faring with different audiences.

Drop a pin

If you are trying to encourage foot traffic at a brick-and-mortar location, local mailers are a great way to let people know about your business. Add a QR code to your postcard or brochure that links to your business’s location on Google Maps. This will help local residents or businesses know exactly where to find you without the inconvenience of opening an app and typing in your business name or address. As a bonus, this QR code function also acts as a shortcut to accessing reviews, contact details, and opening times.

Exclusive offers

Coupons are a great way to both attract new customers and build lasting relationships with existing clients. With mail coupons, you can have the recipient redeem the coupon in person or type in a discount code for online purchases.

However, both of these options require the consumer to undertake a number of additional steps. Printing a coupon QR code simplifies the process for everyone: taking the consumer directly to your website and automatically applying the discount. QR code coupons can be generated for one-time use and have the added bonus of providing scan data to your marketing team.

Bridge Mail and Digital Campaigns

The fact of the matter is: print and digital marketing are both here to stay. As the fastest, simplest way to link the two, QR codes are only going to become more popular. Printing for Less can help you integrate your printed materials with your digital presence for a seamless customer experience. Get in touch today for guidance on how to make the most of QR codes in postcards, brochures, business cards, and more.

Primary Sidebar

RELATED ARTICLES

Yellowstone Valley Lodge brochure – beauty in the Big Sky

The Yellowstone Valley Lodge is located in beautiful Paradise Valley, Montana, and offers up first-class lodging, meals and activities, ranging from casting flies to rising trout on blue ribbon streams, horse back riding, rafting and relaxing; they are right down the way, so to speak, from Printing for Less's … Read More >

Montana Meadows – staying “stuck” even at -20° Farenheit

We take most printing for granted, especially printing (packaging, labels, etc.) that is involved with things we eat, such as a label or tag or things we use daily, such as eye drops or medicine. How do we know it is safe? Montana Meadows, a Printing for Less customer, recently printed labels to go on their … Read More >

10 Daring Designs for Dazzling Table Tents

At Printing for Less, we know table tents design like the backs of our hands. After all we see them all the time. As it happens, so do you! But maybe you haven’t noticed them. Table tents can be found everywhere, but are especially common in establishments such as restaurants or cafes. Like most people, you … Read More >

8 Tips to Make the Back of Your Business Card Design Stand Out

All hail the humble business card! While its primary purpose is to let people know how they can get in touch with you, this small piece of paper says a lot about who you are and what you have to offer. It pays to get creative with it, which is why savvy professionals know to the up the ante, … Read More >

Fixing Corrupt InDesign Files

Sometimes you find an InDesign file that seems to cause problems. It could crash unexpectedly. It may be acting bizarre. Or it may just have something like a “phantom font” or a spot color that appears even though it’s really not there. A good troubleshooting technique is to export an IDML file (in … Read More >

Dance as a Movement

It’s not every day you have the opportunity to experience a dance company that is more than merely art or entertainment. InterSession, a dance and guard creative company, have dedicated their existence to “raising up potentially high risk youth, who in turn, become mentors to others.” Located in … Read More >

6 Myths about Direct Mail that are Total Bull

When someone’s drowning, do you throw more water in the pool, or do you throw them a flotation device? We vote the floaty. In the same vein, with the rising tide of emails your prospects' faces, why throw more at them? Direct mail is the perfect way to break free from that digital tsunami and reach … Read More >

Making PDFs Smaller

Because PDFs are used for many things, often times you need to figure out the best way to make them smaller. Suppose, for example, you have created a PDF file with a lot of images for a catalog. You’ve carefully prepared a press-ready PDF you can send to the printer. But you also need to send … Read More >

Footer

Printing for Less

info@printingforless.com
100 P F L Way, Livingston, MT 59047

800-924-2041

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Products
  • Industries
  • Services
  • Get Samples
  • Resources
  • Guides
  • Templates
  • Blog
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • About
  • Why Printing for Less?
  • Our Team
  • Careers
  • Login

Copyright © 1998-2023 PrintingforLess.com. All Rights Reserved.

logo
  • 866-501-7488
  • Products
  • Industries
  • Services
  • Resources
  • Get Samples
  • Get a Quote
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • My Login