Though they’ve been around for years in Japan, the QR code has just become a popular U.S. marketing trend in the last year or two. REALTORS® are taking advantage of this tool in a number of ways including use on business cards, property flyers and on signage. While QR codes are a great way to provide information to potential buyers and sellers, we’ve noted a couple common mistakes:
- Linking to a site that is not mobile optimized
If you are going to use QR codes to drive people to your web site, be sure that your site can be easily viewed and navigated from a mobile device. If people have to zoom in and put a lot of effort into finding what they want on your site, they will likely exit quickly and look for another source.
- Not providing an alternative
While the number of people using QR Codes is continuing to grow, it’s important to include other ways for people to connect with you. If you provide someone with a business card that requires a QR code to be scanned in order for the person to get to your site or get your contact information, you are likely to miss connecting with some contacts. Be sure to include your name, web site and at least 1 way to contact you on your business card in addition to the QR code.
- Making it harder to get the desired information
Sometimes there is a strong case for using a QR Code. A long url or easy to misspell domain name are good examples. But sometimes using the QR Code actually makes the process of getting the desired information harder. For example – a short url might be easier to put in a smart phone than opening up a QR Code scanning application and going through the process of scanning the QR Code.
