By QR Code bait, I’m referring to the text (or tag line) that accompanies the code and encourages the viewer to scan the code. Scanning the code, after all, is a conversion. I like to think of it in terms of link bait. I chose the title “Social Media Favors Chicks Over Dicks” because I wanted you to click on the link and read the post. It worked.
QR Code Scan Bait
You could try something simple like “scan me,” but it’s been done and it does not really tell the viewer what’s in it for them. You need to provide an incentive or benefit in exchange for the effort necessary to make the scan. The 60 seconds it takes to scan the code and see where it takes may not seem like a lot, but it is. I am assaulted by hundreds of 60-second demands on my time each day. I ignore all but a small percentage of them.
Offer Connection to Authoritative and Credible Sources
Perhaps your product is wine. Try connecting your QR Code to online expert reviews of the wine. In addition, consumers could add their own reviews and ratings of the wine. Then, above or below the code, you could add scan bait like “read reviews and add your own” or “see what the experts are saying and then add your two cents.” I’m not the world’s greatest copy writer, but you see where I’m going with this. Either of these options is superior to “scan me,” which tells me nothing about the site on which I am going to end up.
Be Useful and Helpful
Now, when a potential consumer is standing in the store comparing two bottles of wine, you will have something the competitor does not; at least not yet. You’ve made it quick and easy to access third party reviews. I’m going to read a few and probably settle on your wine if the overall consensus is it’s a good bottle of wine. Remember, no technology can help you successfully sell a bad product over the long run. If your wine sucked before QR Codes, it will just suck more after more and more consumers weigh in.