In my previous post in this QR code series I focused on how to make an effective mobile optimized landing page for your QR code marketing campaign. Today, I would like to talk about what’s important to consider when you first set out to actually make a QR code. This is a pretty straightforward step, but marketers often skim over it too quickly and do sometimes fatal mistakes. Don’t be one of them! Avoid the obvious mistakes by following the advice below.

1. Pick a QR Code Generator

Great, you’ve got your mobile landing page ready (if not, head here) and you are set to make a QR code out of the landing page’s URL. Now it’s time to pick a QR code generator.

There are plenty of QR code generators out there on the web. Obviously, I recommend Splitter, which comes with a robust set of features specifically designed for bigger brands and companies. Need a simpler solution? Splitter offers a free plan too, so just go ahead and generate your first QR code. But before that, quickly read the other 2 tips below.

2. Don’t go Too Fancy With Text

What do I mean by this? Well, you should always ensure that the final output (URL) to your QR code generator is as short as possible. Some QR Code generators (like Splitter) have this feature built into the product, so stick to one of those. This way, you don’t have to worry about shortening your URLs separately.

Why is this important? The more information you “stuff” into your code (aka. the longer your link or text), the more complicated the encoding gets. Result is usually a very detailed QR code, with lots of small “parts”. This is not a terrible thing per se, but it results in QR codes that are complicated and harder to scan, resulting in scan failures from your potential customers. You definitely don’t want such an amateur mistake impact your “scan-through” rates, do you?

3. Make a QR Code But Always Add A Short Url Beside It

There is another reason, why using short URLs for making QR codes is a good idea. While QR codes have gained in popularity lately, there is still a big percentage of your audience that isn’t familiar with them or doesn’t have a QR code scanner app installed. Therefore, you should always make sure to attach a short URL beside the QR code. You wouldn’t like to risk your prospects not being able to get to your contest or contact form, would you?

There is another way: Your short URL doesn’t need to be crazy short – non-techy customers are often afraid of clicking on weirdly shortened URLs. Instead, we see more and more companies using a short subdomain as a way to make their URLs short and branded (example: offer.company.com). With Splitter, you can leverage this out-of-the-box without much help from your IT department.

Awesome! Now you have a perfect QR Code ready to be shipped. What else are you missing? Well, we haven’t talked about where to place this QR code and how to prepare a perfect ad for it. I will cover these topics in my next posts.

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Originally posted 2013-06-03 10:44:46.