Making ScanLife & QR Codes Work for Your Small Business

by david

Thousands of small, local businesses have accessed ScanLife over the past year to mobilize their traditional media. In fact, nearly half of our accounts are businesses like restaurants, retail stores, or real estate agents that use codes to link to websites, special discounts and other forms of content.  While this technology is also used by big brands with huge budgets, its been built to work easily for virtually any marketer of any size.

Getting started on ScanLife is simple.  Just log in, choose from a wide variety of code actions from Web to Email to Twitter, and then link to your content - much of it you probably already have!  Let’s take a look at a few ways ScanLife can be used in a matter of minutes.

Strategy Options

Strategy: Loyalty Recommended Code Action(s): Note Code Example: Users can scan a Note Code and automatically get a note message with a discount offer. Your business can switch the type of offer on the Note Code at any time so that it changes on a daily basis.  Put the code on a store front window or menu to deliver offers that are always being updated. Note Code Screenshot Strategy: Social Networking Recommended Code Action(s): Menu, Twitter Example: When users scan a Menu Code, they are taken to a page that displays up to five different options which could all link to various social networking sites. This is great way to increase Facebook “Likes”, Twitter followers or Foursquare check-ins for your business. Or you can also direct people to your YouTube channel to show product demos and new features. One of our new features is the Twitter Code, which allows users to send out a pre-filled tweet about the product they just scanned. If you’re looking to generate a buzz on Twitter, then this is the right code for you!  You can even create a code that links to your Groupon Deal.  Just get the link and send the code out as another way for people to access your deal of the day. Menu Code Screenshot Twitter Code Screenshot Strategy: Business Listing Recommended Code Action(s): Web, Menu Example: By using a Web Code, you can link to your Google Places listing  and customers will be taken directly to all the necessary contact info for your business, including a local map. You can also use the Menu Code to show a list of contact options such as Call Us, Email Us, Find Us etc.  One of these options you can use is the Contact Code which saves a listing right to the address book of the phone.  This is a great way for people to save your information for another visit. Web Code Screenshot Menu Code Screenshot   Where to Place Your Codes Codes can be used in a variety of ways to help engage the consumer. In most cases, you can just stick a code on marketing material your business already has. One of the more popular methods is placing codes in the storefront window of your local business. Just scan to check in or get the latest deals at that location.  In addition, codes can be placed on packaging, business cards, or print ads.  A really effective place is to add a code to your local direct mail whether it be postcards or catalogs.  Just add a QR Code to your mailing to give your audience access to a wide variety of digital content from a 1-inch space. Once you have published your codes, you can use the ScanLife platform to see which media is most effective. Don't forget to create unique codes for each location, even if they link to the same place. Our platform provides you with powerful analytics such as representative demographics and location.  Change your content any time to see what is working best for you. We hope these ideas get you started, and make it really simple to mobilize your product today! Let us know if you have any other ideas you want to share...