4 QR code use cases for better marketing campaigns

QR codes are everywhere these days. Companies integrate them for various purposes, from minor considerations like sharing the WiFi password to major undertakings such as promoting a new product. Whether a QR code is the understudy or shining star, it’s important to be strategic about its implementation. Doing so optimizes its use and leads to better business outcomes.
We’ll walk you through the must-knows of QR codes—with a focus on smart QR codes—their benefits, and ten example use cases. This information can equip you to get up and running with your next QR code campaign in no time.
How smart QR codes work for your organization
QR codes have come a long way from their origins as an alternative form of the bar scan. Although companies have played with them since the early aughts, the pandemic revolutionized their significance. In a contact-free and contact-tracing world, QR codes became indispensable digital assets. As their popularity grew across industries, their capabilities expanded as well.
Nowadays, smart QR codes are trailblazing the digital landscape. These dynamic solutions allow administrators to run targeted, personalized campaigns, leading to higher conversion rates and increased brand loyalty. They provide key insights into audience behavior for deeper business intelligence and continual improvements. Last but not least, they can flex use cases, meaning a well-planted QR code can be used again and again for various campaigns.
A smart QR code is light years ahead of the static QR code. Thanks to their targeting capabilities, they also pull rank above the dynamic QR code solutions. SiteDetour is one of the only organizations offering smart QR code technology, although any company partnered with a QR code provider can learn from the use cases that follow.

Streamline marketing channels
Many organizations are tapping into the power of omnichannel marketing strategies. This approach uses multiple channels to connect with an audience while ensuring the shared content is seamless and streamlined.
A smart QR code can be the keystone for an omnichannel marketing strategy. Here’s how that works:
- Easily embedded short links: When a user scans a QR code, a link pops up denoting the destination. This link can be turned into a customized short link (e.g. example.co) that is embedded into other marketing channels, such as social media posts, banners, and printed content. A short link is also easier to remember than a full-length URL so customers can find you again.
- Seamless transitions from offline to online: Making the leap from the real world to the digital realm is greatly simplified through a QR code. One quick scan can share more information about a product, promotion, brand, or any other relevant information.
- Coherent shared content: The destination of a smart QR code can be changed at any time. That means organizations can add one to any relevant medium—a restaurant menu, a billboard—and update the corresponding web page as necessary.
Smart QR codes also enable attribution, which means marketers can gain insights into user behavior and use that information to build out campaigns.
Digital 'pop outs’ with product information
Have you ever opened a book to have a diorama pop out from the pages? That’s the equivalent of what a smart QR code can do for a product or brand. By adding the code to essential printed material—such as a coffee cup sleeve, a clothing tag, or a container—customers can further engage with your organization and learn more about it.
This works well for a couple of different scenarios:
- Sharing a product’s fine print: Some products may have tiny packaging with a lot of information. Instead of trying to print everything in an area with limited space, you can insert a QR code that scans and reveals the necessary intel.
- Keeping customers up-to-date with promotions: If a company has a promotion or special announcement to share, they can harness the dynamic ability of a smart QR code by simply putting it on relevant materials and updating it when necessary—say, for a seasonal sale or the beginning of a new partnership.
Putting smart QR codes on products has the added benefit of being more affordable and eco-friendly than printing everything on paper.
Interactive ad campaigns
Advertising is frequently a one-way street: a company talks, and if they’re lucky, consumers will listen. Imagine how things might change if a shouting match became a conversation. Smart QR codes enable exactly that. By placing one on the relevant materials of your next ad campaign, you open the doorway to learning more about customers, receiving feedback, and creating a dialogue where there was none before.
For example: Say you place a billboard in Times Square. There’s no way to gauge how effective that ad space is, or to capture more than a few seconds of a passerby’s attention. Placing a smart QR code on that same billboard results in a different story. People can scan to learn more about your brand, enter a survey, ask questions, or countless other activities that deepen engagement.
For every user who scans, you gain valuable insights—the time of day they interacted, their mobile device type, preferred language, and location. This information can help you better understand your audience.
Improved environments and live events
Well-placed smart QR codes can act as digital copilots to any environment or live event. They provide essential information, alert people to important updates, provide itineraries, and more.
Here are some examples of how to wield smart QR codes in different settings:
- Building entryways: Post a QR code at the front desk that shares the WiFi password, contact information for the office manager, hours, or other important information about an organization.
- Self-guided tours: Installing QR codes at key locations allows users to access a map, learn about sites of interest, submit feedback, and more.
- Live events: From concerts to conferences, smart QR codes provide visitors with essential information such as schedules, meeting points, and information about a program. They can also be used for checking people into an event and surveying their experience afterward.
Smart QR codes are dynamic, effective solutions for connecting to your audience—and they’re easy to set up. WIth SiteDetour’s platform, you can be up and running with your first QR code campaign in a matter of minutes. To learn more, get in touch or schedule a demo.
Similar Articles
Ready To Manage Your Links More Effectively?
Our team is ready to help you manage your links more efficiently so you can get back to what it is you do best!