Are QR Codes on Business Cards a Good or Bad Idea?

About 27 million business cards are printed daily in the US, as mentioned in the Statistic Brand Research Institute’s study. 

Your business card is a print marketing channel that is a means for sharing contact information and increasing brand recognition and awareness. 

According to Statista’s reports, the number of smartphone users worldwide has surpassed three billion and is expected to increase by several hundred million over the next few years. 

Businesses today need to hop on the smartphone bandwagon and upgrade their business cards to cater to the growing population of smartphone users. 

This is where technologies such as QR Codes come into play and transform the way businesses interact and position themselves. 

QR Codes on business cards digitize your marketing efforts. They have the potential to positively impact your business in terms of growth, ROI, and brand image. 

How to create a QR Code for business cards 

Step 1: Log on to the Beaconstac dashboard

Log on to the Beaconstac dashboard and click +Create QR Code. 

Step 2: Select QR Code type

Select a QR Code campaign from the ones listed. 

Step 3: Customize the QR Code 

Customize your QR Code’s eyes, data pattern, add a logo, background, and a call-to-action frame text. 

Click Next. 

Step 4: Download QR Code

Download your QR Code in any of the five available formats – PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, EPS. The PNG format is recommended for printing QR Codes on business cards.

QR Codes on Business Cards: Use Cases 

#1. Schedule appointments 

According to Bookedin’s article, 76% of clients use their mobile phones to book appointments online. 

To cater to your mobile-first clients, print QR Codes on your business cards to provide an easy-to-use appointment scheduling system. Clients can book appointments with just a single scan using their smartphone.

Use form QR Codes to direct clients to an appointment booking form to fill in their details and schedule appointments seamlessly. 

If you’re a real estate agent, form QR Codes on your business card is a convenient way for potential buyers to book house viewings. The same goes whether you’re an architect, a freelance content writer, or the CEO of an enterprise. 

#2. Promote your business 

According to Aura Print’s article, 57% of business owners think business cards are essential for promoting their goods or services. 

Print QR Codes on your business cards to direct potential customers to your website or product catalog. Use website QR Codes to link customers to your website. PDF QR Codes come in handy when you need to display the array of products your business offers. 

By adding a QR Code on your business card, clients are aware of what your business entails from the get-go, which helps them make informed decisions. 

I started using QR Codes on my business cards over a year ago and have seen a lot more traction on my website because of it! When I hand clientele my card, they are immediately drawn to the code because of its uniqueness and interactive element.

Josh Eberly, Owner of 717 Home Buyers

#3. Provide deals & offers

According to Juniper Research’s study, the number of coupons issued via mobile and online channels will grow by more than 60% by 2021, reaching a whopping 362 billion coupons. 

Incentivize the first interaction with your prospects for fruitful results. Provide special deals and discounts to customers that scan the QR Code on your business cards. 

Let’s say you’re a hairstylist and want to attract new customers to your salon. 

Add a coupon QR Code on your business card for potential clients to scan and access an attractive discount for their first visit. This will prompt revisits and fast-track business growth significantly. 

Not to mention that it will result in better word-of-mouth marketing and referrals. 

QR Codes on business cards could be utilized as a marketing strategy to reward people’s curiosity with a promotional offering. It’s a great way to get creative use out of your business cards and should be taken advantage of.

Alex Birkett, Head of Content, Everything But The Plant

#4. Share your job portfolio 

When trying to attain more clients, collaborators, or a new job role, it can be a hassle to carry your portfolio around while rushing for meetings and interviews. 

To eliminate this hassle and minimize the detrimental effects of vast paper usage on the environment, print QR Codes on your business cards to share your portfolio. 

Whether it’s a PDF, image, audio file, or the works, a QR Code instantly displays your digital portfolio to the relevant stakeholders. 

It sets you apart from your competitors and offers the added convenience of reviewing your work from the comfort of their mobile devices. 

#5. Share social media handles

According to LYFE Marketing’s article, 91% of all social media users access social channels via mobile devices. 

Add QR Codes on your business cards to link clients to your social media profiles. Use social media and Facebook QR Codes to let clients explore your online presence, engage with your business, and increase your social media visibility. 

Monitor your social media traffic and retarget visitors to maximize the number of conversions for your business. 

Add value to your interactions and build stronger relationships with the help of social media QR Codes on your business cards. 

We use QR Codes on our business cards to link to our LinkedIn profiles, which makes networking a breeze. We can easily connect with people right as we’re talking to keep the conversation going and continue building the relationship.

Mario DeAlmeida, VP, Marketing, Building Security

#6. Network at events and conferences 

Events and conferences are the best opportunities to network with entrepreneurs, future clients, and business partners. 

Since attendees are somewhat likely to lose your business card at these events, print vCard QR Codes on your business card so that individuals can save your contact details instantly. 

It makes sense to add a vCard QR Code on business cards since it is super easy for the recipient of the business card to scan it and save your contact in a jiffy.

Shiv Gupta, CEO, Incrementors

Here’s why QR Codes on business cards are a good idea 

#1. Editable & Trackable 

Dynamic QR Codes on your business cards can be modified and tracked at any time. You can A/B test different variations of campaigns to figure out what works best. 

Dynamic QR Codes are equipped with an in-built analytics module that tracks the number of scans, locations, and devices used. 

Measure the success of your campaigns using first-party data, and optimize to increase conversions and achieve higher ROI. 

#2. Customizable 

According to Lucidpress’s report, consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33%. 

QR Codes have the flexibility to be customized as per your needs. You can change the color scheme, select a predefined template, choose a data pattern, and add a logo to represent your brand tone throughout. 

#3. Takes up minimal space

A QR Code takes up approximately 1 cm x 1 cm on your business card for thorough scannability. 

You can share unlimited amounts of information via QR Codes on your business card while taking up the least amount of space. This reduces the effort required to market your brand and helps you convey what’s relevant in a short span of time. 

#4. Easy to set up

Creating QR Codes for your business card is a simple feat. It doesn’t require any coding and takes up little of your time. 

With a robust QR Code generator, you can easily create QR Codes for your business cards without compromising quality. Customize it as per your liking, track your campaigns’ performance easily, and improve your overall marketing strategy.

#5. Gives technological edge

As a digital marketer, I adore anything that helps my brand stand out from the crowd. Business card QR Codes are versatile tools that give me tons of control over how I market and network in person.

Jonathan Frey, CMO, Urban Bikes Direct

QR Codes on business cards make you stand out from competitors and show that you’re tech-savvy. 

Digitizing business information lets clients access a large amount of information at their fingertips. 

It reduces the number of back-and-forth conversations and helps you close deals faster. 

QR Codes on business cards: Final thoughts  

After exploring the above use cases and benefits, we can surely conclude that QR Codes on business cards are a good idea. 

Businesses should leverage them as their digital spokesperson for all marketing initiatives. 

From vCards to coupon codes, QR Codes help you share a plethora of information with your customers and essentially bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds friction-free. 

• Author Details
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Author Details

Shweta Menon

Content Marketer , MobStac

A happy writer with a fascination for technology, a passion for marketing, and a love for good literature. Feel free to reach out to her on LinkedIn to spark conversations about any of the above.

[email protected]

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This blog was originally published on January 28th, 2021 at 12:44 pm