How to Leverage Google Review QR Codes to Build Social Proof for Your Food Truck

There’s more to the food truck industry than just cooking and serving your well-thought-out recipes. You’ve got a brand to build. And if you want to stand out, a good impression of your business is paramount. 

But how exactly do you convey your brand’s quality to attract your target market? 

One surefire way is by gathering online reviews. 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product. That’s how powerful social proof is when enticing people to purchase.

Google remains dominant in local reviews. So focusing on this platform is a great starting point. 

But let’s get this out of the way. Not everyone will likely put in the effort to give you the review you need, even if you delivered a great experience. 

So what do you do?

Well, at the very least, you can make it easy for your customers. And QR Codes can help with that.

In this article, you’ll learn how Google review QR Codes can help you build your food truck brand’s awareness and recognition. 

Table of contents

1. What is a Google review QR Code?
2. How to create Google review QR Codes for your food truck
3. 4 reasons to use Google review QR Codes to raise your food truck’s brand awareness
4. Tips for using Google review QR Codes for your food truck
5. Fast-track online review collection for your food truck brand using Google review QR Codes

What is a Google review QR Code?

A Google review QR Code is exactly what it sounds like – a QR Code that, upon scanning, directs users to a Google Business profile page where they can leave stars and written feedback. Its efficacy lies in how easily it can make this process happen – accessing a QR Code takes a snap smartphone scan.

How to create Google review QR Codes for your food truck

Here’s how you can make a Google review QR Code using Beaconstac’s custom QR Code generator:

1. Copy your Google review link from your Google Business dashboard.
2. Head over to Beaconstac’s dashboard and click “+Create QR Code.” 
3. Choose Website as the QR Code campaign type.
4. Paste your Google review link in the URL box.
5. Customize your QR Code. 
6. Download your QR Code.

5 reasons to use Google review QR Codes to raise your food truck’s brand awareness

#1 Make it easy for customers to leave a review

As far as food trucks go, you can expect everything to be fast-paced. Lines can stack up, and customer and staff frustrations are not unexpected. So how do you ask for online reviews amidst these challenges?

Of course, you could ask your customers directly. And you might even get people to agree. But the traditional way of prompting a review isn’t as smooth as you’d want it to be.

To leave a review, a customer must open a browser on their smartphone and type your business’s name on Google. 

This presents many challenges. Apart from trying to capture your customer’s attention, your business may not even be the first to come up in their search results.

Google review QR Codes on your food truck establishment can help streamline the entire process. 

So instead of manually typing and scrolling through a search engine, your customers can open their smartphone cameras and do a quick scan, taking them directly to your Google review page.

This adds another level of convenience to the customer experience. 

You don’t even have to ask for a review in person. Just place your QR Codes on your prints, and customers can quickly scan them when they see your “Leave a review” call to action.

Reviews can naturally accumulate over time. But to gather the social proof you need to compete in the market right now, you must take proactive measures. 

You may be using different strategies to capture local reviews, such as social media announcements and customer incentives. But you still don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to make your print-based collaterals work for you.

This is where a Google review QR Code for your food truck can come in handy. 

QR Codes help eliminate the gap between the physical and digital worlds, introducing easy access to any online destination. Once you’ve incorporated them into your customer review campaign, they can help streamline your review collection process.

#2 Boost online transparency and customer trust 

It’s not uncommon for anyone to gather information about a local business before visiting. But here’s what’s interesting; when looking up a business, 9 out of 10 will put more weight on what others say than what the company itself claims on any marketing channel. 

This implies that social proof is one growth driver you don’t want to neglect. 

Now that you’ve made it easy by placing Google review QR Codes on easy-to-spot areas in your food truck, you’re bound to encourage more customer-generated reviews. And whether good or bad, these reviews can positively impact your food brand’s reputation. As you know, a healthy mixture of good and bad reviews still helps you establish trust. 

#3 Increase review signals for local SEO

For many locally-operating food brands, this is what gathering reviews all comes down to – getting found on local searches. According to Brightlocal, review signals account for 17% of any Local Pack ranking. 

User-generated reviews not only provide customers with validity. It’s also a major local Google ranking factor. Once you’ve gathered multiple reviews with the help of QR Codes, you can expect a boost in your review signals, taking you one step closer to achieving that coveted local pack status. 

#4 Influence future customer purchasing decisions

Once you’ve gathered enough customer voices and search engine review signals, you’ll be better positioned to influence future customer decisions. Remember that reviews can be the sole deciding factor for a customer when choosing to visit a local brand.

And since you’ve collected enough reviews for Google to serve your location on a local search result, you can expect to get the exposure you need. Exposure paired with social proof is a direct recipe for getting your potential customers to choose you over someone else.

#5 Add attribution tracking to your postering efforts

Besides simplifying your review collection campaign, QR Codes can also serve as a tracking tool to measure the effectiveness of your print collaterals. Once you add QR Codes to your prints, you’ll start to receive various data metrics to help you form insights into your campaign.

QR Codes can capture scan data in real-time. This data includes the number of individual QR Code scans and engagements, the time of scanning, and the devices used to interact with your QR Codes. 

QR Code analytics will allow you to gauge the performance of your QR Codes on your food truck posters and banners. 

You’ll see firsthand if your QR Code-driven print collaterals actually deliver customer testimonials on your Google Business pages. Most importantly, you’ll know if they don’t, allowing you to make the optimizations you deem necessary.

Tips for using Google review QR Codes for your food truck

#1 Choose dynamic over static QR Codes

QR Codes come in 2 types – static and dynamic. Static QR Codes house fixed data. Once you create them, you won’t be able to change their target destination. Dynamic QR Codes, on the other hand, allow unlimited destination edits. 

So, let’s say you’ve already gathered enough Google reviews and want to focus on another review platform, like Yelp or TripAdvisor. Of course, your QR Codes must now link to another review site. 

If you’re using static QR Codes, you’ll have to print another batch of posters since your original QR Codes are stuck redirecting to Google reviews. 

However, if you’re using dynamic QR Codes, you can just edit your QR Code’s destination at your convenience. You can still use the same QR Codes on the same print materials. 

Dynamic QR Codes are a significant step up from static ones. Apart from editability, they also provide QR Code analytics and online retargeting.

#2 Placement is everything

QR Codes can grace any type of print media. You can place them on posters, billboards, packaging, and even receipts. But where you place them is very crucial. You need to position these QR Codes where they can easily come into contact with your customers.

In the case of a mobile food establishment, you can put your QR Codes on posters on and around your motorized vehicle. 

You can also place your feedback QR Codes on your cups and other types of food packaging (just like Starbucks). 

#3 Ensure your QR Codes stand out

Placement is just one factor in scannability. If your QR Codes are obscure in your prints, even the right placement won’t do it any good. You want your QR Codes to be apparent to a glancing onlooker so it can easily prompt a scan. 

One way to ensure your QR Code is scannable is by contrasting its color with its background. For instance, If you’ve created a colored QR Code with vibrant blue symbols, you can use a contrasting yellow tone for its backdrop. 

For typical QR Codes with dark color schemes, you can place them on backgrounds with lighter contrasting shades.

#4 QR Code size matters

Your QR Code’s size is also worth considering since it correlates directly with scannability. Make sure it’s not too small, so it’s not easy to miss. For instance, placing a 2” x 2” Google review QR Code on a receipt wouldn’t be a problem since interactions would likely remain at a hand-held distance. 

However, the same could not be said for a 5’ x 3’ food truck banner. For placements like these, enlarging the QR Code to 10” would improve visibility even at long scanning distances, ensuring that onlookers, near and far, won’t be able to miss it.   

For tips on getting the right size for your QR Code, you can check out this handy QR code sizing guide.

#5 Always tell customers what to do with a compelling CTA

It makes little sense to deploy a QR Code without pairing it with a clear call to action. Calls to action let your customers know what to expect after scanning your QR Code, not to mention it can be a gentle nudge to get them to scan and leave a review for your food truck. 

If you’re gathering reviews, you can use an effective CTA text, such as, “Scan to leave a review.” It could also be just a simple “Scan me” if you already imply the QR Code’s purpose using a separate text copy.

#6 Use the proper image format 

Most custom QR Code generators will provide you with the option to download your QR Code in multiple image formats. If you’re using Beaconstac, you can select from 5 of the most widely used image file types – PNG, JPG, EPS, SVG, and PDF. 

But remember, each image format will best suit specific QR Code applications. For instance, your food truck will likely employ Google review QR Codes on sizable posters or banners around your location. 

For these sizable print-based placements, choosing EPS and SVG when downloading your QR Code image is ideal. These file formats exhibit little loss in image resolution even as you scale them to suit visibility. You can enlarge them without compromising QR Code scannability and image quality.

Fast-track online review collection for your food truck brand using Google review QR Codes

Whether you’re a food industry veteran or just starting out, you know how hard it can be to ask for customer reviews. But there’s no avoiding it if you want to leverage social proof straight away. 

Reviews don’t just lead to more customers. It solidifies your online presence and local search standing, driving even more customers to your location. 

If you’re using Google review QR Codes for your food truck, asking for a review doesn’t take much – seeing as how they make it easy with a simple smartphone scan.

You’re probably used to seeing QR Codes by now. They’ve skyrocketed in popularity simply because they make life easier for marketers, brands, and businesses. 

You can use QR Codes for far more than just gathering customer reviews for your mobile food business. QR Codes can help you gather leads, prompt an online order, drive social media visits, and much more. 

• Author Details

Author Details

Reuben Isidoro

Reuben is a Content Marketer at Beaconstac and a freelance writer who helps businesses achieve goals through compelling content writing.

https://blog.beaconstac.com/

[email protected]