Quick response codes—also known as QR codes—are everywhere. You’ve likely seen QR codes on restaurant menus, nicely-designed resumes, signage, and even business cards. They take the form of a small, barcode-like square and contain a multitude of information. Because of their versatility, size, and ability to electronically transmit information, QR codes have become a business’s dream.
Why print QR codes?
You might be wondering why you should print a QR code rather than print a document with the information contained in a QR code. There are a few reasons why QR codes have had the rise that they’ve seen in the past few years, but these are the most important if you’re considering printed materials:
1. Enhanced engagement
Printed content is great for getting in front of eyes, but what it’s not great at, is engaging the reader beyond a few lines of text. The benefit of a QR code is it encourages interactions and engagement beyond that initial piece of paper. It makes it easy for anyone interacting to access further materials like your website, shopping, product details, and more.
2. Versatile applications
QR codes can be used anywhere and everywhere. From business cards to posters and brochures, QR codes can hold content for any and all use cases.
3. Space saving
Printed materials have a finite amount of space. Whether you’re printing a business card or a billboard, you’ve got to be efficient. The good news is that a small QR code can hold an unlimited amount of information without taking up that space.
4. Trackable interactions
Another downfall of print-only material is that you can’t track who has seen it, but when you add a QR code, not only is the reader gaining information, you’re gaining analytics. Gain valuable insights into engagement and behavior when you add a QR code to printed materials.
5. Evergreen printed content
One huge downfall of printed content is that content goes out of date, and when you use a QR code for those details that are often changing, you can avoid re-printing as often because QR codes always stay the same even when you update the information contained within them.
Do QR codes work for marketing?
QR codes are a powerful tool for marketing—all a marketer needs is a QR code generator. Once you have a QR code that links to a website or document, you can print it and place it on various sales and marketing materials, like social media posts, one-pagers, billboards, signage, and more.
Another popular form of QR code marketing is on business cards. Business cards date back hundreds of years with one goal—to share information. In marketing and sales, connecting with the right person is essential to growth. One issue with physical business cards is the space limitations—you can only put so much on your 3 x 2.5-inch card. Some people are now including QR codes on their business cards to increase the available information.
Many marketers and salespeople are opting for digital business cards. Digital business cards, like the ones offered by HiHello, come with unique QR codes. These QR codes are robust—when you scan a HiHello QR code, you can save the person’s virtual business card to your phone as a new contact. You can also print HiHello QR codes on marketing and sales materials.
How do I generate and print a QR code?
Sign up for the free HiHello app if you want to generate and print a QR code. HiHello will automatically create your QR code after making your first digital business card. You can then save your QR code to your phone or computer and print it out.
How to print your QR code
Printing your QR code is simple and can be done from any device. Once you save your QR code, it’s time to get printing! Here's how:
1. Prepare your design (or don’t)
Before you print, make sure your design is prepped and ready to go. Tools like Canva and Figma are simple tools anyone can use to incorporate your QR code into marketing materials, ensuring a professional look.
The great thing about QR codes is that you don’t need to add them to a design if you don’t want to, because they can stand on their own too! Just print the QR code on its own.
2. Find a printer
If you’re printing from home, connect to your printer from your mobile device or computer. If you’re using a print shop, make sure your file is downloaded in the right format, and send it to them to be printed.
3. Choose the right material
Consider the information on your QR code and why you’re sharing it. Are you adding it to a paper business card? Marketing print-outs? Stickers to spread around town or to spruce up product packaging? There are an endless number of ways to use your QR code, the world is your QR code oyster! Get creative!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to customize the information linked to my QR code
It’s super simple to customize the information on your QR code! That’s what makes them an amazing choice because you can update the information linked to your QR code as much as you want without ever having to reprint your QR code.
How to customize my QR code with HiHello
With HiHello's premium plans, you can customize your QR code by adding your brand’s logo.
Will my QR code still work if I update my digital business card?
Yes, as long as your card is active, the QR code will always link to the most current version of your digital business card.
