All About Using QR Codes on Social Media Posts

Social media platforms have become an integral part of modern communication. People around the world rely on social media to chat with friends, share important milestones, and even find jobs. Social media marketing is also a must for businesses, as it’s one of the easiest ways to connect directly with your target audience.

Using QR Codes on your social media posts can help you increase engagement online. Below, we’ll highlight how you can use QR Code marketing for apps and social media—and why you should include these powerful Barcodes in your digital marketing strategy.

Benefits of using QR Codes as part of a social media strategy

Using QR Codes can be hugely beneficial for your social media strategy. Not only do they help you drive traffic to and from your social media pages, but they’re also quick and easy to create.

QR Codes have seen a surge in popularity over the last decade. As smartphones became more accessible, QR Codes emerged as a helpful tool for sharing links. They work in a wide variety of contexts, so they can integrate seamlessly into your social media marketing strategy.

Easily connect desktop to mobile

Many people use both desktop and mobile devices to browse the internet and use social media. QR Codes are an easy way to send users from a desktop web page to a social media app with a simple scan. Place QR Codes strategically on your site that link to your social media profiles. This way, users can scan the code with their phone’s camera and find your social profiles right away—no need to remember any long links or account names.

Trackable campaigns

Dynamic QR Codes are fully trackable, which means you’ll be able to view helpful metrics and see how your social media campaign is performing. For example, you’ll be able to view the number of scans over time, the location of each scan, and what type of device they’re using. With this information, you’ll be able to identify which QR Code campaigns are getting the most traction and fine-tune your future marketing strategy.

Editable and updatable content

Another huge benefit of Dynamic QR Codes is that you can edit them at any time. As your digital marketing strategy changes and you create new landing pages, you can change the links attached to your QR Codes as well—there’s no need to create new ones. For example, if you have a QR Code post pinned on your Instagram profile, you can change the link on the QR Code each season as you release new products.

Useful for digital and offline advertising

QR Codes are an easy way to connect your offline advertising strategy with your social media platforms. This helps turn offline engagement into new followers and can even help increase conversions in the long run. Place QR Codes linking to your social media on billboards, product packaging, print ads, and even business cards to generate more online traffic.

This strategy also works in reverse. You can post QR Codes on your social media platforms linking to your website or another special promotion. This makes it easy for followers to screenshot and share your QR Codes.

Branded customization

Cohesive brand assets are key to successful marketing efforts, both on and off social media. Luckily, you can create custom QR Codes that perfectly match your brand identity. Change the QR Code colors and graphic style, and even add your logo in the center for a more professional look.

How to create QR Codes for social media posts

Ready to elevate your social campaigns with polished QR Codes? Here’s a step-by-step look at creating QR Codes for social media.

Figure out your objective

Before you generate QR Codes, you’ll need to determine exactly how they’re going to fit into your marketing strategy. For example, you might use QR Codes to send your social media followers from your social media profiles to your website. You might also use QR Codes to promote a specific offer, giveaway, or event.

On top of that, you’ll need to determine which social media platforms to post each QR Code on. A QR Code for a product giveaway might work well on Instagram or Snapchat but wouldn’t work as well on LinkedIn. Defining your objective ahead of time will increase your chances of reaching your target audience and generating more engagement.

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Customize the QR Code design

For your QR Code to generate engagement, it needs to be visually appealing. When you’re creating your QR Code, be sure to customize its design to match your other brand assets. This will help you capitalize on existing brand awareness and make your QR Code look more professional.

Here’s how to customize your QR Code design:

  • Change the color scheme on the QR Code to match your brand colors.

  • Place your logo in the center of the QR Code to make it your own.

  • Add a call to action encouraging people to scan.

  • Change the QR Code pattern to reflect your brand’s vibe.

Test and optimize the QR Code

Before you post your QR Codes to social media, be sure to test them and make sure they work properly. QR Codes should be scannable on a wide range of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Test them on both Apple and Android devices to ensure they work with both operating systems.

Your QR Codes should send users to the correct link and load quickly. Consider the user experience—if your QR Code doesn’t seamlessly direct users to their destination, they’ll quickly lose interest or even become frustrated with your brand. 

Making sure your QR Code works properly shows that you value the customer experience and makes a great impression on potential customers. For example, say you’re focusing on Snapchat and implementing Snapcodes as part of your strategies. You could consider including instructions within your snaps briefly covering how to scan the Snapcode to avoid confusion.

There are so many social networks on the market today, each of which caters to a different audience with unique content types. You can use QR Codes with almost any social media platform, but you’ll need a unique strategy for each one. Here’s a look at the different types of QR Codes you can use on social media.

Social Media QR Codes

Your business probably has profiles on multiple social media platforms. A Social Media QR Code is an easy way to link to all of them in one go. This type of QR Code links to a page with all your social media profile information in one place.

You can place this QR Code on your website or use it in your offline marketing strategies. Your customers can then choose which platforms to follow you on based on their individual preferences.

Instagram QR Codes

Instagram QR Codes send web traffic to and from your company’s Instagram profile. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, and over half of American adults say they use it. No matter who your target demographics are, it’s a great way to reach people. You can even launch Instagram-specific giveaways or use the platform for exclusive product announcements, as this can help drive traffic.

You can place Instagram QR Codes on many different types of marketing materials, such as flyers, billboards, or email newsletters, encouraging them to follow you. You can also feature QR Codes in your Instagram posts and stories linking to your website or online promotions. With this approach, encourage your audience to screenshot the QR Codes and share them with friends.

Facebook QR Codes

Facebook is another social media platform with a huge user base and plenty of marketing potential. Create Facebook QR Codes to drive traffic to your Facebook page or send users from your Facebook page to your website.

Facebook is a multi-purpose social media platform. However, it’s particularly effective for collecting feedback from your customers. Use QR Codes to encourage your customers to follow your Facebook page and leave comments and questions there.

You can also use Facebook Messenger QR Codes for one-on-one conversations with your customers. These QR Codes will connect users with your business on Facebook Messenger, where they can chat with your customer service team directly.

Twitter QR Codes

Twitter is another great platform for having direct conversations with your customers. You can also use Twitter’s short-form posts to make important business announcements and promote your products. Using Twitter can also be an effective way to build a strong brand voice and identity.

As with other social media platforms, you can use Twitter QR Codes to send users to and from your profile. You can also use QR Codes to share specific tweets you’d like to promote and encourage your followers to join the conversation.

LinkedIn QR Codes

LinkedIn is another important social media app, but many businesses overlook it because of its career-centric focus. However, if your company sells B2B products or services, LinkedIn can be a very effective way to promote them. Additionally, you can use LinkedIn to share important hiring information as you grow your team.

LinkedIn QR Codes are an effective way to connect this platform with the rest of your social media marketing strategy. They are also an excellent tool for promoting your hiring strategy. For example, if you’re hosting a hiring event, you can place a LinkedIn QR Code on your flyers and event pages so attendees can follow you on the platform.

TikTok QR Codes

TikTok is one of the hottest social media platforms at the moment and is known for its innovative focus on short-form video. It’s particularly popular among young people: Over 60% of Gen Z adults use the platform every day. However, this app has an audience that spans multiple generations. There are so many ways to get creative with TikTok videos, and they can give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your products and services.

TikTok QR Codes are an easy way to turn your in-person customers into online followers. Place these QR Codes on your marketing materials so users can easily find your profile.

Get the most out of social media marketing with QR Code Generator PRO

QR Code marketing will help you drive traffic to your social media pages and can help you expand your brand’s following. No matter what social media platforms your business uses, QR Code Generator PRO has the tools you need to create QR Codes to elevate your marketing efforts. 

With QR Code Generator PRO, you can create custom QR Codes that get more customer engagement. Use branded QR Codes to direct customers to special promos and foster a sense of community, brand awareness, and exclusivity—giving customers special access to content only available for social media followers.

Ready to amp up your digital marketing with QR Codes? Sign up for QR Code Generator PRO today to get started.

Author
Armanii Glaspie

Armanii is a Product Marketing Manager at Bitly. He received his MBA from the Cox School of Business at SMU, where he concentrated on marketing and strategy. With over four years of marketing experience spanning the SaaS and CPG space, he is passionate about helping companies connect with their customers on a deeper level through the use of tools like Bitly and QR Code Generator. You can find out more about him on his LinkedIn profile.

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