QR / AR codes make print interactive , but there is a far more important reason to use them : they make print measurable
Carrying Customers ’ Water : Content Marketing
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A great example of QR codes added to display graphics was ( and may still be ) a corridor in Chicago ’ s Midway Airport that connects the terminal to the CTA station . The Adler Planetarium had installed a series of astronomy posters that featured a QR code ( in this case Microsoft Tag ) that , when scanned , launched rich media or other complementary and supplementary information about a particular planet , star cluster , galaxy , and so on . It was almost enough to make one want to dwell in Midway Airport – a remarkable technology indeed .
QR codes are poised for a renaissance . Apple ’ s iOS 11 , which became available in fall 2017 , support QR code scanning natively , meaning you don ’ t need a dedicated QR reader app . If the iPhone ’ s camera detects a QR code , it will prompt the user to scan it . Look for renewed interest in QR .
QR / AR codes make print interactive , but there is a far more important reason to use them : they make print measurable
QR codes – and , by extension Augmented Reality ( AR ), with which QR is often grouped , have become ways of “ making print interactive ,” but there is a far more important reason to use QR / AR on printed materials : they make print measurable .
Today ’ s CMOs ( chief marketing officers ) demand data more than anything – largely under pressure from their bosses , the CFOs ( chief financial officers ), who today are playing a larger and larger role in marketing decisions ( or , more importantly , marketing budgets ). With all the various marketing channels available , CMOs need to know what channels are working , and which aren ’ t . Each channel has to justify itself economically . As a result , CMOs and CFOs are looking for better and better metrics to rationalize spending money on these efforts . Ultimately , what doesn ’ t get measured doesn ’ t get a budget .
One big reason that CMOs love electronic media more than print is that electronic media are more trackable . The response to something like a printed brochure hasn ’ t traditionally been something that was easy to measure . The same goes for signage .
Enter QR and AR , codes that can push recipients into online “ track and trace ” marketing environments . The marketing automation systems that track customer journeys can now include print in the metrics and analytics that CMOs and CFOs increasingly require . A printed brochure can include a QR code so that if the recipient does go to a website to get more information , or initiates a purchase , the CMO knows that the brochure was the source . The same goes for signage . That QR code on a sign not only offers a benefit for the consumer – a link to get more info , a rich media experience , etc . – but also provides essential analytics for the marketer . And by making print as measurable as electronic media , it helps reduce marketers ’ resistance to using print .
As a basic process , adding QR and AR is not especially difficult ( particularly the former ). Generating the codes doesn ’ t have to be difficult , although AR can be a far more involved process . But even if you are just slapping a QR code on something , an essential element is deciding what the QR ( or AR ) code will trigger or launch .
The mechanics of working with QR and AR is beyond the scope of this book , but the two masters you are aiming to serve by using them are a ) proving a rich , interactive experience for the consumer of the printed material and b ) the measurement and analytics component for the marketer distributing the printed material , and getting them into the marketing automation system .
Carrying Customers ’ Water : Content Marketing
Chances are , at some time you have registered for a webinar or downloaded a white paper . To download the white paper , you were probably asked for some basic information . This is because that white paper or that webinar is essentially a lead-generation tool . Registering to receive relevant content is the way for the sponsor to qualify leads , since it ’ s acknowledged that the customer is already interested in the topic , which sure beats cold calling .
Pulling back a little , content marketing can be defined as “ a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable , relevant , and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and , ultimately , to drive profitable customer action .”
Content marketing is basically a kind of publishing . According to the Content Marketing Institute ( CMI ), eighty-nine percent of business-to-business marketers use content marketing in some way – and of the eleven percent of non-users , half say they plan to start . Social media content and blogs are the top two . What are not used very frequently are print publications – although as a print business , launching a content marketing initiative may let you change that . The CMI ’ s 2017 report on the state of content marketing says that most business-tobusiness marketers are still in the early stages of implementing a program , and are still not entirely certain what a successful content marketing program looks like , or what the best practices are . This is good news for printing industry newbies , since there isn ’ t an awful lot of catch-up that is needed .
A content marketing campaign or program , to be successful , is operated very much like a publishing operation . It has an editorial calendar , a social media schedule , a “ brand style ” be it visual or editorial , it involves analytics , and is integrated with marketing automation .
How does it work work for a third-party to “ broker ” content marketing initiatives ?
20 | December 2017 / January 2018 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE graphicartsmag . com