Posters as print mediums have a timeless appeal that never seems to go out of style. The ones that truly make an impact are those capable of inspiring head turns, prompting long lingering glances, and most importantly, driving swift action. Achieving this requires not only exquisite poster design but also strategic marketing.
Imagine having the best of both worlds—a fusion of masterful marketing and daring designs that demand attention. In this article, we guide you on transforming your posters into digital launchpads with QR Codes, all while ensuring that aesthetics remain at the forefront.
5 advantages of combining posters with QR Codes
This dynamic merge not only boosts audience engagement but also opens a gateway to a broader online presence. Discover the myriad ways QR Codes can empower your posters to work harder for you, connecting your audience to a richer, more interactive experience.
Adds an interactive element
Transform the way audiences engage with your print material by integrating posters with QR Codes. Unleash creativity without limits as you design a visually striking poster complemented by an interactive QR Code. It’s simpler than you think!
With a customized QR Code incorporated into your poster, you can effortlessly embed digital content that enhances your message. Whether it’s a link to your website or a social media ad, each pixelated square expands your territory for engaging with your target audience.
Puts a spin on traditional marketing
While digital marketing holds immense value, solely focusing on it may unintentionally overlook an audience less engaged with online ads, websites, or social media profiles.
Shifting focus back to traditional marketing, such as poster campaigns and infusing a modern twist with QR Codes is a savvy strategy to attract new audiences to your brand.
Through creative QR Code poster designs, you not only generate interest in your print material but also enrich it with multimedia content that captivates new audiences, creating memorable brand experiences.
This approach is not just about attracting attention but also serves as an opportunity to persuade a new audience to explore your online content, spanning from social media platforms to online shops.
Connects offline to online
Incorporating a QR Code into your poster creates a digital gateway for your audience to explore more of your online content. Your print isn’t just a static piece; it becomes a bridge connecting the offline to the online world.
Now, you have the power to guide your audience to the content that holds significance for you—whether it’s your website, online shop, microsite, or social media page. The control is in your hands! With a single square, invite your audience to step into your digital universe and unearth the essence of your company or brand.
Track marketing
By incorporating a Dynamic QR Code into your poster, you gain the ability to track, gauge, and measure your audience’s reaction in real time. Monitoring the performance of your poster prints is not only valuable for understanding audience behavior but also for assessing the return on investment (ROI).
With Bitly, you can access a wealth of scan statistics, providing a panoramic view of your audience’s engagement. This includes real-time data on geographic locations by city and country, browser and device information, total and unique scan counts, and scan trends over time.
Versatility
Pairing QR Codes with posters proves to be a versatile strategy applicable across diverse industries. Whether you’re in education, nonprofit organizations, healthcare, or the automotive sector, the potential applications are limitless.
Take, for instance, an educator aiming to enhance lesson engagement with interactivity and gamification—simply integrate a QR Code on posters, allowing students to access supplementary media through technology.
Best practices of a QR Code poster
To unlock the full potential of incorporating QR Codes into poster designs, here are a few tips and tricks that will assist you in creating outstanding posters adorned with pixelated squares.
Use a call-to-action frame
Enhance the impact of your marketing efforts by incorporating not only a QR Code into your poster but also a call to action (CTA). Including a CTA encourages immediate engagement from your audience and also provides them with context about what they’re about to scan.
By simply including a QR Code frame with a concise CTA text on your poster, you can stimulate more scans. You don’t have to clutter your print with excessive text; a brief and compelling CTA makes it crystal clear what action you expect from your audience.
Incorporate color
Color is a key player in effective poster design, and the same principle applies to QR Codes. Omitting vibrant hues could rob your poster, and its QR Code, of the lively and creative touch they deserve. Consider coordinating your poster design colors with the QR Code to achieve a harmonious and visually appealing composition.
A golden rule in QR Code design is to embrace contrast. For instance, if your background is a deep blue, opt for a contrasting color in the QR Code’s foreground. This not only enhances scanability but also ensures your audience can easily spot and engage with it.
Add your branding
Every print material serves as a canvas to express your brand personality, and posters with QR Codes offer a unique avenue to infuse your brand identity. This not only provides your audience with a glimpse of your brand through the QR Code itself but also the content it directs them to.
By utilizing a branded QR Code, you can integrate your company logo, brand icon, and brand colors, creating instant recognition for your audience. Don’t let any opportunity slip by—spread your brand essence across all your printing collateral.
Customize QR Code poster designs
Going hand in hand with branding, customizing the pixelated square of your QR Code for your poster adds a unique touch. Leverage our QR Code customization features to alter specific aspects of the square, ensuring yours stands out.
You have the flexibility to change the inner and outer corners into various shapes, such as ovals or squares. You can also enhance it further by adding a suitable frame or experimenting with different pattern shapes, ranging from Tetris-style blocks to dotted ones—whatever aligns best with your poster design.
Elevate designs with Canva
Did you know that Bitly and Canva have teamed up? The Bitly and Canva integration empowers you to streamline your workflow and helps you build design assets like QR Code posters with the utmost ease and creativity.
Whether you’re working on loyalty cards, educational posters, presentation decks, tote bags, or beyond, this intuitive tool spans a variety of industries, offering limitless possibilities.
Get inspiration from a plethora of creative use cases and get started with your Canva-Bitly designs right away!
Always go dynamic
Choosing a Dynamic QR Code instead of a Static QR Code gives you the freedom to update its content whenever needed. This comes in handy if you’ve copied the wrong link or want to freshen up your online content without tweaking the poster design—great for saving on printing costs.
And here’s a bonus: With the dynamic version, you can track how well your QR Code is performing—something you can’t do with a Static QR Code.
Learn more about how to edit QR Code destinations on our blog.
Test on different devices
After creating your QR Code, don’t forget to test it on various devices. Make this a final step, right before sending it to print. Be sure to allocate enough time for testing, allowing room for adjustments in case any errors pop up along the way.
QR Code poster industry use cases
Pairing QR codes with posters is a versatile strategy for promoting your offerings across industries. Thinking creatively is key—QR Codes work best when you think outside the box. If you need inspiration, take a look at these fictional brands to see creative ways to integrate QR Codes with posters.
Consumer packaged goods
Betty Baker, a consumer packaged goods brand, promoted their new frosting flavors—chocolate and blueberry—by incorporating QR Codes into their posters.
This clever move directed potential customers to inspiring recipe content and step-by-step video tutorials, making baking with Betty Baker’s frosting a simple delight.
They turned static displays into interactive ones that inspire purchases by showcasing the ease of using the products in a home cook’s kitchen adventures.
Agriculture
Bilberries Hillside Farm, an agricultural company, leverages QR Codes on posters to promote job opportunities. Placing these scannable codes in public spaces enhances the accessibility of their job portal for interested seekers.
Prospective employees can effortlessly scan to browse current openings on the spot or conveniently save the link on their smartphones for future reference. This straightforward and practical method simplifies job advertising, making it more accessible for potential job seekers.
Restaurants
Sam’s Fish and Chips employed a QR Code on a poster to promote their Saint Patrick’s event. The quintessential green design, a nod to the shamrock, set the festive tone.
Prospective attendees could scan the QR Code directly from the poster to instantly register for the event, or conveniently save the details for later. This ensured they wouldn’t miss the chance to secure their spot.
Travel and tourism
World Trekker Tours, a travel and tourism brand, adds an interactive touch to its poster campaign by incorporating QR Codes. With a vibrant design showcasing dreamy travel destinations on their Instagram feed, the poster invites viewers to scan the QR Code.
This pixelated square is a gateway for eager globe-trotters to get a sneak peek of World Trekker Tours’ diverse offerings and travel experiences. The frictionless blend of physical and digital engagement enhances their social media presence and attracts a growing community of travel enthusiasts.
Fitness and wellness
Studio Gym, a fitness center, aimed to boost its personal trainer services and opted for QR Codes on its posters to entice interested customers to sign up for a complimentary one-hour session. The QR Code was used as a free hook, targeting individuals eager to elevate their fitness journey.
The goal was to provide a firsthand experience with a personal trainer, potentially leading to increased client bookings and sustained interest in the offering.
How to create a QR Code for a poster
Follow these simple steps to create a Bitly QR Code on our platform.
- Sign up or log into your Bitly account.
- Go to Create new and select QR Code.
- Drop your link in the Destination URL and add the required info. Then select Design your code.
- Once you’re on the customization page, start to personalize your square to fit your brand and poster design. Select Create QR Code once you’re done.
- Wait for the pop message that says: “Your QR Code is ready”. Then scan it on your devices to test if it works.
- Now you’re ready to incorporate it into your poster design.
QR Code poster FAQ
This section is for any unanswered questions you may have about QR Code posters.
What is the minimum size of a QR Code on a poster?
First things first: QR Codes need to be a minimum of 2cm by 2 cm to be scannable; anything smaller than that will make the square unreadable. You will also need to consider the scanning distance, which should ideally be 10 times the size of the QR Code. We recommend going on the larger side to ensure that the square is visible and easily scannable with a smartphone.
Do QR Codes on posters work?
Yes! QR Codes on posters are a great tool to enhance your marketing materials, gain valuable analytics data, and boost engagement. Create a QR Code with Bitly and see how you can seamlessly integrate a QR Code into your poster.
Make your posters more impactful
Pairing posters with QR Codes is a match made in heaven. Take your audience beyond the limits of print and immerse them in a whole new digital experience—without losing the charm of classic printed marketing materials!
With Bitly, you can craft QR Codes that not only look good but provide valuable tracking data—all within our intuitive platform. Plus, access Canva to design the most exquisite posters.
Sign up for Bitly now and create posters that leave a lasting impact!