Blending digital and physical marketing efforts is no longer an optional strategy—it’s a necessity for brands that want to promote their products and services effectively and reach a wider audience.
Thanks to Quick Response Codes (more commonly known as QR Codes), blending the two is easier than ever. QR Codes let you transition target audiences from offline marketing mediums like pop-up displays to online resources like your website and social media profiles, which can streamline the buying journey and improve conversions.
Beyond offering a better experience that boosts user engagement, creating QR Code posters also provides valuable data for event organizers, making it easier for them to gauge their marketing campaigns’ effectiveness.
Here, we explore how you can leverage these pixelated innovations on pop-up displays.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
What’s the point of using QR Codes on pop-up exhibits?
As a marketer or event organizer, you have to consider the value of every event asset and ensure they have the potential for positive returns before you invest time and effort in developing them. So, it’s normal to ask whether QR Codes on pop-up displays are worthwhile. The answer is a resounding yes!
Adding interactive QR Codes to your exhibits helps bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences, driving engagement. Customers don’t need to type out your brand name to find your website or social media pages—they can simply scan designated codes with their smartphones to find information online in seconds.
They can also access content you can’t present in typical pop-up exhibits, like videos, comprehensive product information, and, if you really want to wow your audience, augmented reality experiences. These nifty solutions are like portals that transport event attendees from one place (your trade show) to another ( your chosen digital space) for more interactive experiences.
However, that’s not all they do. They’re also valuable assets for businesses, as they provide data that can help with marketing campaign optimization. With these solutions, you get to see what resonates the most with your audience (through scan analytics) so you can improve future campaigns.
If you’re unsure whether providing samples during pop-up events impacts potential customers’ interest in your products, QR Code scan data can make things clearer. Consider holding two events, one that involves samples and another that doesn’t, and monitor your scan analytics.
Innovative ideas for using QR Codes on pop-up displays
Convinced about the value of QR Codes on pop-up displays? Here are some exciting ideas for incorporating them at your next event:
Linking to exclusive content or offers
Want to give attendees a reason to engage with your pop-up display? QR Codes can help. You can link them to exclusive deals, content, or promotions, making it easier for potential customers to access offers during your event.
This can boost engagement with your brand and show you the kind of content and deals that your target market values.
Driving social media interaction
Events are great, but they can only attract so many people. This is why it’s important that you also leverage social media for your marketing needs. With an estimated 62% of the world’s population on various social platforms, that’s likely where you’ll find many of your potential customers.
QR Codes can be a valuable tool that extends your event’s reach online and broadens your audience. You can use them to encourage attendees to connect with your brand on social media by providing direct access to your profiles, contests, or pages where they can share their experiences. The more event attendees talk about you on social media, the likelier you are to capture the attention of other users.
Facilitating seamless information sharing
Pop-up displays can be quite limiting in terms of what you can share. Sure, you can provide product descriptions, share some reviews, and display images to help attendees visualize your offerings. But, you must be brief because of space limitations.
QR Codes provide instant access to whatever you can’t showcase on your displays. You can link them to comprehensive product details, event information, video tutorials, or downloadable resources, ensuring attendees have all the information they need to decide whether your brand is a suitable choice.
Say you sell items that require detailed instructions, such as skincare products. You can link QR Codes to tutorials that show customers exactly how to use them. You can also link them to PDFs or landing pages detailing the ingredients used to help them choose appropriate products.
Integrating with augmented reality (AR)
In 2023, Coca-Cola took the UK market by storm through the #TakeATasteNow campaign. This campaign combined QR Codes and AR technology, allowing customers to access a digital bottle of Coke Zero using their smartphones and then claim the real thing from their nearest Tesco stores. Their campaign created excitement online and offline, shining a brighter light on the soft drink company.
You, too, can provide unique experiences during events by blending AR and QR Code technology. To do so, you need to link your code to an AR web app URL and create a marker for the app. This way, when attendees scan the code, they can trigger AR experiences from your pop-ups.
Nothing beats such experiences when it comes to creating engaging and memorable interactions and enhancing brand recall.
Best practices for using QR Codes on pop-up displays
Coming up with a great idea for using QR Codes on pop-up displays is only half the battle. The other half involves optimizing these innovations for visibility, scannability, and recognition. Here are some best practices to help you do just that:
Place the QR Code in an optimal spot for visibility
You want to position your QR Codes where they are most likely to be seen and scanned by attendees to improve their likelihood of success. Ideally, these codes should be at eye level, on a clean surface, and incorporated in a way that makes them stand out from the rest of the design, such as using contrasting colors.
Placing your codes in multiple locations and high-traffic areas also ensures they will be accessible and visible to a large audience.
Design the QR Code for easy scannability
One key factor in success is knowing how to make a QR Code that ensures clarity and simplicity to avoid scanning issues. After all, designing an overly complicated code that’s difficult to scan defeats the purpose of leveraging these pixelated solutions.
Some tips to keep in mind when designing your code include:
- Maintain an appropriate quiet zone (white space around QR Codes): This makes it easier for mobile devices to pick up the code.
- Follow QR Code size guidelines: Consider the expected scanning distance when choosing your QR Code size. Ideally, the minimum QR Code size should be .8in x .8in (2cm x 2cm).
- Use a high-resolution image: Low-quality or blurry images can impact scannability.
- Maintain high contrast: Print your codes in colors that contrast well with your displays for optimal visibility. For example, an orange code would do well on a dark blue background.
Align the QR Code with brand aesthetics
Maintaining visual consistency across all marketing materials can enhance recognition and make you appear more professional, especially at events like trade shows. So, customize your codes to align with overall brand aesthetics.
With solutions like Bitly, you can create a code with your brand colors, add your logo in the middle, and choose custom patterns and corners to promote consistency and help you stand out.
Test the QR Code before deployment
More often than not, you’ll get easily scannable codes if you choose the right QR Code generator. Still, it’s important to test them before deployment to make sure they work as intended.
Test your code in various lighting conditions, across varying distances, and with different mobile devices (both iOS and Android) to confirm their scannability. Also, make sure they direct audiences to the right destinations before your trade show event. Doing this beforehand helps you provide great customer experiences and eliminates the hassle of changing things up during the event.
Provide clear instructions for attendees
People want to know what to expect when they scan QR Codes. If you don’t let them know, you may lose out on some scans.
So, include CTAs such as “Scan to save our contact information” or “Scan to download free resources” near your codes. If you expect crowds that are new to the technology, add visual cues showing them how to scan. You can include an image of someone opening their smartphone camera and pointing it toward a QR Code.
How you can use Bitly to create pop-up exhibit QR Codes
Generating QR Codes using Bitly is one of the best decisions you can make. Our platform is not only user-friendly but also provides customization options and QR Code tracking. This helps you align pop-up QR Code displays with your overall aesthetic and provides scan data, enabling you to better understand your customers.
Here’s how to make a QR Code using Bitly:
1. Create and customize your QR Code
Creating and customizing a QR Code with Bitly is pretty straightforward. Simply:
- Log into your account.
- Go to Create new and select QR Code.
- Enter your destination URL. It could be a link to your landing page, website, social media page, or specific documents.
- Select Design your code.
- Customize your code (if on a paid plan). Bitly allows you to customize QR Codes with brand-specific colors, logos, and designs (patterns, corners, and frames).
- Tap Save current design to save your code as a template.
- Tap Create your code.
Before finalizing, preview the QR Code to ensure it’s functional, visually appealing, and aligns with your brand’s aesthetic. If you’re satisfied, download the code.
2. Test and optimize your QR Codes
Testing can reveal potential issues early on so you can correct them. Test the code with different devices, under varying lighting conditions, and from different scanning distances, as you can’t predict what each attendee will be using or where they’ll be scanning the code from.
Only print the code on your displays and assets like business cards when you’re sure it’s fully scannable.
Also, observe how attendees interact with the QR Code during the event. If anyone is struggling or has issues with the code, determine what’s gone wrong and whether anything can be done to prevent the problem for other pop-up attendees.
3. Track engagement and analyze data
The benefits of Bitly’s QR Code generator don’t end when you download your code. Users also have access to real-time scan data for Bitly Codes, including:
- Total scans
- Scans by country/city
- Scans by browser
- Scans by day
- Scans by operating system
This data provides insights into attendee engagement and the effectiveness of the pop-up display, which can help you continuously optimize your marketing efforts during events.
For reliable insights, conduct A/B testing—change up different elements of your displays (colors, CTAs, linked content, etc.) and review the collected data to understand how attendees engage with various exhibits.
Drive trade show event success with Bitly’s QR Code solutions
Including QR Codes in pop-up displays or signage is a great way to provide quick access to digital resources that can enhance customer experiences. These solutions help you create clutter-free displays by eliminating the need for excessive information. They also provide valuable customer data to help you optimize future marketing strategies.
With Bitly’s user-friendly generator, you can easily generate QR Codes for your pop-up displays regardless of your coding knowledge or technical experience. Our platform lets you design your code however you see fit and provides real-time tracking data via Bitly Analytics, ensuring consistency in your campaign and giving you a better understanding of what resonates with your audience.
Sign up for Bitly today to create reliable, trackable, custom QR Codes that enhance your pop-up displays’ effectiveness!
