QR Code Call To Action Examples With Tips and Best Practices

Marketing 20 minute read 6th August 2024

Quick-response (QR) codes need no introduction when it comes to easy and convenient forms of marketing. Businesses know they need to invest in these nifty codes if they want their audience to engage with them. For that reason, they often turn to QR code call to action examples.

After all, QR codes have to encourage action. They’re useless if people don’t scan them. However, some words are more action-inducing than others. Besides, your calls-to-action (CTAs) should be interesting, relevant, and informative.

That’s precisely what this article will help you with. So, let’s explore some of the best call-to-action QR code examples!

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Why Use an Effective Call To Action QR Code?

An effective call-to-action QR code can make your efforts more successful and help you achieve your goals. However, this isn’t enough to thoroughly understand its impact. Here are some benefits of using a QR code with an effective CTA for emails, texts, and anything in between.

  1. Increased customer engagement: When you tell your customers what they’ll receive when they scan your code, you encourage action. They’ll want to reap the benefits of the QR code, which will increase your engagement.
  2. More conversions: Continuing the previous point, increased engagement allows you to make more conversions. Since more people will scan your codes, you only need a few conversions to make an impact.
  3. Provide customer guidance: QR codes without CTAs don’t give any sense of direction. Customers can’t understand what they do. When that happens, they hesitate to scan the code. On the other hand, clear CTAs guide customers on what will happen when scanning.
  4. Better customer experience: Telling customers what they’ll get from scanning your codes provides a better experience. They don’t have to guess, which reduces effort from their side. This encourages more action.
  5. Personalization opportunity: Having a plain QR code works to attract anyone and everyone. While this might seem like a good thing, it won’t bring any tangible results. For example, people might scan your code. But if they don’t belong to your target audience, they won’t follow through with the action. On the other hand, QR code CTA allows you to personalize your codes to attract the right people.

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How To Create Call To Action QR Code

You can create a QR code CTA through proper research and planning. It isn’t as simple as putting together some words. You need to match your words with what your audience wants to see. You won’t get many code scans if the language doesn’t resonate with your customers.

Therefore, to create a call-to-action QR code that is effective, you have to research your audience. Explore what your customers need from you. Is it discounts or guidance? Once you know what type of content will bring you results, create a CTA for it.

If you’re unsure how to do this, we’ll discuss examples and best practices later in this article.

Then, head over to a QR code generator. Multiple websites exist for this purpose. While some are free, paid ones have more features that you might need for an effective QR code. For example, paid options allow you to customize your code designs for better brand recognition and awareness.

But of course, your choice of code generator will depend on your budget and needs. So, determine those before settling on an option.

Next, follow the steps of your chosen software or website. You usually have to choose a few options and add the link you want to redirect your customers to. Add the CTA you came up with earlier.

Once you’ve done that, you can generate the code. All you have to do now is download it and place it on your marketing materials.

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9 QR Code Call-To-Action Examples To Use in Your Marketing

Experts project the usage of QR codes to jump 30% each year until 2025. This isn’t something to take lightly. If people are ready to scan QR codes, businesses also readily need to accept it as a marketing channel.

If you’ve already done that, you might want to look at QR code call-to-action examples. Doing so will help you learn from what’s working and tailor it to your needs. So, let’s look at the examples for nine different situations.

1. For Directing Users to Websites

There are various scenarios where you would want to redirect your customers to your website through QR codes. It might be to reserve a seat or table, view products, make a donation, or even leave a review.

While the action is scanning the code in each case, the goal is entirely different. So, you need to use different words as well. For example, to increase event attendance, write, “Scan to win free tickets.” If you don’t want to give free tickets, you can say, “Scan to join the waiting list.”

On the other hand, giving a virtual reality tour would warrant something like, “Scan to start the experience.” Or you can simply say, “Scan to visit our website,” “Scan to view our products,” or “Scan to learn more.”

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2. For Directing Users to Social Media

Social media is another aspect of your evergreen marketing strategy that you can make more successful with QR codes.

In fact, joining different types of QR code marketing can help you provide a consistent customer experience. That, in return, sparks recognition and encourages customers to act readily.

However, don’t just add a “Scan me” in the QR code frame. This is your chance to get creative and personalize your CTAs. So, write things like, “Scan for your daily meme dose” or “Stalk us online (we won’t judge.)”

Unfortunately, this type of humor won’t work for every business. For example, a humorous vibe doesn’t really fit an emergency department. In such cases, even a simple “Scan to follow us” works like a charm.

3. For Encouraging Customer Reviews

Getting customer reviews is tricky. You want customers to leave you stellar reviews but can’t outright say, “Give us a 5-star review!” Instead, you need to give it careful consideration. Here, coming up with words that don’t sound imposing yet fulfill the goal would work best.

So, when you’re asking customers to leave reviews using QR codes, you can say,

  • Rate your experience.
  • Review us and help us grow.
  • Scan to share your feedback.
  • Tell us what you think about us!
  • Leave a review — we care!

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4. For Viewing a Restaurant’s Menu

The use of QR codes for a restaurant’s menu is probably one of the oldest and most popular. People rarely hesitate to do a quick scan when they can get complete menu information without getting up.

It might seem obvious what a QR code on a restaurant table will do. This is why restaurant owners might ignore the importance of a CTA in this case. However, following in their footsteps isn’t a good idea.

Even if it seems obvious, an actionable CTA will guide customers and enhance their experience. It’s perfect for a contactless menu.

So, use something like “Scan to view our menu” or “Scan to order and skip the wait.” Or you can write, “Access dietary and allergen information” for a more tailored experience.

5. For Prompting App Downloads

If you’re using mobile marketing, you probably also have an app. To get people to download it, you must:

  • Let them know about it.
  • Spread awareness.
  • Tell them what the app can do for them.

Using QR codes is one of the best ways to achieve this. However, the CTA needs extra care here. Since people hesitate when downloading them, you’ll need to do a bit of convincing.

“Unlock exclusive app features,” “Download app for free rewards,” and “Level up your experience with our app” are good options. On the other hand, you can use “Scan and download our app” or “Don’t miss out on our exclusive content.”

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6. For Initiating Payments

QR codes are no stranger to contactless payments. It’s one of the most common uses of these nifty codes.

However, it’s another area where you need to be careful with your CTA. Payments are sensitive. If you don’t make your customers feel safe with your words, they might hesitate to use this method.

A simple “Scan to pay” might work. But to make your CTA more engaging, use something like “Scan for secure payments.” On the other hand, you can use “Skip the line - pay with your phone!”

7. For Providing Contact Information

Business cards have limited space. You can’t provide all the information your customers need in that limited space. Placing a QR code on your business cards is a smart solution for this.

You can add the most basic information on the card and link everything else to the QR code. When people scan the code, they’ll get everything on their phone screen without contacting you. Here are a few call-to-action examples for this situation:

  • Scan to connect and learn more.
  • Scan for more information.
  • Scan to contact us.
  • Get instant access to our latest contact details.
  • Scan to connect and explore.

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8. For Offering Discounts and Coupons

Letting customers avail of discounts with a quick scan is a smart decision for your marketing campaign. For one, there’s the promise of saving some money. Then, there’s the ease and convenience of QR codes.

But what CTAs would work best in this situation? You could simply write, “Scan for 20% discount.”

You can also take it one step further and introduce an element of curiosity, for example, “Scan to reveal discount.” Other options include “Get exclusive discount here,” “Limited time offer — scan for huge discounts,” and “Scan to save big.”

9. For Providing Access to Multimedia Content

It’s a fact that video advertisements work better than static ones. The difference might not be much, but it’s there. But what happens when you combine static marketing with multimedia content? You create a buzz around your business, bringing you more customers than ever.

For this, add a QR code to banners, signage, billboards, etc., and link your multimedia content to it. Once customers scan the code, they can easily watch the video. They won’t even have to search for it.

As for the CTA for this situation, you can go as simple as “Scan to watch the video.” Or use creativity with “Scan to see it come alive” or “Go beyond the image for multimedia content.”

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4 Best Practices for QR Code Call To Action

Now that you’ve looked at some examples, you might feel ready to start. But before you do that, it would be wise to look at some best practices for QR code call-to-action. After all, getting people to take the next step isn’t easy.

So, here’s what you need to do:

  • Keep it short and simple: A QR code CTA should be five to seven words long. It should be straightforward so people don’t have to think too much before scanning.
  • Use action words: You’re prompting customers to take action. So, it makes sense to use action words in your CTAs. Words like “Scan,” “Get,” “Explore,” “Download,” and “Learn” work best.
  • Keep them focused: Don’t use more than one CTA in your QR codes. Each code should achieve a single goal. Otherwise, you risk confusing your customers.
  • Make them easy to find: Don’t hide your QR code in a small corner of a big poster. They should be easy to find so people can quickly scan them. If they have to search, you’ve already lost them.

Frequently Asked Questions About QR Code Call-To-Action Examples

What is a catchy phrase for a QR code?

A catchy phrase for a QR code is, “Scan to reveal your discount!” This creates a sense of curiosity and entices customers with the promise of saving money. The best phrases, however, depend on your sector or the marketing campaigns you are running. To choose an effective catchy phrase, think of what your audience desires.

What is an example of a call-to-action line?

An example of a call-to-action (CTA) line is “Scan now.” It’s a great way to enforce action and tell customers exactly what to do.

However, you can be creative with your call-to-action and entice your audience to scan. Therefore, consider your communication style and be engaging.

How long should a call to action be?

A call to action (CTA) should be five to seven words long. However, the shorter, the better since you want to get the point across quickly.

Short CTA are easy to read and you’ll get the message across. Use also a simple language. You don’t want to create complex sentences that lead people to overthink.

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Make Your QR Codes More Effective by Using the Right Words

QR code call to action examples vary from goal to goal. For example, “Scan for 20% discount” won’t get you more website visits. Similarly, “Scan to visit our website” won’t always get you more sales. Therefore, you need to explore and do your research before coming up with the CTAs. This way, you’ll be able to develop highly effective words.

If you want to make the most out of your CTAs, try Beambox! Beambox’s marketing platform can help you effortlessly create QR codes, automate marketing initiatives, and grow your ratings. Plus, it requires no additional hardware. Start your trial now!

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