QR Codes in the Real World

Those Darn IT People
I think QR codes are like my leopard print sequin hoodie that I bought last year. Interesting and really fun when I got it but not really very useful (really – where in the world could I wear it??). It didn’t cost me much at all because it was on super sale – and like tech people who can’t resist getting the latest and greatest, I can’t always pass up sparkly things.

The difference is that I recognize that I have a sparkly-things problem and know that I should be more cautious before jumping in (even if it’s inexpensive) and I would never in a million years tell everyone I know that they just HAVE to go out and get something sparkly. Which is what all the tech people do with everything new in the technology world, without really looking to see if it’s appropriate – or will have any significant impact – on the nonprofit world.

Take Me to Your Advertisement
I can totally see the usefulness in the retail world for QR codes; being able to capture a coupon or special offer quickly might be useful. But I’ve noticed that even the retail world is not offering a whole lot of excitement when I use their QR codes. I spent a week scanning every QR code I could find and sadly, I was directed to very few coupons; most of the QR codes just sent me to ads on the retailer’s website that were optimized for my phone. WOW. So, as a society we are now expected to PURPOSELY take out our phones and scan a code so that we can see an AD?? Really? I thought Tivo was a huge success because you could SKIP the ads when watching a show.

Reality Check
Now, it’s possible that there will be a product I’m really interested in, and presumably I will only scan the ones I AM interested in and I may want to know more information about it. I’m still not likely to cruise a website on my iphone to find out more information OR buy right then and there. I don’t have an unlimited data plan on my phone and, sorry, the screen is just too darn small to comfortably do more than check email and look up an occasional movie time while on the road. The Verizon website says that 95% of their smartphone customers use less than 2 gb of data transfer (the smallest data plan they have). That allows you about 100 pages per month that you can look at – which, if you’re shopping online, can be used up on just 3-5 sites. Per month.

QR codes for Nonprofits

We are seeing a lot of articles lately. Several uses for nonprofits are being touted:
How to Create, Share and Use QR Codes
1. Direct people to your donation page.
2. Put QR Codes on brochures or fliers at your events or any place where people will be out and about.
3. Add a QR code to the front door of your facility that sends people to your services page.

Motivations
What I need to know is, what is going to motivate me to whip out my phone at an event or at the front door of your facility to scan a QR code? I just have to see your site right now – or I want to donate so badly that I can’t wait until I get to my computer? It really seems like it’s asking a lot more of donors than before. It’s challenging enough to get donors to click on a link that is sent directly to them in an email. But now you’re asking them to take extra steps – they have to be somewhere where there is a QR code, or have something they received in the mail or a handout and then take out their phone, scan the code (possibly without really knowing what will happen, or where they will be directed) and perform whatever function you want them to, on that tiny little screen.

Useful Things
Having said that – I DO like the example used in the article above of the direct mail piece from Samaritan’s Purse. Having a QR code on a direct mail piece that connects to a video would be very interesting. Going directly to a Donate Now page seems weird to me, because the person would have to be ready to donate at that moment with no additional push and it doesn’t seem like it would be easier to donate through your phone than online when you are sitting at home checking the mail. But the video would be a draw and then a donate now link at the end of it would be brilliant. I can also see the value of having a QR code on a sign outside a store – especially for larger well-recognized nonprofits that are likely to get instantaneous donations.

Bigger Budgets
All the articles you read about QR Codes for Nonprofits mention how INEXPENSIVE it is to implement a QR Code. The problem is that to implement a really COOL and RELEVANT QR Code is going to be expensive. In this article, 22 Ways Nonprofits Can Use QR Codes for Fundraising and Awareness Campaigns they have some really interesting ideas (although this article, like many others, is just listing PLACES they can be used rather than actual ideas with purpose). I can definitely see how useful a QR code could be in libraries, zoos, animal shelters and museums – gathering more information about an exhibit or display straight to your phone. But this would take a LOT of work and expense on the part of the nonprofit to prep everything. And even nonprofits that are using QR codes on flyers to draw people to their websites need to make sure their site is viewable on a mobile phone which usually takes at least separate landing pages designed just for the phone. Another expense. Larger nonprofits have an advantage in that they can produce more interesting content (like videos) to draw people in with that QR code and landing pages that are optimized for mobile devices.

Small Stuff
I also like the idea of using QR codes to scan business card information. That makes a lot of sense since people use their phone primarily for calls, and emails.

The Target Audience

By The Numbers
As of November 2011, 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, most of them in the 25-34 age range. 28% of those smartphone users, use their smartphone as their primary access to the internet – those are the ones most likely to have QR code readers, unlimited data plans and may more freely cruise around your site. That number of smartphone users is the equivalent of 10 percent of all cell owners or 8 percent of all adults in the US. Cnet reports that only 6.2% of smartphone users used QR codes in 2011. 39.4 percent of those scans took place in a retail store, 24.9 percent in a grocery store, 12.6 percent on public transit and/or outside, and 7.6 percent at restaurants.

Creating Value
Most QR Code proponents aren’t really showing specifically what it can be used for and what VALUE it provides for the constituent (if any) AND the nonprofit. Don’t just do it because everyone is doing it. Really think about the benefit to the constituent and their motivation to take action with their mobile device. And with such a small target audience, make sure your time and money is divvied up accordingly!

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