• Survey
  • Book Becky to speak
  • The book: Small Town Rules
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

An almost-useful QR code

By Becky McCray

QR codes continue to expand in popularity, but most still suffer from fatal mistakes.

QR code with caption, "scan for video instructions on how to use wood chips."

Wow! It sounds like this QR code is going to be useful! Except, of course, it’s lying.

Here’s one that get close, at least with its description. This is a retail package that includes barbecue accessories including a bag of wood chips. Some customers who use gas grills may not be sure how to use those special wood chips, so it seems to make perfect sense to offer a bit of education right on the package. So they chose to include a QR code to offer a video with helpful info.

The description and stated purpose next to the QR code are great. It’s the target website that’s a fail. Customers get taken to the general website, instead of just the exact video the description promised. And of course, that home page is not mobile-friendly or responsive. So good luck to those customers who do recognize the QR code, pull out their phone, open their scanner app, scan the code, and then get dumped on a poorly-thought-out web page.

“Enjoy your time pinching and scrolling and searching for that video we promised you. It’s on here somewhere.”

This would be so easy to fix. Just link the QR code directly to the useful video.

And before you even consider using a QR code on anything, please review the 7 QR code mistakes that can kill your promotions and how to avoid them.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

April 15, 2013 Filed Under: marketing, mistakes, rural, social media

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Trackbacks

  1. This Week in Small Business: Apple, Gold and Cupcakes - NYTimes.com says:
    April 22, 2013 at 6:03 am

    […] Schmidt thinks the Facebook Home Android modification is “fantastic.” Becky McCray names an almost-useful QR code. A simple government Web site earns the title of best design of the […]

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Shop Local

Buy local buttonReady to set up a shop local campaign in your small town? You'll need a guide who understands how we're different and what really works: Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns.

Best of Small Biz Survival

What is holding us back? Why does every project take so long in small towns?

How any business can be part of downtown events by going mobile

Concert-goers talking and enjoying the evening in downtown Webster City, Iowa.

Why do people say there’s nothing to do here then not come to our concerts?

Retailers: Fill all empty space, floor to ceiling

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2021 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in