By Fresh Produce Marketing founder Lisa Cork

There is no doubt QR codes have taken all marketers by storm - 18 months ago they were nearly unheard of, but today they adorn everything from packaging to ads to billboards and even t-shirts.

It is no wonder QR codes are popping up everywhere when you consider their benefits. First, they are basically free to generate and use. You simply create a code from one of the thousands of sites that now offers QR code creation and you put it anywhere you want to create a direct interface with your consumer. Second, you control where the scanned QR code link takes your consumer, so you can direct what you want your customer to see.

However, a QR code's benefits are also its biggest enemy. The problem with free stuff, like being able to generate a code for free, is anyone can do it. This means the discipline that normally comes with ensuring a paid marketing activity generates value above its cost, basically goes out the window.

The result is the broader consumer marketing space is now saturated with QR codes. While 5% of the codes I have seen in the last six months are executed well, the reality is 95% are executed poorly. The consequence of bad codes is we run the risk of consumers not using them because they don’t trust them to deliver a good experience.

So what are the most common QR code mistakes? Here is my top three list based on my experience with QR codes over the past twelve months.

1. QR codes that can’t be scanned by multiple smartphones

I was at the PMA Fresh Summit in the U.S. in October and QR codes were big news. Most major produce companies had launched a QR code on their packaging. However, I could not scan about 75% of them. The reason why? Most U.S. QR codes were generated for BlackBerry phones and my iPhone could not scan the code. Always test you QR code with a range of different types of smartphones to ensure your code works across a broad spectrum of technology.

2. Sending users to non-mobile enabled web pages

If you are going to use a QR code, then you must have a mobile enabled website or landing page where the people who scan can actually use their phone to navigate the page where you have sent them. If you don’t have a mobile enabled site, then don’t use a QR code until you do. It only leads to frustration.

3. Forgetting to employ marketing 101 - think about your user, their experience and what they want to have

Marketing 101 teaches you to think about your target market and understand their needs in order for your marketing to have an impact. Using a QR code is no different.

Make sure you think about who owns smartphones and which demographic segments are engaging with the technology. Then ask yourself, "what does this audience want or need to know about my product?" Someone who is a 20-something will likely have different information or engagement needs than a 50-something. Who is your code targeting?

Make sure you deliver on your QR code promise. If your QR code promo copy says "scan this code for great recipes", then don't take them to your home page. This is one of the biggest frustrations from users and guarantees to put them off QR codes for life. Deliver on what you promise.

Finally, realise that QR codes will, like websites did, go through several incarnations. Just because you've put a QR code on your packaging that doesn't mean ou can stop there. Just like Marketing 101 teaches, now you've got to pay attention to the results. Track your stats. Who is visiting? Where from? How long are they staying? Are they doing what you wanted? If not, then refine the campaign.

Keep yourself informed regarding how smart phone scanning technology is changing. There is already technology on the horizon that can connect information to existing databars, making it ideal for fresh produce where space can be limited.

Over to you: For the next two to three weeks, take pictures of QR codes you encounter in your daily life. They don’t have to be fresh produce related. Take a picture of the code in use, from the magazine, ad, billboard, on-pack, etcetera, and email it to to me (lisa@freshproducemarketing.com), letting me know if you thought it was effective or not. In a future column, I will pick the best and worse codes and review their success.

www.freshfruitportal.com