QR Code in My Mailbox

This morning I was cleaning some mail off my kitchen table and I stopped short. One of the pieces had a QR code on it. Have I mentioned that they're beginning to show up everywhere?The mailer was from Samaritan's Purse, a ministry that provides tens of thousands of Christmas gift packages to needy children all over the world. The QR code was on the front of the envelope right by my mailing address.Even though I write about QR codes all the time, it was the first time one had landed in my mailbox. Suddenly I wasn't considering it as an analyst – I was looking at it as a consumer. Frankly, the code implementation was done so well that I wanted to take out my phone and snap it immediately. Here's why:1. The code was easy to read. It wasn't overly complicated and was surrounded by lots of white space that made it easy to scan.2. There was a giant arrow pointing from the code to a picture of a smartphone. On the screen was an image of a smiling child opening a Christmas box. At a glance this told me why I wanted to scan the code. For people unfamiliar with QR codes, these simple graphics would help them understand what it was.3. There was text below the code giving instructions for use (“Scan this QR code to watch a video about Operation Christmas Child”). It even included a URL for downloading a reader if the user didn't have one already.This one mailer exemplifies everything good about QR codes. It also reinforces that using QR codes doesn't have to be complicated and difficult. It's just about understanding how to use them well.In the next few weeks, Great Reach Communications will be releasing a white paper that you can brand to your company and use to educate your customers on how to leverage QR codes in their marketing. Watch for it!