A complete guide to QR Code call to action examples

A complete guide to QR Code call to action examples

A call to action (CTA), is crucial for the success of your QR Codes. A cornerstone of many a marketing campaign over the years, QR Code CTAs encourage more QR Code scans, appeal to your target audience, and should be a priority for your marketing strategy.

In this guide, we'll give you the low-down on QR Code CTA examples, providing inspiration and advice to help your QR codes stand out. We'll also help you write a compelling call to action, explain how to make a code with a call to action, and help you give your digital efforts a boost with a QR Code campaign.

How are CTAs used in marketing?

As far as advertising campaigns and digital marketing go, CTAs are massively important. They can send your target audience to key landing pages, app downloads, or other marketing materials, and they're a mainstay in print ads because they drive customer engagement so effectively.

For example, posters in physical stores will always have some sort of CTA that directs you to a brand, site page, or event. This helps to provide context to a target audience and points them in a direction the business feels is necessary, and when it comes to your QR Code marketing campaign, the same rules apply.

CTAs provide an additional interactive process for scanning QR codes, too, and you can achieve your desired action with a strong QR Code call to action. A crucial aspect of any marketing strategy, QR Code CTAs could be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful code.

Find out more about the QR Code types you can create.

Six QR Code call to action examples that work

Social media promotions

Your marketing material may be well-designed, but is it interactive and improving your bottom line? To give your print-based marketing campaigns a boost, try adding a QR Code with a clear CTA.

Adding a layer of interactivity and encouraging visits from your designed QR codes to your social media channels, CTAs can include 'See more on Instagram', 'Learn more', or 'Follow us', with a link to the appropriate content.

Find out more about Social Media QR Codes.

Get more website hits

An effective call to action boosts your website traffic and engagement for key landing pages.

A great example of a CTA for your website is as simple as 'Visit our website' or 'Find out more at our website'. These may sound like obvious CTA examples, but they're incredibly effective and explain exactly where your code is linked to and what’s to be gained from scanning it.

Find out more about Website QR Codes.

Video adverts

Modern marketing is about showing off your digital prowess, which is where video campaigns come into play. This is made clear by the fact that 92% of marketers reported that video makes for a positive ROI, which is more than ever.

QR Code CTAs help you advertise your video content quickly and effectively, attracting visitors with mobile devices, which is pretty much everyone in the country. Super-versatile and suitable for product packaging, in a physical store, or on your site, a strong CTA will set your QR Code apart and get more views for your video.

CTA examples for these kinds of code may include 'Watch the video', 'See for yourself', or 'Visit our YouTube channel.'

Create a Video QR Code.

Discount codes and promotions

Product packaging is the perfect location for a call to action on a QR Code. By directing users to a set landing page or your e-commerce site homepage, you can spread the word about promotions and your business products. However, this is only possible when you create QR code CTAs with your end consumer in mind.

Essentially, any action verbs like 'go' or 'do' will help when it comes to your product packaging. 'Win your prize', 'Save money', and 'Find out more' all work well as QR Code CTA examples for discounts.

Create a Text to QR Code.

Generate more app downloads

QR Code campaigns are an effective way to encourage more interest in your app and downloads.

It may come as no surprise, but 'Download our app' is a great CTA, as is 'Download today', or any message of this nature. Any action verb will help boost your chances of a scan, and any example using the word 'Download' or 'App' will help with the marketing of your app.

Generate App QR Codes.

Share your details with a business card

A business card QR Code is a great example of marketing that helps you stick in the minds of potential clients. A simple scan is all it takes to access your contact details, and with a QR Code, you can simplify the process of accessing this data further.

An example of a QR Code CTA for a business card would be 'Let's talk', 'Get in touch', or 'Let's connect'. You might also want to include the word 'Scan' with your CTA, although this is generally implied by the presence of the code.

Find out more about creating QR Codes for Business cards.

How to make a QR Code with a call to action?

QR Code technology is powerful yet simple to use. It's also extremely simple to generate QR Codes, even if you want to add a CTA.

Step 1 - To create your QR Code, choose the QR Code type you'd like to use.

Step 2 - From here, add your destination URL. This will be the digital destination of your code.

Step 3 - Your QR Code image should stand out, so feel free to change your colorways and add a company logo, play around with sizes, and add QR Code frames. We have a range of customization tools to help encourage more scans and engagement with a clear CTA included.

Finally, hit download and your code is ready to go for your marketing campaign or other purpose. You can also add your CTA to your print materials or website, below or alongside your code.

Generate QR Codes now.

QR Code call to action best practices - Create QR calls to action that convert

Provide clear instructions

Effective calls to action are simple and clear, providing as much context in as few words as possible. Instruct your users on where their scan will take them and you'll go a long way to achieving longer scan time for your codes.

Even if your CTA sounds too simple, it's probably not, and you can supercharge your marketing efforts with two or three words more effectively than you can with a sentence, two, or a paragraph.

Use contrasting colors

Your conversion rate will suffer if your QR Code CTA can't be read. To avoid this, ensure you contrast the font color you choose with the physical location of the CTA, which also applies when creating your QR Code. If you don't contrast your colors, your code could be useless.

To make sure you don't fall into the trap of a non-functioning QR Code, you should always run test scans.

Find out more about QR Code testing.

Make it easy to spot

A compelling CTA captures the audience's attention, but it's not all about the wording. Think about the size of your physical CTA and whether or not it stands out enough to be noticed by your customers. If not, what's the point of having it?

However, don't go too far with a CTA that overshadows the other design elements of your marketing material or site design. It's about striking that balance of visibility without being too overbearing, which is key for QR Code design, too.

Use an action verb or tease

Offer a sneak peek or an exciting action verb for your QR Code CTA to truly stand out and receive more scans. Whether you're marketing your website, a video, an app, or anything else at all, creating some sort of urgency is a surefire way to encourage more people to scan your code.

Six QR Code CTA benefits

Attract more customers

An effective CTA will help you boost your customer engagement substantially. Every scan is a potential new customer, which means that you can engage with more people and convert them into paying customers with an effective call to action.

Leave it out and you'll reduce your chances of attracting attention, which no business wants.

Communicate with your audience

Encourage users to click your QR Code image and connect with your business more easily. Whether it's a WhatsApp QR Code that helps them get in touch with a specific person or a Social Media QR Code that helps people visit your social media channels to interact with you, strong communication is the cornerstone of business trust and helps customers get to know you and your business.

This can be achieved best with a CTA that's specific and enticing, as opposed to one that isn't or a QR Code that doesn't include one at all.

Build trust in your brand

A CTA button will help your QR Code, and your business, stand out. If it's linked to somewhere it says it is, and it's useful for your users, they'll be more likely to interact positively with your brand both now and in the future.

When a code is successfully scanned and beneficial for users, this will encourage a sense of loyalty and trust in your business. This leads to repeat customers and those who want to choose you over your competitors, which is the goal of practically any organization.

Convert potential customers

Conversion rates are crucial for any QR Code, and a CTA is a tried and trusted method to convert more users.

When it comes to QR codes, there needs to be some context around where it is linked to. Whether it's a digital location like your website, simple information like your Wi-Fi details, or anything else, the key to conversion is helping customers understand what they're scanning and why it benefits them.

Help your QR Code stand out

As well as adding colors, by mixing it up with the size, adding your logo, and incorporating unique frames, QR Code campaigns can stand out even more with a strong CTA. Providing that all-important incentive for scanning your code with words they understand and can simply follow, a CTA on your code helps it get noticed more often by more people.

Better performance

QR codes with a great call to action will always perform better than those and have more people scan them. It's as simple as that, and to encourage more scans from your audience, make sure your CTA is up to scratch and effective.

To get started with your own QR Code journey, check out our free QR Code Creator.

Final thoughts

Every mobile device made after 2018 has a built-in QR Code scanner, i.e. the camera app, so QR Code technology is incredibly popular and widespread.

The virtual makeup of QR codes means you can't provide context in the QR Code itself. This makes a call to action important when designing your QR codes, and it's a great way to boost your marketing capabilities and encourage more people to scan your codes.

The virtual makeup of QR codes means you can't provide context in the QR Code itself. This makes a call to action important when designing your QR codes, and it's a great way to boost your marketing capabilities and encourage more people to scan your codes.

However, always run a test scan to make sure your QR Code CTA is relevant to the link within your code.

QR Code call to action (CTA) FAQs

Can I print QR codes without a call to action?

QR codes can be printed without a call to action, but it's not a recommended approach. Missing out the context for scanning your code can be as detrimental as leaving out the required data from the link itself.

It'll affect your conversion rates and won't encourage people to scan it, so we would always advise you to include a CTA on printed materials.

Can I use a CTA with Dynamic QR Codes?

If you design Dynamic QR Codes with the view of changing the landing page or down the line, it might be best to avoid a call to action. Static QR Codes are great for CTAs because the information within them cannot be changed. This means that you can create any call to action you like, and it won't ever become obsolete or out of date.

Can I add a CTA to any QR Code?

Yes! Whether you choose a Static or Dynamic QR Code, you can add a call to action with ease. This also applies to the type of QR Code you choose, so get out there and create your QR Code CTAs.

Can I add a CTA using a QR Code Generator?

With our QR Code Generator, you can generate QR codes with compelling CTAs incredibly simply. Just head to our QR Code Generator, create your code, and choose from the customization tools we have available. One of them is to add a CTA button, which you can do as an image in the middle of your QR Code.