Pushing The Envelope

(This post is by guest blogger Dave from California)

Rumors regarding the death of paper are greatly exaggerated.

Just take a look at the mail you receive every day. The US Post Office may be losing billions of dollars, but “junk” mail continues to flow like the mighty Mississippi, deep and wide.

Among the items I received last week was a business-size, white envelope from a major insurance company. It was perfectly ordinary and would have found its way to the recycle bin except for one wrinkle that caught my eye: it had a QR code on the back.

Unable to resist the temptation of the QR code, I pulled out my smartphone and scanned it.

Was there a prize inside? A delightful story? A reminder that I lived in an earthquake zone and was likely under-insured?

No.

Just a small clip art image of a phone; an 800 number; and a button inviting me to dial them.

Now why would I want to do that? Yes, the back on the envelope did say that if I scanned the code I would “start saving now,” but I was mighty skeptical.

The back of the envelope is a great place for a QR code. The front is even better, as some folks don’t get around to the back. But you’re going to need something more interesting than a simple plea to “call us.”

Some suggestions:

- A testimonial: Link the QR code to a photo of a customer, and some words regarding the actual dollars they saved or the great service they received. You can easily input text (or a photo) and link them to a QR code using Qryptal.

- A calculator: When the landing page appears, ask me to fill in a few blanks with numbers. It might be fun to see what the average cost of car insurance is in my local area.

- A helpful hint: Just give me one, two or three ways that I can lower my insurance with any insurer. I’ll appreciate the idea, and might email or call to thank you.

Don’t let your envelopes go to waste. You can even put QR codes on your letterhead. Make your print interactions with your customers three-dimensional.