Dudnyk blog
Effective 2D code tactics for biotech brands
Whether you call them 2D barcodes or QR codes, they should be part of your launch promotional materials.
Known as two-dimensional (2D) codes, these quick response (QR) codes are the little black and white squares that are popping up in pharma and non-pharma marketing materials.
Using a smartphone, you can launch a 2D code by texting a number sequence that directs you to an app, or you can scan the code directly using the smartphone’s camera. Either method can direct physicians or patients to a wealth of information via the mobile Web.
Here are 5 ways you can incorporate 2D barcodes or QR codes into a successful biotech brand launch.
1. Adding a QR to your launch ad is an effective marketing tool that gives your biotech brand increased traction. With a smartphone, you can lead a physician directly to your launch product’s website or a video that explains MOA or provides instructions for use.
2. Arm your sales reps with business cards that feature a QR code that launches to the company’s website. This business card will get noticed in a crowd.
3. Want to increase rep face time with physicians?
Consider including several QR codes when your agency develops a sales aid. Use one QR code to launch a video describing MOA, another to feature best titration practices, a third to illustrate proper dosing, and a fourth code to take the physician directly to the product or company website. Encouraging the physician to launch each of the codes will increase the reps’ face time with the physician. And the physician will certainly remember the rep and the launch product.
4. Conventions provide an excellent opportunity to use QR codes. Incorporate QR codes in all pre- and post-convention correspondence with your target physicians. Door drops will have a longer shelf-life when a QR code has been added. Booth panels will have more pizzazz when they feature a QR code―and that translates into more physicians visiting your booth!
Last year, a client incorporated a QR code into a bus wrap. As the bus traveled around the convention city promoting the convention, people were seen clicking their smartphones which then demonstrated the product in action. Talk about creating great buzz for your launch product!
5. Want to ensure patients know the proper way to administer your launch product?
With 8 in 10 American adults (82%) currently owning a cell phone of some kind, adding a QR code to your patient brochure and starter kit makes good marketing sense.
Barcodes, which can be placed virtually anywhere, provide you with a unique marketing opportunity to engage physicians and patients. So, go ahead and add a few “black and white” squares to your promotional biotech launch materials.
I feel the use of these QR codes went from nothing to over-saturated in a single year. Further, when executed, these codes often seem like an afterthought, or simply a way to measure ROI on print-based promotions. When using QR codes on materials, ensure that they are strategically driving your audience to a destination that will provide additional value!
DC has laid out the point beautifully here, shiny, new tactic that led to overuse without providing value, and in certain cases, it became annoying.
It’s also important to make sure that the information the QR/2D bar code links to is optimized for mobile viewing. You wouldn’t want your audience to become frustrated because the information takes too long to load or is too hard to read.