In my last post I covered the limitations and shortfalls of QR codes, and how these lead to poor user experience. I also briefly discussed what we are doing at Qub to make the QR code experience better, using video QR codes.
Each QR code is a unique opportunity for brands to tell their story and get users more engaged with their brand, mission and values.
In this post, we’ll explore why short form video QR codes are so useful for creators, great for users, and why they’re perfectly suited to delivering engaging content.
Why you need to tell your brand story
One of the most valuable assets a small brand has is it’s unique story and values. A great brand experience is a major factor in customer engagement, trust and loyalty.
Storytelling is key to good brand experience.
Storytelling makes people more likely to purchase from a brand – 55% of people are more likely to buy from a brand with a great story, 44% will share the story, and 15% will buy the product immediately (source).
Telling your brand story can make customers more loyal. This matters because repeat customers are a key driver of profitability and long-term success in business. One study found increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by between 25% and 95%! (source) That’s massive!
When it comes to brand experience and story, small brands actually have a huge advantage over larger brands: their story is more unique, authentic and relatable.
We think short form video QR codes are the best format for telling creating engaging experiences and telling your brand story. Here’s why:
Short form videos are immediate and engaging
QR codes are designed for speed, to quickly connect a physical thing to a digital experience. Users are expecting mobile-friendly, easily digestible content.
If a picture tells a thousand words, a video tells a thousand words 25 times a second.
As social networks have evolved, they naturally progressed toward short form video because communicating through video on mobile devices is incredibly efficient and highly engaging.
66% of consumers report short-form video to be the most engaging type of content they consume.(source)
This shows how much users prefer short-form video over other formats. Users want and expect it from brands they are engaging with.
Audiences are familiar with short form video
Thanks to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts, users are not just familiar with watching short form video content, it’s their preferred format.
At the same time, the format of short form video is well understood by creators, and they have the tools and skills to create the content quickly and affordably.
It’s easy to create your short form video content and users know how to shoot, edit and share this content.
Compare this to graphic design and web design, which are niche skills that require specialist knowledge of both design principles, UX design and web technology.
Short form video is perfect for mobile devices
In web design there is an entire discipline dedicated to making web content work across the millions of different screen sizes and aspect ratios. It’s a complicated art, and something that trips up many amateur web designers.
Compare that to mobile video: a simple frame that scales to fit on any screen. It adapts to the screen seamlessly and is a window into anything the creator wants to show the viewer. The creator doesn’t have to think about screen sizes, font sizes or anything other than their content.
Video doesn’t require scrolling or navigating, which is ideal for mobile users who only have one hand free (they might be holding your product in their other hand!)
Video requires less focused attention than reading: users can look away and continue to listen, and pause and replay the video as they please.
Short form video content is as easy to produce on a mobile device as it is to consume, which makes it perfect for busy creators and small business owners.
Video is more authentic
After a decade of social media fakery, audiences crave authenticity.
Short form video is more authentic because it reveals more, and is harder to fake. It’s more challenging to hide behind filters, photoshop and selective editing on a video.
TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts have flourished on in-house, low production value content, rather than slick, professional videos. It’s what users want & expect.
This appetite for authentic content is great for brands:
Short form video is easy to create
Because audiences have become accustomed to a lower production value, the format of short form video is easy and low cost to produce. Compare that to web design, graphic design and photography, where audiences have come to expect increasingly higher and higher quality and production value.
It’s easy to begin creating video content.
Creators have all the tools they need to create video content in their pocket – their phone, and can get started by simply talking to the camera. This format is engaging, authentic, and costs practically nothing.
Video is a flexible format
Video is a container for an infinite number of storytelling formats, which can be employed as the creator sees fit.
Videos can range from simple pieces to camera camera, to a multi-shot cinematic narrative, and users are familiar with this diversity of formats.
Video formats like:
- Talking heads, also known as a ‘piece to camera’
- Photo montages & slideshows
- Point of view video with narration
- Cinematic / sizzle reels
Video is easy to update
QR codes are at their best when the content is dynamic and kept up to date. There’s nothing worse than scanning a QR code and getting an outdated or deleted page.
Because short form video is easy to produce, it’s also easy to keep it updated and relevant, and to change your message as needed.
This flexibility means brands can use the same code to achieve different objectives over time.
Qub video codes can be updated with new videos (and action links below the video) at any time.
Qub is designed to be better
We’ve built Qub around short form video because we believe it is perfect for the contexts QR codes exist in.
Videos are engaging, authentic, easy to produce and update, and perfectly suited to mobile users, who have come to understand the short form video format inside and out.
We’re creating a consistent format for video QR codes that users will get familiar with. Every great experience they have with your QR content is a touchpoint that builds your brand.
Try Qub yourself by downloading it here and create your first video QR code. I think you’ll quickly see why video QR codes are better.
