“Some people hang art, I wear it.” – Roman Reigns, WWE Superstar
Have you ever seen anyone walking around with an intricate drawing on their arms, shoulders, neck, legs, or elsewhere? Those are tattoos.
Tattoos are a beautiful form of self-expression and art. They tell a story about where a person is coming from and what they have been through. Tattoos convey a message and provide us with a glimpse into the life of the person wearing it. They can also serve as a fashion statement.
An Inkblot of History and Culture
The purpose of tattoos varies across different cultures and time periods. In ancient times, tattoos were used as status symbols, expressions of beliefs, and even medicines.
Ancient Egyptians believed that tattooshad magical powers and used them to heal the sick. In ancient Greece and Rome, some physicians used tattoos to identify medical conditions, while these countries also used tattoos to mark slaves and violators of the laws.
Tattoos are prevalent in the Pacific islands, particularly the indigenous communities. The intricate geometric patterns tell stories of war victories, status, and connections to the spirit world. These designs also took their inspirations from nature (e.g. plants, animals, natural elements) and spiritual and mythological symbols. In some cases, tattoos mark important life events like puberty, marriage, and childbirth.
In the west, tattoos were initially connected with people who are at the outskirts of society. But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tattoos became more popular among the members of the upper classes in Europe and North America. Many people were getting tattoos for uniqueness, while others saw it as a way to convey their defiance of social norms.
The State of the Tattoo Industry
As of this time, the tattoo industry continues to thrive and rise in popularity. The advent of the pandemic did not affect it, but rather showed its resilience and adaptability. Nowadays, there are lots of ways in which tattoo artists can reach and serve their customers.
A factor affecting the growth of the tattoo industry is the mainstream popularity of tattoos as a form of self-expression and art. Before, these inks were seen as taboo, as they were associated with subcultures or countercultures. Today, they are seen as legitimate and respected forms of art and personal style.
Social media also contributed to the growth of the tattoo industry. With its many features, tattoo artists could create their own pages and showcase the portfolio of their work, thus increasing connections with potential clients.
As time went by, the demand for specialized styles and techniques (e.g. watercolor, minimalist, and hyper-realistic tattoos) led to the increase of highly skilled and specialized tattoo artists. This has enabled them to connect and cater to the customers’ unique preferences where it comes to body ink.
Are you a tattoo artist who is looking for potential clients? You can start preparing your social media page and portfolio of best works. And for you to reach your customers easily, you can incorporate QR Codes to the mix.
The QR Code
QR Codes are small, square-shaped, two-dimensional barcodes that can store up to more than 7,000 numerical characters. This vast space storage makes it possible to engage in activities more than just storing up information. This also enables a user to download files, fill in forms, communicate, make payments, and anything that makes our online and offline tasks lighter.
These barcodes were made by a Japanese automotive company, Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota, which was released in 1994. The design was inspired by a Go-board, a traditional board game in Japan.
Information can be accessed through scanning. Before, you will need a specialized scanner just to access the information. But now that we have smartphones, scanning QR Codes has become more convenient.
Why Tattoo Shops should Power-up with QR Codes Now
It is safer and more hygienic. Even if the effect of COVID-19 has lessened, we still need to observe safety measures to make sure that we are safe from the disease. For this reason, scanning QR Codes will be much safer as there is no need to touch surfaces just to book an appointment with the tattoo shop.
You can Easily Access Information. One scan is all it takes and you can already browse an artist’s portfolio, follow aftercare instructions, keep tabs on upcoming events, be updated with new designs, and so on. By placing the QR Code under a scanner in your smartphone, you can get to specific landing pages without the need to navigate through many links and web pages.
You can Pay with Ease. QR Codes can now enable you to make payments without having to touch money. It can be generated from an e-wallet, or it can be created in a QR Code generator like qr.cloud.com.
Increase Customer Engagement. If you are a tattoo artist or you own or manage a tattoo shop, then customer engagement is a must to keep your business thriving. You can include a variety of activities and content that are relevant to your service like tattoo design templates, quizzes, surveys, and the like.
Promote and Market. Nowadays, QR Codes are useful in promoting any kind of product, service, campaign, and advocacy. Adding QR Codes to your posters, flyers, business cards, or brochures will surely attract your customers and increase their number. You can also use QR Codes to give away discount coupons or promotional codes to drive traffic and boost sales.
Nature-Friendly. Using QR Codes will save time, space, and resources. As this is only created in one seating and can be promoted online, it will help reduce consumption of paper and plastic materials, as well as the other resources needed to produce them. QR Codes in tattoo shops can help reduce carbon footprint and promote love and care for the environment.
Creating QR Codes for Your Tattoo Shop
Identify the information you want to include. What information do you want your QR Code to contain? You can choose from a variety, including your shop’s website, social media pages, portfolio, contact information, or coupons and promo codes. Just make sure that your customer finds it relevant and useful. It can also help to create only one code per purpose so that your customers will not be confused.
Select a QR Generator. A lot of paid and free QR code generators are available online. Choose the one that allows you to customize and modify your QR code’s appearance. If you are looking for a web page that offers a variety of features, qr-cloud.com is the best site for you!
Customize your QR. Make it appear more of your brand by modifying its appearance. You can change its color, add a logo or image, adjust its size, and shape. QR Codes that are visually appealing will surely attract your potential customers, but keep in mind not to make it so fancy you cannot scan it anymore.
Give it a test scan. This is a very crucial step. For you to determine whether your QR Code works or not, you have to give it a test scan. If it works, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t then you may have to go back to certain steps and make it right..
Give it a go. Once you’re satisfied with how your QR Code looks and works, you can already implement it in your shop’s marketing materials like e-posters, videos, flyers, business cards, website, etc. Make sure to encourage your customers to scan it by placing simple and easy-to-follow calls to actions.