Don't let your QR code turn into the Little Orphan Annie decoder ring.

You know the scene from A Christmas Story, where Ralph waits weeks to get his decoder ring. When he uses it to solve the puzzle at the end of the Little Orphan Annie radio program, it turns out to be a "crummy" Ovaltine commercial.

Many QR codes face the same issue. If people make the effort to download readers on their phones and snap a picture of your code, please reward them with better content than something they see on TV or online everyday.

QR codes should hold exclusive content. Yet, many don't practice what we preach. Sometimes we have ourselves to blame. When you spend a lot of money on a video, commercial etc., one way we sell it is by telling our client it has multiple uses. So they can get plenty of mileage and more than their money's worth from one spot. But multiple uses doesn't mean use it everywhere.

If you make your audience work for content with QR codes, make sure the payoff is worth the effort. It's that simple. If you're not excited or entertained by what you are giving them, don't expect them to be.

The exclusive content should also be content that makes sense on a mobile phone – apps, mobile coupons, instant wins, immediate calls to action, etc.

If you or your client are only considering reusing old content for QR, time to come up with a new idea.