What are QR Codes and How to Use Them
A QR code can be customized to include a variety of information including phone numbers, vCards, text messages, HTML links or regular text.
Whether you don’t yet know what QR codes are or you’re a frequent user of them, be prepared because they’re going to become more popular than Justin Bieber and you’re going to see them everywhere you turn.
QR codes stand for quick response codes and they’re basically barcodes that can be read by smart phones. This literally can bring your print material to life and allow even a simple business card to interact with your potential client’s phone, which is quickly becoming everyone’s lifeline.
A QR code can be customized to include a variety of information including phone numbers, vCards, text messages, HTML links or regular text. When a phone scans the QR the information is translated by the phone and appears in a preprogrammed manner. People scanning your QR code can instantly view a web page, automatically add you to their address book, get driving directions, or receive text messages with further information.
Pairing QR codes with printed material is the perfect marketing marriage. Imagine you’re a jewelry designer and you’ve created some business cards with QR codes on them to hand out at art fairs. One customer loves your jewelry and buys a necklace. Later that week she is complimented on her necklace and starts raving about the jewelry you design. Rather than just talking about it, she can scan the QR code and bring up a page of sample jewelry on her smart phone and show her friend how wonderful your creations are.
You may have even seen QR codes cropping up in different settings. We’ve noticed them recently at tradeshows so attendees can instantly refer to a company website and possibly place orders on location, at retail checkouts with instant sign-up for email discounts and newsletters, and electronic store shelves for access to product reviews online.
The best part of incorporating a QR is you get to determine what information the code contains. Even just setting a QR code to add your company information to a customer’s address book can make a huge difference when they’re looking for your products or services.
If you are using QR codes, tell us how you are using them and what results you’re seeing. Have you seen other people using them? Have you interacted with them as a consumer and in what way?
Contact Tingalls Graphic Design if you’re interested in adding QR codes and tying your “offline” and online marketing together.
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