Do You QR? Don’t know what A QR is? It’s the hottest marketing and advertising tool out there. The major advertisers are using them to market their clients everywhere. It’s red hot! Even better, you can use it too, because it’s FREE!
Finally a major marketing tool that is free, easy, flexible, and functional!
I’ve done the research and summarized below everything you need to know about what it is and how you can use it to market your business.
What is a QR code?
QR stands for Quick Response and has been used in Asia extensively (we Americans are late to the QR party). Smart phones can read QR codes, so they’re a great “on the go” communication tool.
How does it work?
Your smart phone must have a QR code reader “app”. First, download a QR reader app (I use the highly recommended QuickMark that works for multiple style phones). Open the app function on your phone which works with your camera (or scanner). Hover the phone over the QR code and the app will capture the data and store it for you. QR codes can transmit phone #’s, email addresses, links to websites, links to video’s, etc….
Why do I care?
People carry their smart phones everywhere. Now you can transmit key information easily. No need for people to input on teeny keypads or risk losing your business card. At the very least, the QR code removes errors and hassles when providing contact information. Beyond simple contact information, you can link people to interesting videos and other content you want to share (after it’s compliance approved – of course).
Where can they be used?
QR codes can be printed, emailed, or posted on a website. They do not require any special printing, or ink, or any special digital coding. The picture is the code and the QR reader does the work of de-coding.
Are there any limitations?
A QR code does have a limited capacity. Think of it as holding one unit of data: your phone, or your email, or your website address. However, you can create any number QR codes.
What does a QR code look like?
A QR code is the picture version of a bar code. Below is the QR code for the Barbara Kay Coaching website . Download a QR reader app and you can try it out.
Resources of the Day:
QR codes are free! You can generate your own at multiple websites. Below is the website I used. It’s not the only one. It’s just one I found by “googling” QR codes.
I did a bit of research on QR code readers. The reviews point to QuickMark as functional, reliable and available to multiple phones including blackberry & i-phone. Here is the link to QuikMark:
