By Lisa Kipps-Brown on Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Category: Marketing

What are QR codes and how are they used?

If you aren't familiar with QR codes, I can pretty much guarantee that you've seen them around and just didn't know what they were.  QR (Quick Response) codes are similar to bar codes but can hold much more data; they enable you to pass along information to clients and prospective clients who are able to scan them with a QR code reader, usually a smart phone.  The codes can hold data such as: a web url, contact information (vcard), a Google maps location, and SMS message composers.  The sample at right contains the url to this website:  http://www.glerin.com.

QR codes were invented in Japan, originally to track auto parts. and are much more widely used there than in other countries.  You'll find them on McDonald's wrappers, t-shirts, billboards, product tags, and on and on.

Some of the ways I've seen them used in the US are:

Most of us rely more and more on our mobile devices and typing in long url's or setting up new contacts can be cumbersome; incorporating QR codes into your marketing and products can help make it easier for clients and prospects to actually get to the information you want to share with them.  The codes themselves are free and easy to generate; as with many things, the hard part is figuring out the most beneficial ways to use them and how to effectively incorporate them into your materials.  That's where creativity and ingenuity come in, and that's something that can't be easily taught or learned.

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