Marketing with QR Codes

What is a QR code?

Think “barcode on steroids”.  The image to the right is an example of a QR code.

QR codes offer an opportunity for an interactive experience for advertisers through an otherwise static medium.

How does a QR code work?

To read QR codes, you require a QR code reader.  These are available for free on pretty much any and all smartphone platforms.  You can scan these QR codes using your smartphone, and a few different things can happen.  Some of the most common are coupon codes or links to online content.  Much like a traditional barcode which contains numbers, QR codes contain 2-3 sentences of text, which can be a link, contact information or online profile.

What can you do with QR codes?

The potential is nearly limitless – with exception of that it can only be 2-3 sentences long.  The power of QR codes is in the customer experience that it provides.  Take a QR code on a billboard for example – an interested individual can scan the QR code, and be sent to an offer page for a discount – this functionality turns an otherwise static medium, into an interactive one. Very cool!

Here are some of the cool ways QR codes have been used:

1. Business Cards
2. Coupon Codes
3. Promotional Videos
4. Scavenger Hunts
5. Billboard interactivity
6. Education
7. Product Additional Information
8. Job Postings
9. Facebook Profile Links
10. Instructional Manuals