QR Codes Revealed. Creative and Strategic QR Marketing

Marketers and Consumers can gain much by learning about and using QR Codes

Does this image look familiar? It is a QR code and they are appearing everywhere – in magazines, business cards, web pages, billboards, flyers, clothing, products, and even on food!  Marketers and consumers stand to benefit in many ways from the use of QR codes. Read on for the details of how QR codes can benefit you as a marketer and consumer.  

What will you learn in this article?

• Overview of QR codes technology
• Creative ways to use QR codes in marketing
• QR code generator applications you can use to create QR codes

If you would like to hear the audio version of this blog post you can do so at: http://bit.ly/k2GDsA

The brief on QR Codes

QR stands for Quick Response and they are two-dimensional bar codes. QR codes can be created to contain text such as your contact information or URLs to locations like your Web page, Facebook page, blog, product pages, videos and more.  The information within the QR is revealed when the code is scanned, making it a much easier way for marketers to push out valuable information to their consumers. As a consumer it is an easy way to take advantage of coupons or specials that may be in a QR code.  The technology is very simple for you to use and implement. It is a powerful marketing tool.  

In order to reveal the code within, you will need to download a QR scanner application for your smartphone (iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, etc.).  Simply, go to the online application store for your particular smartphone OS. There are many free ones for various smartphones.  

When you are ready to scan a QR code, open your QR application. The application when opened uses your phone camera to scan the QR code to reveal what is embedded within. For example, the code shown in the LIKE QR in this article will take you to the MOSTraining Facebook page (more about how you can create this same QR code to direct traffic to your Facebook page). Now that you have an overview, let’s get started learning about the many creative ways that you can use QR codes in your marketing and then on to how to create them for yourself.

Include QR codes on your business cards (paper or chocolate)

Let’s start with business cards. Include a QR code on your business cards containing your contact information. When the QR code is scanned your contact information appears on the user’s phone where they can retain it without having to type. Keep in mind that it does not have to be your contact information in the QR as you can direct the person to something else, like a coupon.

What about a chocolate business card with a QR code?  Yes, I do mean real chocolate. Talk about helping the environment, no paper and your customers can eat their card after they scan the contents. This is great for special promotions and/or a gift for new customers. Give it as gift on your first meeting with a potential customer.

Images Printed On Chocolate is a company who prints just about anything on chocolate, including creating chocolate business cards. Once the receiver has scanned the QR code, they can then eat your yummy business card.  Visit Images Printed On Chocolate at http://www.imagesprintedonchocolate.com for more information. This would be great for trade shows as well as customer gifts.

One of their product options is a box of chocolates where the chocolate center piece within the box is your business card imprinted with your information and your QR code for scanning. I can’t wait to try them out. The temptation for me will be trying not to eat my own business cards before I send them to customers.

Take a look at Facebook expert and author Mari Smith’s new business card. As you see she took advantage of the back of her business card where she placed a QR code that links to her About.Me page ( http://about.me/marismith ). This was Smart on Mari’s part! You can be smart too and do the same. You just need to decide what you want the QR code to direct people too.

While we are on the subject of business cards, job seekers you could create a business card for you and include a QR code on the card that will route people to your online resume. My preference on that would be for you to link to your LinkedIn profile.

Home buyers and Realtors benefiting from QR Codes

QR codes are becoming very popular with Realtors. This savvy realtor with Prudential includes a QR code on her signage that directs potential buyers to her home listings.

The larger populous are still unaware of what QR codes are but that is rapidly changing. However, Prudential has very smartly created a flyer to inform the public. They very creatively titled their flyer (click the photo on the left for a larger view) It’s A Snap! This creative flyer explains QR codes and how their company is using them. Smart marketing Prudential!

Explain to customers what a QR code is and provide instructions on how they can easily scan your QR.

Be creative and strategic

Think creatively and strategic in the creation and placement of your QR codes. What do you want to market? Do you want people to be directed to your Web site? Do you want it to go to a downloadable coupon? Do you want people to be directed to your Facebook page in order to obtain more fans?  What do you want to market? It would also be a great way to provide access to one of your eBooks!

Promotional materials are another great place for your QR codes. Place them on your marketing flyers, business cards, Web site, blog, t-shirts, photographs, billboards, magazine articles and even the front door of your business!

Publicity

Phil Spiegel, Small Planet Organicssports a temporary QR tattoo on his forehead. The bakery gave away QR Code temporary tattoos to attendees of Seattle’s 2011 VegFest. Attendees could place the QR tattoos on their skin (forehead, face or even their arm). The QR contained one of three prizes. Scanning the QR revealed the prize, which was redeemable by returning to the booth to display via their smartphone. A super cool way to get people talking about your product and keep a steady stream of people coming to your booth.

I have provided a link to the full article at the end of this blog post.

Branding You!

As stated earlier you can even include a QR code in a photograph. It is a very smart strategy because the photograph draws the eye to the QR code – a real attention getter!

Look at this great photograph of technology speaker and trainer Gina Schreck. Gina is the President of Synapse3DI and owner of the Gettin Geeky Web Show.  The QR code Gina is holding provides her contact information. (Note: the QR codes in this blog may not scan well because I reduced the size of the picture for the post).

Very ‘geeky’ and smart indeed Gina! By the way, there is a pretty face behind that QR code.

Creating a Facebook LIKE QR Code

How about a Facebook LIKE QR code on your Web site (as shown at the start of this article) that when scanned directs one to your facebook fan page? This same QR code could be placed on the front door of your business or wherever you think appropriate within your business.  

If you want to create this QR code complete with the Like logo above it you can do so by going to www.likify.net.

QR code generator applications

You can easily create your own QR codes using various services. I have listed some for you to check out. I will be writing another QR post in the future that will focus on the QR code generators.

http://www.QRstuff.com  

http://www.uqr.me (I have used this one)

http://qrcode.kaywa.com (I have used this one)

http://tag.microsoft.com (read more at: http://tag.microsoft.com/overview.aspx)

Resource Article

The link below will take you to the full article on the skin tattoos mentioned earlier in this blog post. Great article published by SeattlePi.com www.blog.seattlepi.com http://bit.ly/g8fXMa

That’s a wrap!

I hope you enjoyed this article on QR Codes and I hope you will start doing some creative marketing using them. As consumers, start look for these codes. In closing, I put together a collage of some other QR Codes that I have come across to give you some more ideas.