What are QR Codes
Quick Response (QR) codes have been gaining ground recently (take a look at this Google Trends Chart ) and are now becoming a commonly used part of the digital marketing landscape; being used in magazines, TV Ads, posters, websites... But what are they and why the interest in them?
QR codes are an encoded barcode image resembling a square-like maze. A 1-dimensional UPC code, is most often used on packaging and used by retailers to track stock and price products at the point of sale. A 2-dimensional barcode stores data in both directions and can be scanned vertically or horizontally to be decoded.
A normal 1D barcode can store up to 30 numbers, but a 2D barcode (QR) can store up to 7,089 numbers. The additional storage capacity enables a variety of data beyond numbers to be stored and that is where it gets interesting.
Types of Information that can be delivered using a QR Code
Some great infographics that give you more detail and understanding about QR Codes:
- QR Code Awareness Infographic
- Who’s Really Scanning All Those QR Codes?
- Cracking the Code – Upshot’s Guide to Mobile Barcodes
How the process works
How to Generate a QR Code
- QR Stuff - Data types include Google Maps location, PayPal Buy Now link, social media links, iTunes link, YouTube link, and more. Customize color. Send by email, or batch print to labels.
- QR Code and 2D Code Generator - can generate QR Code, Micro QR Code, Data Matrix and Aztec Code. Additional features include URL shortening and customizing the color and format of your codes.
- QuickQR - can produce QR codes that can easily be distributed
QR Code Generator that also provide analytics/tracking
QR codes commonly link to urls, so by using link shortening services bit.ly and goo.gl you can automatically generate a QR code for sharing your shortened links. By using goo.gl as an example, you simply click on the “more” link after you create your shortened link, where you are taken to a page that not only gives you the QR code, but useful analytics. Here are some more QR tracking sites:
QR Readers
- QR Reader for iPhone. QR Reader for iPhone scans quickly, with a range of usability and sharing options. Text and URLs open within the app.
- QR Droid. Scan in both landscape and portrait modes, or even scan mirrored images. Decode saved images or URL addresses of a QR code. Generate a QR code to share contacts, bookmarks, apps, geolocations, and more.
- QR App. Designed to be fast and simple. Display history of scanned QR codes. Add contacts directly to your address book.
More apps here for Android phones and iPhones.
Other types of 2d codes - QR code, DataMatrix, ScanLife EZcode, and Microsoft Tag (Tag).
There are several key differences in these code formats. ScanLife EZcode and Microsoft Tag are proprietary formats only decodable by their tools, while QR and DataMatrix formats are open standard. (Additional format differences can be addressed in another blog post.)
Why Use QR Codes
We have mentioned before (mobile website with some stats blog) that with the advancing number of smartphones how brands engage customers increasingly needs to focus on mobile marketing. QR codes are way to bridge the online and offline world enabling brands to create innovative ways for people to connect at a local level as well as easily be distributed.
Some compelling facts about the mobile market:
- The Size of the Mobile Market [infographic]
- Smartphones and the Mobile Commerce Revolution [Infographic]
- Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users [Infographic]
Some reasons why you should use QR codes:
- Easily distributed and shared
- Can be scaled or combined with designs to create interesting 2d images (posters, on buildings...)
- They can easily be tracked so great opportunities to measure your results from a marketing campaign:
- timing - you can track when people used the code
- location as well giving you detailed data on where people used the code
How you can Use QR Codes
There is a huge variety of ways to use QR codes and so I have split this into two sections: the first is a few ideas for how you can build QR codes into your marketing and the second is a look at some of the more interesting and inventive ways people have used them to date.
Some ideas
- Signage - What value can you add to a sign? Linking online and offline and making that sign more interesting. Think about how QR codes can deliver value at the spot.
- In store - Improving the In-Store Experience - Think about what you could do if you had the ability to link people to a video/promotion or other relevant marketing at point of sale. As mentioned in our previous blog about value it is about making it relevant.
- Print -this can cover anything from leaflets (e.g. trade shows), posters, brochures...
- Business Cards - use a QR code on your business card to direct people to a landing page about your business or to a specific page on your Facebook page
- Scavenger hunts - use them inventively to create treasure or scavenger hunts
- T-Shirts - this can be very effective at events or for promotional/experiential activities
- Email subscription - Use your QR code to send people to your email signup. Just make sure you give people a compelling reason to subscribe to your list...otherwise you will have just wasted their time. Not the best way to engage your audience.
- Contact center/inbound calls - QR codes can also make a phone call. This could be used for a specific campaign or simply use it for a sales leads e.g. when printed with a promotional offer in a magazine. Likewise, QR codes can generate SMS text messages.
- Likify brings Facebook sharing into the real world. The service generates QR codes that enable customers to "like" real products on Facebook. How does it work? When you find something you want to share, simply open up your QR scanning app, scan the code, and voila, you officially "like" the product on your Facebook wall.
Diesel took this concept in store
Some interesting ways in which QR codes are being used
- QR Codes on the streets in Paris
- QR codes used in street art to promote indie music
- QR Code Tattoos
- The Edible QR Code
If you spot any interesting ways that QR codes are being used then let us know and add to this blog
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