Innovation is amazing!
Just when you thought allowing people to find your business and contact you couldn’t get any easier, along comes a new innovation that makes it easier again.
Take QR Codes for example:
They were invented in 1994 by a Japanese company (Denso-Wave) and like so many technologies now used for marketing businesses, QR Codes were originally used for tracking car parts through the manufacturing process.
There’s a good reason for their initial use and it’s in the name – “Quick Response Codes”. They were designed to allow equipment to read them faster than traditional bar codes; a very important requirement in a manufacturing environment where time is money.
Fast forward about 15 years and some bright spark realised that these clever little codes could be used for marketing purposes because now literally everyone can have a QR code reader in their hands.
No, I don’t mean that we would all walk around with those supermarket checkout readers in our pockets. QR Codes don’t need lasers to read them, just a simple camera – just like the cameras now built into virtually every mobile phone.
So the hardware problem was solved but you still needed QR code reading software and that problem was solved with the introduction of the IPhone and other smart phones. If you have one of these devices you can now download a free QR code reader app and once installed, you are free to scan every QR code you see!
Are you still with me? Because this entire preamble was important in setting the scene.
The bright spark, you see, realised that with the introduction of smartphones and the mobile web allowed people to browse websites quickly and easily while on the move. But nobody wants to be typing in www.lovelywidgets.com/specialoffers.html into their phone – far too laborious. So by adding a QR code into their advert, billboard, packaging, etc. the person could open the QR code reader application, scan the code and hey presto, they land on the special offers page without any fuss or bother. Much easier to do while on a moving bus!
Where and How could you use QR codes?
We’ve already talked about encoding web addresses into them, so imagine you are an estate agent and you want to promote some properties.
Create a QR Code for the specific web pages of each property and include them in the advert next to the specific details of each property and the reader will land on the details page for each property. The same is true for car dealers, retailers with special offers to promote – the list is endless.
But it doesn’t end there!
You hand out business cards by the hundreds, but what a pain getting someone’s details into your phone. Create a QR code with your contact details embedded and put it on the back of your business card. When someone scans the code, your contact details can be automatically added into their phone contacts list! Are you starting to see the amazing potential of these clever little codes?
How do you go about creating QR codes?
It’s quite easy.
Just Google “Create QR Code” and you’ll find something. Once created, save it to your PC and email it to your designer next time you want business cards made or an advert designed.
