QR Code Basics

Have you noticed these weird spotty square images showing up on business doors? They are called QR codes (for Quick Response) and you are going to start seeing a lot more of them.

These codes, also known as two dimensional (2D) bar codes, came from Japan where they have been used to quickly scan parts in automobile factories. They are called 2D because they can be scanned either side to side or top to bottom. Normal bar codes can only be scanned side to side.

They quickly became popular when people realized they could be used to create a hardlink, a link from the physical word to the internet. They spread to Europe and are just now starting to appear in the United States.

How QR Codes Work

QR codes can be used to hold other types of information, such as your contact information, but the most popular use today is a hardlink to a special website page. For example, you could put a QR code at your business front door, on your business card, in a print ad, a mailer, or on even on a billboard that takes people to a special coupon or promotion page on your website.

Used in Asia for some years, Quick Response Codes are now being used more in Europe, Australia, and the USA. A QR Code can quickly access the website of the advertiser instead of needing to type in a web address. It therefore makes it fast and easy for people to read, watch, or hear what you have to say about your products, make announcements, or provide nutritional information about food in a restaurant or a store. Quick Response Codes are also being used for electronic tickets for concerts and to register for an event or provide airline tickets. QR Codes provide an excellent way to provide more information about your company on your business card. In a small space you can list your products or services and list other subsidiaries or information that is important to a potential customer.

QR Codes are the marketing frontier of the future. As technology continues to advance and smartphones and other hand held devices refine their QR Reader apps, the features and benefits of QR codes will become the "Wild West of marketing."

With the number of mobile internet users on the rise, contact TurnKey Creations at 319.752.1155 about integrating QR Codes into your marketing solutions.