Come on, you’ve seen them. Those little square, bar code-like images are popping up on everything these days – cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, junk mail, television commercials, even billboards. They’re called Quick Response codes (QR codes for short), and they, like bar codes, hold information about whatever product they are on or promoting. Unlike barcodes, however, QR codes can hold much more information. They can store websites, photos, maps, videos, etc. The codes are read by a QR code reader on smart phones and link the user to whatever information you’ve chosen to store in the code.

As I’m writing this, I have a mailer from Kohl’s in front of me with a QR code on it. Let’s see where it goes… As I expected, right to their online store. And conveniently, they’ve also sent me a $10 gift card along with the mailer. Guess what I’ll be doing later. My point is, these little codes are smart for marketing and there are many reasons you should be using them.

The Many Uses & Benefits of QR Codes
QR codes are used to link people back to important information or simply to something you want them to see, and there are virtually limitless ways to use QR codes in your marketing plan. Essentially, QR codes are used to share things, and because they can hold a good deal of data, you can share anything from your website to an e-book. Basically, you can cram a lot of marketing materials into these little boxes.

Consider using a QR code for a call to action. If you’ve got an e-newsletter that you’d like people to sign up for, a special deal going on for a particular product or service, or want to start a conversation on your Facebook page, link to these things on your QR code.

Increasing traffic is every business’s main goal online. QR codes can do just that. Think of them as scratch-off lottery tickets – no one knows what’s behind those squiggly lines, so it’s like a surprise. You just have to find out where it goes. I can’t see one and not grab my iPhone to see what it leads to, which means I’ve been to dozens of sites that I might never have gone to before!

Still using business cards? Don’t worry, I’m not about to say that they’re out of date. In fact, they may be the one print medium that will never go out of style. And, as it turns out, they are a great place to use QR codes. A code on your business card can lead people to a site to learn more information about you and your resume or about your company. You can even link them to your social networks so that you can connect via Twitter or LinkedIn.

I could go on with this list, but I’m sure you can think of a few fun ways to use QR codes in your marketing plan. And if not, corecubed is always happy to help. Contact us for more information about QR codes and how we can help you use them.