They come to us from Japan where they are very common. QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone. You may soon see QR Codes in a magazine advert, on a billboard, a web page or even on someone’s t-shirt. Once it is in your cell phone, it may give you details about that business (allowing users to search for nearby locations), or details about the person wearing the t-shirt, show you a URL which you can click to see a trailer for a movie, or it may give you a coupon which you can use in a local outlet.
The reason why they are more useful than a standard barcode is that they can store (and digitally present) much more data, including url links, geo coordinates, and text. The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a chunky hand-held scanner to scan them, many modern cell phones can scan them.
What does a QR code look like?
They look like this.
How does the cell phone read the code?
The cell phone needs a QR code reader. It takes literally 1 minute for someone with an iPhone or Android phone to find and install the reader. Just do a search for QR in your applet store of your phone.
How can you use QR codes to benefit search marketing?
We are only just realising the potential of QR codes. People are using these codes in innovative ways. They can be used to pass on your contact details, website url or marketing message. The opportunities are endless.
Ocean Website Design can help generate codes for your business. We can help integrate the codes into your website and marketing materials. Give it a try. You will love it!!
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