What is that funny looking barcode box?
Aug
25
Written by:
8/25/2011 2:59 PM
It is a Quick Response code or QR code for short. If you haven’t heard of QR codes yet, here is a brief introduction. The codes were originally used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing and quickly became popular with the Japanese youth culture to tag outdoor events.
It’s similar to a bar code that is on most packaged goods, but this code links you to all kinds of great information. This unique code can be used to link to rich media content on the web like a YouTube video, a web page, a text message or PDF document.
The process is pretty simple, you need a mobile phone that has a camera and can run a special application to process the QR code information. On your phone, open the reader application which turns on the camera. Point the phone’s camera at the QR code. Scan the QR code and the application will redirect you to the media. I have an iPhone so I was able to find several free QR Reader apps on iTunes. Some phones have a built in reader.
There are many uses for this code, like linking to a web page or an audio / video file that gives more information about that book or magazine article you’re reading. Recently the real estate industry has started to adopt the QR code on signage, linking directly to relevant details about the property being leased or sold.
Business uses for this technology are vast but a few convenient ideas come to mind like printing a QR code on your business card, thus linking to your vCard or contact information to new clients; or sending potential clients directly to a mobile version of your business’s Google Places page. These and other ideas are starting to become more common.
Here are a few practical uses for QR codes in your business. Add a QR code to all of your advertising methods to give potential customers access to;
- Product Details
- Business Card / Contact Information
- Special Offers
- Event Details
- Competitive Product Details
- Coupons
- Twitter and Facebook Pages
- YouTube Video
If you would like more information or details on how to generate your own QR codes for advertising and information delivery, contact Narrow Gate Media today.
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