What are QR Codes?

Have you been hearing the buzz about QR Codes? Do you know what they are? Or even more importantly do you know how to use them to advance your business?  While QR codes are not “common place”…yet, it is probably a good idea to raise your awareness about what they are and how they can be used in your marketing program.

Just the FAQs…

What are these codes? The simplest answer is they are effectively links- links to information (contact information) or to web-sites.

Is there more than one type of code?

Yes, in fact there are over 70 variations of codes out in the marketing place. The QR code, as of now, is the most popular. Microsoft has created its own version, called a MOBI tag. A QR code is going to be black and white and look like a pattern of square dots. A MOBI Tag is most often in color and is a pattern of triangle shapes. We anticipate a bit of a VHS vs. BetaMax struggle between which becomes/stays the most dominant format. While this isn’t a huge issue, being new, the multiple formats can be confusing to the consumer because you need different reader apps to read each type of code. The QR code has the lead world-wide and in the US, at least for now.

How does someone read a QR code?

QR code scanners are “apps” that run in a smart phones.  They are a variety of applications available for no charge.

What information does a QR code contain?

They typically contain a web page address (URL) and other information such as websites, e-mail addresses and contact information. However, within space limits that can really contain any type of information the user wants.

How is a QR code made?

It is generated by software and is generally created by the company printing the media on which it is displayed.

Hopefully this helps you better understand QR Codes. Of course, the important question is what can/should I be doing with them. That will be the topic of my next post.