A few posts back on a story about the updated Google Places, we mentioned what is called a QR code. Since then we have had a few responses from people asking what exactly it is. We typically find that if one person asks, many more probably have the same question, so we thought we would let you know what a QR Code is, and why it could be important to your business.
Strictly speaking, a QR Code is a 2 dimensional bar code that stores information. It can be a url, an address, contact info, business description or a combination of all these things and more. What reads these bar codes are camera phones that either have software or an application that can read the code. Most phones available today either come equipped with this technology or have it easily available.
So how can a QR Code help your business? By providing customers and potential customers more information about your business, especially when they are actively looking for it. If your business has a storefront that isn’t open 24 hours a day, put a QR code sticker on your front window and you allow customers to quickly get information on your business. This is great to help answer some of their questions when there is no one available at your business. Include one on each piece of marketing collateral you put out and give customers more information than you could ever fit on the piece. By doing this you are also giving them a quick and easy way to store information on your business. We’ve even seen some guerrilla marketing techniques with them, including a QR Code on an otherwise empty t-shirt. This gets the curious onlookers to scan the shirt and see what it’s for, even if they have no idea what they might be scanning.
To get a QR Code is simple. There are various QR code generating sites that will generate the image for you for free. All you need to do is specify the specifics for them. And Google Places gives you one for free within your dashboard. Just click ‘Print QR Poster’ and you will get an image you can print out for stickers, business cards or other marketing collateral that has a QR Code unique to your Google listing. Customers then can scan the code, and it will bring them right to the mobile version of your Google Places Page. The Mannix Marketing version is to the right. Although at this point you cannot customize the version that Google gives you, it is very simple and a great way to get started using QR Codes. Just be sure that your Places listing is fully populated with all the information you would want customers to see (as that is where they will be taken).
Still have questions on QR Codes? Or have you already started using them in your marketing? Let us know.
