QR Codes: Easy Hi-Tech Marketing for Your Business

QR Codes are a popular new method to attract and capture new customers in the local online/mobile marketingplace.

What is a QR Code?

From Wikipedia:
A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols).

Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

How Can You Use QR Codes in a Business?

QR Codes are typically used in advertising by a local retailer, restaurant, tavern, dentist, etc. to make it easy to attract customers to their online presence. A common use is to encode a QR code with a website landing page for a specific event (a sale event, for example). The user scans the code with their smart phone which launches the browser and directs the user to a specific web page.

What Kinds of Information Can Be Encoded in a QR Code?

Any alpha-numeric information. QR codes are a great way to display a web address, email address or phone number to mobile viewers. All you need is a smartphone with a camera and a QR code reader app, and you're ready to go.

How Can I Create a QR Code?

There are numerous software packages and websites to create QR codes.

QR Reader Apps

Listed below are free apps for smartphones that allow you to read QR codes.