What are QR Codes?
Perhaps you've seen them but you didn't know what it was for. Perhaps you use them every day. Either way, QR codes have officially taken hold in the U.S., and they aren't going away any time soon.
QR stands for Quick Response, and they are the new way for customers and prospects to reach a web page, a location (using geocodes), or obtain information about products and services. Named because the contents of the code can be decoded at high speed by many devices including mobile phones, net books and laptops, desktops, cameras, and televisions. Many mobile phones, including iPhone, Blackberry, Motorola Droid and any phone that runs on the Android operating system, have application software available for scanning QR codes.
While the typical barcode holds a maximum of 20 digits, QR codes (like the one above) can hold up to 7,089 characters. In addition, QR codes take up about one-tenth the space of a bar code. This ability to hold a great deal of information in a small space is what makes QR codes so valuable for sales and marketing. Google has already started using QR codes in their "Google Places" division and because of that the QR code is likely to become very important in search marketing. Google suggests that if your web site contains a QR code, search engines will see a new image and index it, and might in the future index the content in them.
How can I use QR Codes?
By adding a QR code containing contact information to your business card, someone can add you to their contact list by reading the QR code with their cell phone or computer. Add a QR code to individual products on your web site and enable customers to download product details and a phone number for ordering.
QR codes have nearly infinite uses. An educational organization can direct people to reference or training materials. An online product catalog can use a QR code to provide complete product specifications. Retail locations can use QR codes to provide additional information such as a restaurant providing nutritional information for items on the menu. A QR code on a direct mail piece can take the recipient directly to the web site of the business offering the product or service.
Essentially, with QR codes you can easily direct user will be taken to the exact page you wish to send them to.
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