What’s Your QR Code?
Posted on Tue, Feb 28, 2012
I’m confused. I don’t know if I was the last person who didn’t understand what a QR code is and what it can do for you and your business, but I just learned about them. QR Codes have actually been around for a few years and are used by millions on a regular basis. Even the front page of USA Today always has a QR Code. This week in Las Vegas, on the television in my hotel room, there was a QR Code in the upper right hand corner of the screen as the stations scrolled down on the left.
If you have a smart phone, which 49% of all cell phone users now have, you can download a simple free app and scan that QR Code. This would then take you to a website that could be as extensive as your own website or could be a mini-website about the information the person is looking for. Then again, it could be a video or a presentation that could give the reader as much information as they could ever want. Or you could bring the reader to a point where they could contact you if they needed more information.
I know what you’re thinking; this sounds terribly confusing and you would have to be some type of engineer or computer guru to make this all happen. On the contrary, it’s as simple as opening up a file. Before I share the steps, it is important to understand that when we say 49% of all cell phone users are smart phone users that number is at the current level. The growth rate of people converting to smart phones is nothing short of phenomenal.
It is predicted that within the next 24 months smart phones will represent over 80% of all cell phones. The reason is simple – they are easy to use and they give so much information. Let’s take a look at the process for creating a QR Code using your smart phone (there are also free programs for most computer platforms that let you generate QR Codes on your computer):
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First, decide what you want your reader to be exposed to when they click on your QR Code.
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Make a simple file. In other words if it’s a PowerPoint presentation make it a PowerPoint presentation file or a word document, web page, etc.
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Then, using your smart phone, look for a free QR Code generator in your app store. The one that I downloaded to my smart phone is called QR Code Creator. It’s free.
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It will ask you to type in the file that you would like to have a QR Code generated for. In other words cut and paste, or type, the file location into the program or app.
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Then the QR Code Creator will create a URL for you and a QR Code.
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Then you can copy that code and put it anywhere you want – in an ad, in a newsletter, in a press release or in a sign. It can even be embedded in a presentation as I did last week in Las Vegas. The participants took a picture of the screen and they got my presentation downloaded on their phone.
Now let me give you a practical application which will help you to become a believer. I worked with a store owner a few weeks ago who had wanted to go on an expedition to the South Pole. It was something she had on her bucket list. This 59 year old woman admitted that she was not a real techy but had just learned how to scan a QR Code.
She was reading a National Geographic magazine in a doctor’s office and saw an ad for her dream trip. It also happened to have a QR Code. She scanned the code, started to get information, stopped to see the doctor, got home and finished her research about a trip conducted by National Geographic. It was everything she had ever wanted from a brand she trusted with testimonials and pictures - more than any brochure could ever provide. The price, although not inexpensive, was within her range of expectation. She proceeded to book the trip for her family and spent close to $50,000. She then realized she did all of that without ever having to speak to anyone on the telephone.
The bottom line is that this is a type of technology that is here to stay because it is relatively easy to understand, easy to use, and it satisfies the needs of our readers / customers. The applications for this type of technology are limited only by your imagination.
If you’re using a QR Code in your business, please let me know how you’re using it. Since mastering this technology, I have been scanning everything and it’s fun and wild. This is one of those cases where you ask yourself why you didn’t do this sooner. It’s here to stay.