Monday, October 24, 2011

Are QR (Quick Response) Codes just a fad?

Are QR Codes, these little square pixelated boxes seen in advertising in magazines, on signs and even in television commercials really here to stay?  According to a study by comScore, 14 million mobile phone users in the United States scanned a QR code in June 2011.  That's 6.2% of the total mobile audience focusing on a QR code or barcode to seek information. That number is set to rise as the smartphone takes over the current mobile marketplace.

The study went further to breakdown men versus women users, age groups, household income and where and when they scanned QR codes.  QR Scanners were more likely to be men (60.5%) and aged 18 to 34 (53.4%) and had a household income of $100,000 or above (36.1%).  Mobile users scanned QR codes on their mobile devices at a rate of 58% from home while 39.4% scanned QR codes from a retail store with 24.5% from a grocery store.  Nearly 20% scanned a QR code from work while 12.6% did so outside with 7.6% scanning a QR code while in a restaurant.

"QR codes demonstrate just one of the ways in which mobile marketing can effectively be integrated into existing media and marketing campaigns to help reach desired consumer segments," says Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile.

In business layman's terms - it is about getting noticed - being found - answering a need.

QR codes fit with the trend today of  having information at your fingertips and the ease to enter it into your contact list for future reference. Still think it's a FAD?  Think again - get your FREE business QR code from Qlixite.com and start using it and tracking more traffic. "See a need - fill a need!"

Friday, October 14, 2011

How do I use a QR Code in Business Marketing?


  A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. A QR Code can deliver information to potential customers FAST! There are several different types of ways you can use your QR Code for business marketing.

QR Codes on Branding Materials - On branding items like Business Cards, Letterhead, Envelopes and Directory Listings, a QR Code that displays a vCard or Contact information will be most useful. When a potential customer scans this kind of QR Code they will see your name, phone number, location or mailing address, email address, web address and even a memo or tag line. This information is easy to register and save to their address file with absolutely no need to enter numbers or words which can be mistakenly mispelled or entered incorrectly.

QR Codes To Make Referrals - Texting is a phenomenon! When you want people to share your company or product with their friends or co-workers, an SMS message might be your best kind of QR Code. When a potential customer scans this type of QR Code then it will open their texting application with an automatic message ready to send to anyone in their address book. For example, if you are offering a special or coupon, including an SMS QR Code on the coupon that is labeled "Share with Friends" will auto populate a message about how they would like to share your business coupon. The message can include your contact info or website as well.

QR Code in Advertising - QR Codes are limited to a certain amount of characters which may mean that you want to send people to your website which allows them to learn alot more about your business. When a potential customer scans a URL QR Code, they are transported directly to your website right on their phone. They can shop, subscribe or map your business right there! You can also embed a video and link the QR Code to that page where the video is located so the visitor can watch it from their smart phone.

QR Code on Signage - It's a great idea to include QR Codes on your signs to again, allow people to program your information into their phone for future use. When a customer scans your QR Code from a sign, either in front of your business, billboard, real estate or other, they will be able to quickly connect with your business even if you aren't there...or open!

Whatever QR Code you use - make sure your business name is clear! In the very least, your customers should be able to find your website and phone number without much trouble. As you get more familiar with how to use the different kinds of QR Codes to best suit your marketing needs.


 
Read More About QR Codes:
What is a QR Code?
How does a QR Code work?
What kind of QR Code do I need?
How do I use my QR Code?

Qlixite will customize your QR Code for Free - Get Yours NOW!

What Kind of QR Code do I Need?


A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. A QR Code can deliver information to potential customers FAST! There are several different types of ways you can use your QR Code for business so you will need to identify what kind of QR Code you will need?

QR Code delivers CONTACT INFORMATION - On branding items like Business Cards, Letterhead, Envelopes and Directory Listings, a QR Code that displays a vCard or Contact information will be most useful. When a potential customer scans this kind of QR Code they will see your name, phone number, location or mailing address, email address, web address and even a memo or tag line. This information is easy to register and save to their address file with absolutely no need to enter numbers or words which can be mistakenly mispelled or entered incorrectly.

QR Code delivers an SMS MESSAGE - Texting is a phenomenon! When you want people to share your company or product with their friends or co-workers, an SMS message might be your best kind of QR Code. When a potential customer scans this type of QR Code then it will open their texting application with an automatic message ready to send to anyone in their address book. For example, if you are offering a special or coupon, including an SMS QR Code on the coupon that is labeled "Share with Friends" will auto populate a message about how they would like to share your business coupon. The message can include your contact info or website as well.

QR Code takes a visitor to a WEBSITE - QR Codes are limited to a certain amount of characters which may mean that you want to send people to your website which allows them to learn alot more about your business. When a potential customer scans a URL QR Code, they are transported directly to your website right on their phone. They can shop, subscribe or map your business right there! You can also embed a video and link the QR Code to that page where the video is located so the visitor can watch it from their smart phone.

QR Code displays a CALENDAR EVENT - If you are running a special on a particular day or have an open house scheduled, you might want to use a Calendar QR Code to make it easy for a potential customer to remember your event. When a customer scans your Event QR Code they will see the event title, location, date, time and description in a format that they can save right to their calendar. Put your event on their schedule with just a touch of a button - or screen!

Whatever QR Code you use - make sure your business name is clear! In the very least, your customers should be able to find your website and phone number without much trouble. As you get more familiar with how to use the different kinds of QR Codes to best suit your marketing needs.


 
Read More About QR Codes:
What is a QR Code?
How does a QR Code work?
What kind of QR Code do I need?
How do I use my QR Code?

Qlixite will customize your QR Code for Free - Get Yours NOW!

How Does a QR Code Work?


A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones.

Market - A business or organization incorporates various kinds of QR Codes into their marketing and advertising. They link their website to their advertising, their contact information to their business cards and offer specials through the codes on exclusive emails or mailings.

Scan - A potential customer receives a business card from the business owner or sees an ad in a local publication. They use their smart phone to scan the QR Code which directly opens the business' website or displays all of the contact information into the customers phone. Now it is quick and easy for the customer to research and connect with the business.

Connect - Even if the customer doesn't connect with the business right after scanning the QR Code - their phone retains the information until they physically delete it. SO if the potential customer wants to get in touch with the business - they may not remember the website name or have the advertisement for reference but they have all of the information right in their phone - ready to make the call or map for directions.


 
Read More About QR Codes:
What is a QR Code?
How does a QR Code work?
What kind of QR Code do I need?
How do I use my QR Code?

Qlixite will customize your QR Code for Free - Get Yours NOW!

What is a QR Code?


A QR code (abbreviation for Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera telephones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data.

This QR Code Leads to a webpage
so a visitor can watch a Video
Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. The QR code was created to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR codes now are used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (termed mobile tagging). QR codes may be used to display text to the user, to add contact information to the user's device, to open a website, link to a video on a server like YouTube, or to compose an e-mail or text message. Users can generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code generating sites.

QR codes storing addresses and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or almost any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone's browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is termed hardlinking or object hyperlinking.
Google's mobile Android operating system supports QR codes by natively including the barcode scanner (ZXing) on some models, and the browser supports URI redirection, which allows QR codes to send metadata to existing applications on the device. Nokia's Symbian operating system is provided with a barcode scanner, which is able to read QR codes, while mbarcode is a QR code reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple iOS, a QR code reader is not natively included, but more than fifty free apps are available with reader and metadata browser URI redirection ability. With BlackBerry devices, the App World application can natively scan QR codes and load any recognized Web URLs on the device's Web browse this for compliance.

The use of QR codes is free of any license. The QR code is clearly defined and published as an ISO standard. Denso Wave owns the patent rights on QR codes, but has chosen not to exercise them. The term QR code itself is a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated.

Standard QR code is the QR code standard for applications that possess the ability to handle large scans. A standard QR code can contain up to 7089 characters, though not all QR readers can accept that much data.

Read More About QR Codes:
What is a QR Code?
How does a QR Code work?
What kind of QR Code do I need?
How do I use my QR Code?

Qlixite will customize your QR Code for Free - Get Yours NOW!