QR Codes, maybe I'm the last one to find out

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lon Winters on October 19, 2011 at 1:25am

I first saw this a few month ago being used on books, placed on certain pages where the reader could use it to access a site for related and additional information. I don't know, I just found it interesting in that context because of the recent increase of eBooks which can provide this functionality natively.

It will be interesting to see how popular this technology becomes. Previously, print media would include a URL, where soomeonw would have to be really interested to write it down or take the paper to the computer room. But the very technology that makes this easier to use and actually viable, is the same technology that reduces the need for print media n the first place!

Recently, I was asked why a business entity should have Facebook and Twitter accounts. It's a valid question, but it was just bizarre because the person asking it was my former employer. Who owns a marketing firm! Anyway, having worked for him for ten years and knowing his marketing philosophy, which is outdated to say the least, I knew any explanation I gave him would not be accepted. So my answer was, why not? Considering the cost of set up and upkeep, which is virtually zero, any amount of additional exposure is worth it.

So maybe using QR codes can be thought of in the same way. The content they link to could be costly to produce, but it doesn't have to be.

Permalink Reply by Cliff Ravenscraft on October 19, 2011 at 9:05pm

I see them all the time.  I have several apps on my phone that will scan them.  Though, I must admit that I pretty much ignore them each time I see them.  However, just because they don't really grab me doesn't mean they are not effective.  I think they will become even more popular in the future.

Permalink Reply by Andy Traub on October 21, 2011 at 3:03pm

Tom, I want to believe they'll be useful but for now...not so much.  They do have some great uses (like every item the midwife used when we had our daughter on Monday had a QR code on it.  They scanned them after the birth was over to inventory them.  Not sure why they couldn't do the same with a bar code though?).  

 

The thing is...it takes too much work to do a QR code and you don't know what you're going to get when you scan it.  If it gives me a coupon I'll scan it but I don't want to scan it just so I can see your web page.  I want a funny video, your contact information...something like that.  For now QR codes don't work b/c the STRATEGY behind them isn't clear.  If you can make them link to something that will help me (like your how-to videos) then I think they'll work.  If it links to your web site I say "Lame."

Permalink Reply by Tom Schwab on October 21, 2011 at 5:04pm

Great feedback.  Whatever they link to better be entertaining or helpful on the device your using or it may be likely to be a negative annoyance working against you.  Quick videos trump small text!

Permalink Reply by Daniel Lewis on October 26, 2011 at 1:36pm

(FYI: They're "QR Codes" with a capital C because it's a trademarked term. It's all right to use it to describe 2D barcodes (which aren't really barcodes anymore), but keep in mind that it's a proper noun and trademarked term, just like "PowerPoint.")

 

QR Codes are powerful in the right hands and right contexts. The problem is that many publishers don't get it right. They'll make the QR Code link just to their website, which is also not mobile-friendly. Or they'll place their QR Code where someone won't have reception to load it (like subways). And often, QR Codes provide no extra benefit to the user.

 

But this is all in how they are used by the publisher. Not enough publishers are doing their part to educate people how to use a QR Code or what the benefits are. It's easy enough to say, "scan this with a QR Code reader on your smartphone to learn more."

 

QR Codes should not replace printed URLs (especially memorable ones), but they should be used in addition to and with separate content from other URLs.

 

QR Codes aren't just for URLs. They can do a whole lot of things:

• Download an app from the appropriate app store
• Send an SMS
• Send an email
• Display text
• Play a video
• And more

 

Here are a couple examples of QR Codes used effectively.

• In a presentation to an audience, giving them an easy shortcut to a website to learn more, connect with the speaker, or whatever, instead of trying to remember or copy a URL. I required this for presenters at Cincinnati's first social-media conference, PodCamp Cincinnati.
• On product packaging to read, watch, or hear more about the product. But such landing pages must be mobile-friendly!
• Easy jump points for mobile-friendly content. At PodCamp Cincinnati, we published the link for schedule updates as well as a QR code for easy scanning. Again, this was mobile-friendly content.
• Easy subscribe someone to an email or SMS list
• Point users to a mobile-friendly page for easy social-media connections like Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

 

Making a QR Code is easy. But always make sure you're generating it from the shortest text possible. Bitly makes this easy by creating the QR Code from a short URL. The shorter the encoded text, the simpler the graphic and the easier it will be to scan (even though it is error-correcting).

Permalink Reply by Andy Traub on October 27, 2011 at 1:28pm

Article on QR codes - http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/qr-codes-dead-badly/230639/?ut...

Permalink Reply by Dave Dufour on October 29, 2011 at 8:25am

The business I'm involved in is developing a QR program that would have codes on products that link to servicing information about that product -- say, a water heater.  So, the owner who's got a problem with his water heater can use a QR code to access a video about troubleshooting, WHILE he's standing there in front of the unit.  

 

Car lots could use this to provide a product video/sales pitch after hours when people like to browse. These also become good "salesman assists."  Full video, full info at a salesperson's fingertips while standing out on the lot with a customer.  

 

The downside is that people don't have the scanner app installed by default, but a salesperson would have it at the ready.