Business Bulletin Decoding QR Codes

Is it time to embrace this tool in your marketing? What is a QR code?

A QR code is a square shaped barcode that can store information such as website URLs, text, or contact information. It is typically used to help people quickly access information online without manually typing in a long URL.

When scanned with a smartphone or other device, a QR code can be used to open a link quickly and easily.

They seem to be having a resurgence in popularity right now and it’s worth understanding how they can be used in your business.

Where to use QR codes?

QR codes can be used in a variety of ways, from marketing campaigns to inventory management and lots of other handy applications. For example, they can be used to track items and provide data about their movement. And QR codes are often used for events like tickets and customer surveys.

For marketing purposes, you can add them to your business card, flyer, advert or any other printed material with a link that relates to your call to action or adds to the content or information shared.

You could even ditch your business card altogether. Instead, create a graphic in Canva or Word, that includes a title of where you are sending them, add the QR code that takes them to where you want them to go and any other useful text. Make sure to use your branding colours and logo and then download it as an image file to your phone and save it to your favourites folder.

When you are networking you can open up the graphic for people to scan which allows them to easily connect with you on social media, skipping the searching and scrolling time on social media.

What can you link to?

■ Website home page or sales page.

■ Discount voucher (website or PDF on Dropbox)

■ Launch a video.

■ Appointment booking page.

■ Favourite social media account.

■ Event ticket.

■ Customer survey or quiz.

QR Codes versus Barcodes

QR codes are two-dimensional codes that can store much more data than traditional barcodes.

Barcodes, or linear codes, are one-dimensional and are limited to about 20 characters. QR codes can contain up to 7,089 numeric characters, 4,296 alphanumeric characters, or 2,953 bytes of binary data.

QR codes are best used when you need to store a lot of data, such as product information, links to websites, or contact information. However, barcodes are better suited for applications that do not require a large amount of data, such as product tracking in a retail setting.

Static and dynamic QR Codes

A static QR code contains a fixed URL, meaning it always directs to the same website or page. Static QR codes cannot be changed or updated, so they are best used when you want to direct people to a specific page on your website, and you will need a separate QR code for each link or purpose.

Unlike a static QR code, a dynamic QR code is editable, which means you can change the content of the QR code without having to create a new code. This makes it a useful tool for marketing campaigns