Is the mobile barcode scan just another flash-in-the-panor is it the next Twitter?
Is the mobile barcode scan just another flash-in-the-panor is it the next Twitter? According to Wikipedia, the mobile barcode or QR code is a specific matrix barcode that is made up of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data. “QR” stands for quick response.
To read a QR code you need to download an app on your smart phone. (Newer phones have QR Code scanners built-in so you don't need an app.) The phone scans the matrix barcode and directs you to a website, display text or email/texting message. It seems to have a lot of potential and it’s quite popular in Japan, but hasn’t really caught on in the US.
And yet, we see more and more of these funny matrix boxes in magazine ads and on websites. Lena West, social media strategist and CEO of Influence Expansion says there are many ways for service businesses to take advantage of the QR codes. She offers these suggestions:
"1. To provide a direct link to a lead generation tool like a white paper or a free report.
2. To provide a direct link to a brochure (PDF) -- and avoid printing costs.
3. To help a video "go viral"
4. Add a "contact" QR code to the back of your business card to automatically have someone add you to their cell phone contact list.
Retailers can use QR codes to expand on advertising -- you only have so much space on a page/billboard and to give special offers for people smart enough to use those codes -- discounts for insiders, invites to in-store events, etc.
Anyone can use a QR code to track a specific marketing/advertising effort."
To read more about Using QR Codes, 5 essentials for making your site mobile-friendly click here.
