QR Codes Are Not Just a Bunch of Dots

QR codes are not just a bunch of square dots. They are a language all their own. A secret language that a special decoder, that can be downloaded on a smartphone, can reveal. What a QR code reveals is left to the imagination, and those who don't know how to decode them and find the treasures they can hold, are missing out on special offers and information that only those who know the secret share.

Let's face it QR codes have gotten a bad rap. Not because they are a terrible marketing tool, it's just that they are ahead of their times and people have not had the tools to deliver an outstanding experience to the viewer. Thus, because print advertisers have misused them they may have left some people feeling that they shouldn't even bother scanning a QR code because they have been conditioned to believe it is going to be a disappointing experience.


And let's face it another drawback was that this whole mobile, smartphone craze is really in it's infancy. It's just in the past year that smartphones have become the norm and not the exception and many users are just beginning to explore all the features that this new gadget can deliver.

The app stores are overflowing with useful and not so useful apps that people download and then forget about and like software on our laptops, becomes bloated with who remembers what. So the purge begins, and like cleaning out our closets, and using the adage, if you haven't worn it in a year, throw it out or give it away; the half life of an app can be only weeks.

But QR Codes are different they can be used to deliver content, streaming video, mobile coupons, contact information and RSS feed, product information, the list can go on

1. Website URL
2. YouTube Video
3. Google Maps Location
4. Twitter
5. Facebook
6. LinkedIn
7. FourSquare
8. App Store Download
9. iTunes Link
10. Dropbox
11. Plain Text
12. Telephone Number
13. Skype Call
14. SMS Message
15. Email Address
16. Email Message
17. Contact Details
18. Event (VCALENDAR)
19. Wifi/ Login (Android Only)
20. Paypal Buy Now Link 

The time is right for you to start using QR codes in your own print marketing. They can extend the life of your advertising by offering content that your customers want to keep and even share using their smartphones.

The only way to go wrong is not to begin using them and connecting them to an irresistible offer that leads them to a mobile landing page, mobile website or other mobile friendly content they are excited to discover when they scan your QR code.

Source: Uploaded by user via Wendy on Pinterest