Let’s set the scene…so you’re in the waiting room at the dentist office. The magazines have an average date of 03′ and dog-eared corners to rival a origami festival. Not to mention a plethora of Tiger Woods ads (so we know these mags are old!).
The considerable boredom sparks a departure from the usual waiting room silence, and you strike up a conversation with a waiting neighbor. A couple of quick pleasantries leads to: “So what do you do?” Unfortunately, your dentist simultaneously calls you into the chair. What to do?
Spit out the url of your website real quick?
Hand out a business card they will have 17 opportunities to lose over the course of the day?
Hope they’ll be there when you get back perhaps?
For any marketer, the question remains how do you connect people to your business faster, and easier? Mobile marketing solutions, and QR codes for that matter, are rapidly becoming one of the best new solutions available.
These funky, Rorschach test looking two-dimensional images, are fast becoming one of the most effective and efficient ways to connect consumers to your business. QR codes, which can be scanned by just about any smartphone camera, can be used to direct individuals to text, photos, videos, music and URLs. Bottom line, you’ve got to find compelling ways to connect people in the offline space to your online resources.
You can generate a QR code for just about anything, more importantly, it can be used just about anywhere; to point new consumers in the direction of your business.
Couple things are important to remember:
1. QR codes should lead to an ENGAGING place. The last thing someone wants is to go through a cool (yet simple) access point, to find pictures of your wet cat cutting his own nails on the toilet.
2. Not everyone knows how these puppies work. Be sure to provide a brief CALL TO ACTION: i.e. “take a picture of this to find out more.”
3. Provide some kind of VALUE to the scanner. Don’t just use the code to direct people to your website (although that is still a good idea). Use it to direct the consumer to some sort of VALUE OPTION: i.e. promotion, discount, video, new information etc.
Here are a few great resources for creating the codes:
- Kaywa
- iCandy
- Stickybits
- QuickMark (iPhone)
- Optiscan (iPhone)
- Barcode Scanner (Android)
All the best,
Jay Kubassek
That is very cool, had no idea. By the way, good meeting you in Vegas, I was with D Schwind