QR codes are best used when they will actually be used. Image: Flickr / clevercupcakes / CC-BY-SA
Quick-Response codes, the little square codes intended to be scanned with a smartphone, are much-loved by marketers. These codes are not proving popular with the general public, however, and using them effectively means targeting them very carefully.
The basics of QR codes
QR codes are square digital codes that create a response of some kind on smartphones and digital devices. These codes can be printed just about anywhere and most often direct the phones to a website. They can be used to do everything from installing an app to sharing something on a social network. QR codes are already printed on stickers, in marketing materials and in magazines. There are multiple apps that read and interpret QR codes on most smartphones.
The problem with QR codes
QR codes have not been the huge boon for marketers and marketing efforts that many had hoped they would be. Statistics vary widely, but between 5 percent and 28 percent of people have reported scanning QR codes at some point. A smattering of reports have also connected QR codes to viruses or trojan horse programs that have been installed on smartphones. Many QR codes are also placed by marketers in places that make them very unlikely to be used or difficult to scan. Putting a QR code where phones have no service, such as on an airplane or in a subway tunnel, makes no sense.
Making proper use of QR codes
QR codes can be very effective, but only if they are used appropriately. QR codes exist outside of the ecosystem of search engine optimization, but they do have the potential to increase social network shares and visits to a particular website. QR codes are most effective when they are placed where they can be easily read, where they can be easily scanned, and where they will be scanned by individuals who are likely to scan them. This means using QR codes where early adopters will see and utilize them: tech conferences, mobile groups and in-person tweetups where your business cards will be handed out.
