QR Codes, a New Way to Market Your Brand
Quick Response (QR) codes are rapidly becoming an asset to transitory advertisements. In case you’re unfamiliar with these genius barcodes, they originated in Japan as an inventory management tool where their potential was recognized and applied to mainstream media. QR codes are capable of holding up to 10 times more information than traditional barcodes and are able to be scanned using a smartphone. These codes allow users to instantly access and store specific data, such as websites and contact information. Take a look at the QR code below we have created for J.M. Field Marketing; go ahead…scan it!
QR codes have commonly been found in magazine ads for instant retrieval of a brand’s URL, and in catalogs to gain additional information about a product or special offer. Some companies have explored the idea of adding QR codes to business cards in order to quickly store contact information. Recently, these codes have been used with an even more obscure approach in mind. The Seattle Times reported the use of QR codes on tomb stones, giving graveyard visitors the ability to quickly learn about the deceased and the life they lived. These high-tech epitaphs are referred to as “living headstones” (…creepy but clever). On a lighter note, they’ve also been used as a shopping tool in public areas such as subways and airports. Take a look at the video below for an unconventional example of how South Korea has used QR codes to market a thriving grocery store.
Now, you may wonder, “How will these codes help market my brand?” Well, besides keywords, a crucial aspect of successful SEO is consistently updating your website content. Search engines, like Google, tend to favor sites that are actively updated. By adding QR codes to your website, search engines will notice a change in your content and record it. Sometime in the near future they may also be able to extract the information from the QR codes and catalogu it accordingly.
QR codes are still a budding trend in the marketplace but their potential to promote your brand is quickly evolving. They have yet to really catch wind and make their way into many of the ads we see on a daily basis. But keep an eye out for them, because you may be surprised how often you notice them now after reading this! We invite you to explore their potential and share other great examples of them in use or how they have helped your business grow.
