As featured in TEQ Magazine:

Have you noticed these things called Quick Response codes (or more commonly, QR codes) like the one to the left? Suddenly they’re everywhere. I see them on the front page of our local newspaper, on the sides of buildings, in magazine ads, on T-shirts, on bottles of wine, and even on people’s bodies as tattoos, some of them apparently permanent (a little scary; as Jimmy Buffett says, “It’s a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.”).

What are these QR codes for? In short, they bridge people from the real world to your on-line presence. If social media is a conversation, what better way to engage folks?

Last week, a woman handed me her business card. On the front was a QR code. Scanning it with my iPhone took me to a landing page on her company’s website. Now that’s how to take a prospect to the next level!

This is not new technology. QR codes were invented by Toyota in 1994 and have been popular in Japan for some time. Here’s how they work: First, get a Smartphone, either an iPhone (my preference) or an Android.

An aside: In my opinion, Apple and Google are now so far ahead of the competition (i.e., Microsoft, Blackberry, Palm/HP, etc.) that they’re the only options worth considering. Interestingly, 95% of all mobile phones will be Smartphones in the coming years so get yours today, ahead of your competition (LOL; there are hundreds of millions of these devices out there already).

Next, go to the associated App Store, find a “QR Reader”, and add it to your phone. Next time you see a QR code, launch the App and point your phone at the code. There’s no need to snap a photo or to click any buttons. The reader continuously scans for recognizable codes. As soon as it sees one, it jumps to the corresponding URL (a.k.a. web address).

If you imagine potential applications for your own business, you can get QR codes for free — it’s public domain technology. Just Google “free QR code generator” and pick one of the results. www.quickqr.com worked well for me.

If you’re looking for guidance and support, Google “QR Pittsburgh” (or go to www.qrpittsburgh.com for ProMobile) and you’ll find a great group of folks ready to assist you with a soup-to-nuts offering (for a fee).

Once equipped with your QR code and a prospect on-line, the question is, “What do you want do with them?” I recommend delivering an interesting, relevant, or valuable mobile experience – one optimized for the small screen, meaning not simply displaying your homepage. This could be anything from presenting a coupon to delivering detailed technical specs about a product.

This summer will likely see an explosion of QR Codes. How can your business benefit? Contemplate it; the possibilities are virtually endless.