How to create QR Codes by Anyware Web Marketing
What Is A QR Code?
A QR code (or quick response code), is a type of 2D bar code that you can scan with a QR Code reader application on your smartphone.
Find out more about what is a QR code and how to use it.
How To Create A QR Code
1. Choose a Target
Before you create a QR code you need to decide what you want it to link to.
A QR code is a bit like a URL (web site address). A URL links to a page on your web site and people can click it to go there. But a QR code can link to a number of different types of resources:
URL / Web Site Address
A QR code can link to a URL. This could be a page on your web site where your prospect can redeem a special offer.
For example, we use QR codes to link to this URL: http://www.anyware.co.nz/mobile-marketing-irresistible-offer.php
Send SMS Text Message
A QR code can send a predefined SMS text message to a mobile number of your choice. You could use this to give your prospects a template SMS message where they enter their email address and click send to join your mailing list or redeem a coupon.
See the full explanation of how we use this feature in this video: http://www.anyware.co.nz/mobile-marketing-irresistible-offer.php
Call Phone Numnber
A QR code can be used to call any phone number. When the user scans the code their mobile phone will call the number in the QR code. You could use this to give your prospects an easy way to call you (i.e. increase enquiries).
vCard
A vCard is a virtual business card that contains all your contact details. You can create a QR code that people can scan with their mobile phone to load your contact details into their phone.
Plain Text
A QR code can send a piece of text. A user scans your QR code and their phone instantly shows some text. You could use this to give people details about a product, directions to your location or instructions. Generally we'd recommend sending people to a page on your web site to acheive all of these things. It's a good idea to get your customers into the habit of visiting your web site to get more information.
Other
QR codes can do anything a web site address can do, so if you can imagine it a QR code can probably do it. Open a Youtube video, add a calendar entry, tweet to Twitter, post to Facebook or show directions on a Google map.
2. Create a QR Code
The hardest part is actually deciding what you want to link to. Once you've decided just follow these steps:
- visit https://www.avasam.com/qr-generator/ or https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/
- choose the type of QR code you want
- type in the details
- choose your image size (usually the bigger the better - images can easily be reduced, but quality is lost when enlarging)
- copy the QR code image or save it to your hard drive
3. Using Your QR Code
After you have your QR code image simply add the image to your web site, poster, advert, business card, t-shirt, flier or anything else you want to add it to.
Your customers can scan your QR code with their phone to use it.
4. Tracking QR Codes
There's a really simple trick to tracking QR codes. This allows you to see how often a QR code is scanned.
When creating a QR code for your web site, the URL would normally look like this:
http://www.anyware.co.nz/
You can track specific QR codes by adding a code after the URL like this:
http://www.anyware.co.nz/?source=bcphil
http://www.anyware.co.nz/?source=bcmike
In this example, my web site will ignore the "?" (question mark) and everything that comes after it. When somebody visits http://www.anyware.co.nz/?source=bcphil in their browser it simply shows the home page.
But my web stats tool will show me how often each of these unique URLs is visited.
"source=" simply tells me that the source of this web site visitor was "bcphil" or bcmike". These are simple codes we use on our business cards (i.e. the "bc" prefix") to identify that somebody scanned Phil's business card or Mike's business card.
Questions?
Contact us if you would like some help to set up your QR codes or figure out the most effective way to use them for your business.
Need to Explain QR Codes To Your Customers?
Simply add this link next to your QR codes:
www.HowToUseQRCodes.info
QR codes are still new to a lot of people. They are curious about what they are and how they work.
Give them an easy way to find out how to use a QR code and they are more likely to respond to your offer.