Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve all seen these strange little codes popping up everywhere. Don’t worry because your #1 source for Nova Scotia virtual tours Nancy Bain is here to help. Let me take five minutes of your time and give you the skinny on QR Codes. Recently we purchased a very cool software package we can’t wait to tell you about. No, not virtual tour software as we LOVE RTV! Expect more blogs on this subject.
What is a QR Code? – A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code
The use of QR codes is exploding. QR codes have been big in Japan for years. Now they are going global. They connect the world of print to the world of e-media. They tap into the mobile culture and the youth market. They offer an immediate, trackable response mechanism for everything from marketing collateral to magazine advertisements to billboards.
How are QR codes used? – QR codes are 2d barcodes that act as a physical hyperlinks. Taking a picture of the QR code on your phone’s internet browser will jump to the page described by that QR code. So say you put the URL of your Facebook profile or website into the QR code creator, the QR code created will take people to that page when they take a picture of it on their mobile phone using a QR code reader.
How to generate a QR code – I used http://snap.vu/ It’s simple and it’s free. Plus, they save all your codes for you in different file formats. Simply type in your url address (you will have to provide an email address at this site) and click a button to generate your code. Presto! Congratulations, you have just created your own QR code that you can display anywhere! How about using it in your outgoing email signature? How about helping your customers put these on listing signs? Incorporate them into your virtual tour business and show people that you’re ahead of the curve!
Where are QR codes used? QR codes are very flexible and can be used for more than just linking to a website or a virtual tour. They can be used to automatically send emails, SMS messages, upload someone’s full contact details into your phone’s address book and more. QR codes can link to text you have entered, a website URL, a social networking profile, a Google maps reference- anything you can think of!
What do you need? First a smart phone, then a QR Reader. To download a QR code reader to your phone, simply go to the page while in your mobile browser and click on the download button. From there follow the simple instructions and you’re done! Google have created an excellent application for the iPhone and the G1 that is perfect for reading QR codes (look up ZXing on the devices) Blackberrys can use http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/blackberry/
Why are QR codes effective? QRcodes use the cellphone as the response mechanism. For this reason, they capture viewers’ interest at the very moment it is piqued. You don’t lose eyeballs by requiring people to manually input URLs or scribble them down onto a piece of paper that might get lost.
Who is using QR Codes? Many of today’s top brands are using QR codes. GMC, Ford, Google, Pepsi, Ralph Lauren, The Weather Channel, Best Buy, Chevrolet, Starbucks, Facebook, MacDonald’s and many more. Your virtual tour company can do this too!
Below you will see the QR Code I have generated for my Nova Scotia Virtual Tour website. First, ensure that your smart phone has a QR Reader. (most newer phones will) If not, download one to your phone from the links above. Second, simply turn your phone to camera mode and hold it up to your monitor “capturing” the QR code in the window. This should generate a link for you to click. Anywhere you see these codes you can do the same thing. My Blackberry requires that I take a picture of the code while IPhones you simply scan the code in camera mode.
In my next blog I can’t wait to share with you how I plan to be using QR Codes for my virtual tour business. But in the meantime here’s a great idea for you: Use QR codes on your business cards! Your contacts can scan and save all your information when they scan your QR coded business cards!
Call Nancy to book your Nova Scotia virtual tour today. 1-877-745-TOUR or http://www.supernovastudios.ca
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