What are QR Codes? QR codes are a 2 dimensional barcode that is readable by QR scanners, some phones with QR scanners and virtually all smart phones. The technology was developed in Japan in 1994 by Denso Wave. It was originally designed for to track parts for cars but recently has been adapted to the mobile marketing market. It is used to market URLs, text messages, phone information, expanded contact information with a memo or just a long string ot text (up to 3000 characters) in a way that is easy for mobile movers to capture. This technology is very prevalent in Japan and becoming more prevalent in Europe now.
The reason it is important in the US is that it is being heavily marketed by mobile marketers and people who want to make information conveniently available to phone savvy, technology savvy consumers. The software needed to do this is also free on both the QR code generation and the on the reader side. As a matter of fact the reader software is a staple free software of the various smart phone app stores and can be also found easily by searching Google for “QR codes”..
Google recently got behind this technology by sending premade QR codes out to their 1000 largest clients suggesting that they embrace this technology as Google plans to promote it as well. Through a simple file extension Google will produce a QR code for any website!
The Empire State Building recently used QR codes to activate a multimedia exhibit.
Calvin Klein has used QR codes to on billboards to activate a multimedia ad campaign in Los Angeles and New York to promote its jeans
How can a virtual tour provider use this to their advantage? That is a question for the creative mind but a few places to start are on anywhere you want to market your business to people but may not want to leave information openly exposed or any place where you can introduce your company and want to provide a quick way to address a URL or message that you want to hit a phone. Another place you may want to use it is a place where you have a web page that has constantly changing information but the URL remains the same such as a tour blog feed. Your interested party can come back to that QR code time after time whenever they want to see the most current update and don’t have to go through the trouble of reentering the URL. You may want to use this tool as a vehicle to send interested people a message of up to 3000 text characters. I envision using this in the affiliate box of the tour window alternating between my linked logo and a QR code that provides more information about my company.
Exposure Elements expands on the virtual tour industry by leveraging the photos and YouTube videos in our mobile marketing auto-responders to provide our customers with a complete internet marketing system that includes both mobile and desktop internet marketing. We believe that QR codes will be an integral part of a complete solution we provide to our clients. The technology is free on both ends (code generator and code reader) so start introducing the technology to your clients then build your value as an internet marketing expert.
Stan Davis
Exposure Elements
Silicon Valley Virtual Tour Provider