RISMEDIA, February 14, 2011—With the national release of OneCode™ last week, I had more conversations than ever before about QR codes and their functionality. We have discussed QR codes here on Monday mornings in the past, but since the level of interest in them continues to grow, I thought it was worth spending additional time looking into them.
I must admit, people are really drawn toward QR codes, probably for a number of reasons. They’re new, neat looking, and they are tech-savvy. Scan and go is all you need to know. In addition, I have heard a lot of people with a lot of great ideas on how to use QR codes; what they want the QR code to link to, how they want to integrate it into their marketing material to make an impact, etc.
While many of these ideas are great in theory, when it comes to the execution, they falter because of one main reason; the destination. The secret to cracking the QR code is ensuring that the destination that you send consumers to after scanning is one formatted for mobile. This is why companies who already have a mobile website or are in the process of creating one have a leg up on everyone else when it comes to implementing QR codes because they have the content formatted correctly already.
QR codes are inherently mobile. You know that once someone scans one they are using a mobile device—so why bother sending them to a site that doesn’t format to fit all mobile phones? On the other hand, if you have a mobile website, not only can you have a QR code that takes consumers right to the homepage of that site wtih all your brand-level marketing, but that means all your listings are mobile as well. Now, when creating property-specific advertisements, such as flyers, mail pieces and brochures, you can include a QR code that links directly to that property’s page on your mobile website.
The secret to cracking the QR code is to first have a mobile strategy in place. QR codes, like text messaging are a delivery method, used to get people to a destination. They happen to be a new, very cool, easy-to-use delivery method, but a delivery method nonetheless. In order to use QR codes in an effective and efficient manner, you must have a mobile content strategy in place. Typically this comes in the form of single property mobile websites and/or a complete mobile website that gives users access to all the listings in your MLS.
Working with a company that can provide you both delivery methods and format your content for mobile will prove to be more efficient for you as a user and ensure that all your marketing efforts work in a coordinated and integrated manner.
To learn more about how to crack the QR code, visit www.oneqrcode.com for more information.
