How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business

By Jeff Korhan

What are QR codes and how can they help your business? Keep reading to find out.

Quick Response codes (QR codes) and other two-dimensional codes are expected to achieve widespread use this year – and for good reason. Consumers want immediate access to what’s relevant and QR codes are being used to make that possible.

QR Codes 101

If you’re not yet familiar with QR codes, they’re similar to the barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products at the point of sale. The key difference between the two is the amount of data they can hold or share.

QR code to the Social Media Examiner home page.

Bar codes are linear one-dimensional codes and can only hold up to 20 numerical digits, whereas QR codes are two-dimensional (2D) matrix barcodes that can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them practical for small businesses.

When you scan or read a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone, you can link to digital content on the web; activate a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS; and connect the mobile device to a web browser.

Any of these desired functions are easily achieved by properly creating your QR code.  It’s a simple process of entering the appropriate data into the QR code generator, described below, and it all takes just a few minutes.

The ability of QR codes to connect people with each other and to multimedia digital content is very useful for businesses and consumers alike.

The Origins of QR Codes

While QR codes are still considered a novelty here in the United States, they’ve been actively used for over a decade in Japan where they were invented.  QR is a registered trademark of Denso Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota.  Denso Wave has elected not to exercise their patent rights of QR codes and that has encouraged their widespread use.

There are other software companies that have created 2D codes that work much like QR codes, with Microsoft being the most notable.  Microsoft developed their own proprietary software to create codes known as MS tags.  Unlike QR codes, which can be read by a number of different readers, MS tags can only be read by the Microsoft Tag Reader.

MS tag to Microsoft Tag Reader app.

Choosing to use QR codes or MS tags is a personal choice.  It seems that MS tags presently allow for more possibilities for creative graphic designs, such as incorporating images and logos into the tag.  Nevertheless, those capabilities have to be weighed against the reach and ease of use of open-source QR codes.

QR code Readers – The QR code reader app that works well on my iPhone is i-nigma, which claims to be the most widely used reader in the world.  It accommodates virtually any type of camera phone. For the android, you can also try Barcode Scanner. If you already own the popular price-checking app Red Laser, they’ve recently adapted their technology to accommodate QR code reading.

Applications for QR Codes

Sharing – There’s no limit to how, or even how much, you can share with QR codes.  While a video or landing page is easily shared, you could go further and share an entire eBook and even multiple pieces of content that share a common link.

QR code Like button to the author’s Facebook page.

Community – Sharing is how you build community, and one of the favorite arenas for doing this is Facebook.  You can create a QR code that links your mobile device to a fully functioning LIKE button for your Facebook page.

This greatly simplifies the process of merging your other communities with your Facebook page – and it is all accomplished in one click.

Additionally, the accompanying signature “thumbs-up” clearly suggests the purpose of the code.

Calls to Action – After building a community, the next logical step is to mobilize them to take action.   What are you trying to accomplish?  You can alternate special offers by simply linking your QR codes to new landing pages, and you can combine then with email opt-ins to build your list.

The QR code above takes visitors to a Facebook page welcome tab where the calls to action are Liking the page and a list opt-in.

SEO and SMO – Earlier this month I wrote an article on social graphs where I discuss how web objects such as images, music clips, and videos add valuable content to your social graph.  QR codes enhance both your search engine and social media optimization.  Now you can increase traffic to those searchable objects to further optimize them by encouraging more sharing.

Social Proof – To help build a community offline, it can be helpful to use your vibrant online communities as social proof of your influence and expertise.  As one example, you can use QR codes to link to specific blog posts that have earned an abundance of activity.

Analytics - QR codes most commonly link to urls, which is why link shortening services bit.ly and goo.gl now automatically generate a QR code for sharing your shortened links.  Using goo.gl as an example, you simply click on the “more” link after you create your shortened link, where you are taken to a page that not only gives you the QR code, but useful analytics.

MyQR.co is another site that provides analytics and the ability to customize the color of your QR codes

This screenshot shows how bit.ly serves up analytics and a QR code for a shortened link. Scan it to go to a list of recommended QR code readers.

Practical Uses of QR Codes

Here are some ways for using QR codes that are mostly in practice now, as well as a few that I believe we will be seeing in the very near future.

Where

QR Codes could be used:

• The back (or front and back) of your business card.
• Your brochures and other marketing materials.
• The sides of trucks and trailers.
• Product tags and packaging
• Convention and event nametags
• Restaurant menus
• Event ticket stubs
• Point-of-sale receipts

QR Code at the Naperville, IL Public Library assists visitors with helpful advice.

What

QR Codes could link to:

• Installation instructions
• Sources for replacement parts and service
• Directions to your business
• The process for hiring your professional services
• Valuable coupons and special offers
• Recommendations for complementary products and services
• Free mp3 downloads
• Customer feedback forms

A QR code on a café in Seattle, WA links to Google Places and reviews on Yelp and around the web.

How you can you maximize your effectiveness with QR codes:

• Provide explanations about their use and benefits
• Encourage actions that support your marketing plan
• Assuage the fears of the technically challenged
• Give reasons to come back
• Experiment with the size, location, and color of your QR codes
• Study your analytics
• Make the process fun, such as a QR code scavenger hunt
• Experiment

Practical Examples

United Airlines – Many of the major airlines are now using 2D codes as digital boarding passes.  I recently learned that by the end of 2011 all carriers will be required to provide this service for international flights.

United Airlines 2D code boarding pass.

I tried this myself and it works like a charm.  My only suggestion is to not rely on the link, but rather to save a copy of the image on your phone.   You don’t want to risk not being able to find a good signal when you need it most!

Google Places – When you register your local business with Google Places, you’ll receive a decal for your place of business that includes a QR code to your company website. Be sure that QR code links to the most relevant information that potential customers are interested in – such as hours of operation and current specials and offers.

The Cure Starts Now Foundation – This non-profit foundation is creatively using QR codes in partnership with a local small business, and the results have been favorable for both organizations.

The Cure Starts Now Foundation was started in 2007 by Keith Desserich and his wife Brooke, in honor of their six-year old daughter Elena, who died of brain cancer.  They partnered with Graeter’s Ice Cream, based in Cincinnati, OH, who created a special flavor of ice cream for the cause – Elena Blueberry Pie.

The marketing campaign used a QR code linking to the Cones for a Cure landing page, where your contact information is exchanged for a coupon for a free scoop of Elena Blueberry Pie ice cream.

Cones for a Cure billboard with QR code.

The campaign not only surpassed the fund-raising goals, but it also helped to increase revenue and distribution for Graeter’s – who actively participated in the fund-raising on a per scoop basis.  The campaign will be rolled out again next year in twice as many cities.

The Future of QR Codes and Tags

The potential for QR Codes is limitless.  What’s most exciting is how they take what social media is doing well now, bringing people together with technology, and extending it to enhance the experience.

The next generation of barcodes will hold even more information – so much that an Internet connection will not even be necessary.  The content will be effectively embedded in the code.  Imagine scanning a digital code to manifest physical reality?

It’s amazing to consider where this can go.

About the Author, Jeff Korhan

 Other posts by Jeff Korhan »

Electronic Commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as well.

A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web.

Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as business-to-business or B2B. B2B can be open to all interested parties (e.g. commodity exchange) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants (private electronic market). Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses and consumers, on the other hand, is referred to as business-to-consumer or B2C. This is the type of electronic commerce conducted by companies such as Amazon.com.

Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions.

The scope and variety of ecommerce packages is huge, and can range from free, open-source packages such as OS Commerce to extreme high-end bespoke packages costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Generally speaking, the more you pay, the more sophisticated and secure the systems are, but the scope and variety of the packages available can be bewildering. This is where we can help. Depending on your ultimate aims, your product types, target markets and budget, the Images Group can recommend, build, configure and install an ecommerce solution that is perfect for your needs, giving you the control, security and of course payment systems that suit your business model and budget.

We have worked with scores of companies, providing ecommerce facilities and services and we know that we can create the perfect package for your needs.

Call The Images Group on 0191 516 66 69 for more details or email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we can source the perfect solution for your business.

The Images Group are delighted to announce the launch of their ‘Power Marketing’ service.

The Power Marketing system is the culmination of knowledge acquired through 14 years of research, seminars and in-depth training for some of the World’s leading Internet Marketers. Using this knowledge we have developed a system that really delivers results for website owners very quickly and consistently. Since putting together the system we have tested it thoroughly ‘in the field’, taking several websites in different sectors that were not performing to their potential and ran them through our ‘Power Marketing’ systematic process.

The results were amazing; within days website pages that were previously unranked in Google, shot up the rankings, some appearing on page one of Google.

In all cases the visitor traffic to the websites dramatically increased and our award-winning analysis package identified precisely where the traffic was being generated, showing which keywords were the most favoured and which areas of the websites needed additional tweaking.

We have now fully refined our ‘Power Marketing’ service, and are now ready to launch this service formally.

If you want your website to perform to the max, then one of our custom-designed ‘Power Marketing’ packages is for you.

How Does It Work?

The Images Group emarketing team will analyse your site, your market and your current marketing methods, and devise and implement a bespoke package of marketing initiatives designed to improve the performance of your website. The initiatives will vary depending on the results of our assessment, but they will all have the same aims – to increase relevant visitor traffic to your site. We say relevant, because it is quite easy to drive unqualified traffic to a website. What we need to do is to drive visitors that are interested in the type of products and services that you provide, greatly increasing the chances of a profitable transaction occurring between the qualified visitor and your company.

That is the USP of our ‘Power Marketing’ system – driving qualified buyers to your site when they are ready to buy.

What Services Could be Provided?.

The services we provide vary according to needs of the clients, but a sample Power Plan is given below:

• Initial research into keywords
• Competitor Analysis Report
• Key Market Analysis
• Benchmark Scan to establish company's position on internet
• Set Up Monitoring with In-House Software
• Install Google Analytics tracker & integrate with AdWords if required
• Set up external Blog
• Implement Data Capture for Remarketing

Timeline: Month 2

• Modify page content to match profile of report analysis and new target keywords
• Analyse results against keyword profiles
• Set up site scan to monitor results
• Adjust and optimise individual pages on the website.
• Review the site performance against statistical reports
• Implement changes to page URL paths - create Search Engine Friendly Pages for better keyword placement – requires back-up of current site, installation of third party module to generate search engine friendly pages.
• Research appropriate directories for potential listing, make recommendations to client
• Research, devise and implement link strategy
• Carry out site audit to analyse effectiveness of site structure, visitor navigation paths, exit pages, bounces
• Produce month end reports on traffic trends and effectiveness of pages

Timeline: Month 3

• Continue results analysis, producing appropriate reports for comparison, analysis and action.
• Produce month-end reports on traffic trends and effectiveness of pages
• Look for improvement factors on site; update pages/content as appropriate
• Implement brand monitoring systems to monitor and protect brand reputation.
• Continue SEO/SEM initiative

Web site Design and Development is charged out in blocks of 60 minutes @ £60 per block with a 60 minute (£60) minimum charge.

Domain name transfer time (Including any IPSTAG changes) is charged out in blocks of 30 minutes @ £30 per block with a 30 minute (£30) minimum charge.

General administration and IT Support time is charged out in blocks of 30 minutes @ £30 per block with a 30 minute (£30) minimum charge.

The following domain name extensions cost £12.00 per year:
.com, .co.uk, .net, .org , .org.uk, .me.uk, .info, .biz, .name, .eu, .tel & .mobi

Standard Hosting is charged out at £15.00 per calendar month

SSL certificate setup = £150.00

SSL certificate = £150.00 per year

Payment can be made by Standing Order, BACS, or PayPal

If a payment is made to The Images Group and then subsequently cancelled or a cheque is ‘bounced’, an administration fee of £30.00 will apply and any services provided by The Images Group will cease until the administration fee and any re-connections fees are paid in full.

If a Web site or email or hosting services is deactivated due to non or late payment, a re-connection fee of £60.00 minimum will be applied and must be paid in full before the service(s) are re-instated.

No domain names will be transferred to another service provider until all outstanding amounts due to The Images Group are paid in full.

All prices exclude VAT.

Business Description

www.theimagesgroup.co.uk is a site operated by The Images Group and have our registered office and trading address at Suite 303 The Quadrus Centre, Woodstock Way, Boldon, Tyne and Wear, NE35 9PF United Kingdom                        

Return / Refund / Cancellation Policy

• Customers will receive a pro-rata refund for any unused service period
• A surcharge of 50% + £60 will be deducted from the refund amount

9. We issue refunds within 30 working days after a request is made by BACs (Bank Transfer).

Contact Information

To contact The Images Group Limited, write to our trading address Suite 303 The Quadrus Centre, Woodstock Way, Boldon, Tyne and Wear, NE35 9PF, United Kingdom
For all written enquiries make the letter for the attention of Customer Services. The letter will then be passed onto the relevant department by Customer Services.

Alternatively you can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 0191 516 66 69.

Phone lines are answered Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm (GMT), excluding public holidays.

If the member of staff you wish to speak to is not available to take your call, you can leave a message with the telephone operator who will then email your message and contact details direct to the relevant member of staff.

All requests for technical support can be sent to us via our Web site at:
http://support.theimagesgroup.co.uk/

All online requests for Technical Support are usually responded to within 1 business day – Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm (GMT), excluding public holidays.

Web site creation is not just a simple matter of creating a few pages, linking them together and then firing them off to the World Wide Web – and then waiting for the visitors to arrive.

We have posted an article called ‘Everything You Wanted to Know About Web Site Creation But Were Afraid to Ask’ that is an in-depth overview of just how much you need to think about when setting up a website. Clicking on the blue, underlined link will take you to the article.  It is lengthy, but a really good introduction to the way websites are created and published and could answer some of your nagging doubts about website creation.

The considerations required to build an effective website that has positive benefits to the site owner are enormous: and here at Images we have cracked the Magic Formula for web success.

The way we approach a website build is quite unique in the industry as a whole, because before we even start a project we insist on beginning with the client outcomes in mind; i.e. before we build, we assess, analyse and create a flowchart for the client to agree the specific steps.

Because our process is specifically designed for each client and is something we have devised after 14 years in the business, we do not wish to disclose our methods publically.

Our systems have taken some years to refine and we do not want them to be copied by other design companies, who would not have the necessary back-end resources or expertise to make these systems run effectively.

The Images Group apply holistic methodologies to their working practices, where we examine and incorporate all elements of the process -  design, functionality, marketing, purpose, outcomes and monitoring -  to achieve the desired end result.

All clients have different needs and we take the time and make the effort to ensure that what we provide meets these needs. And because we make sure that you have the right data about how your website performs, the results we achieve for you are trackable and measurable.

After 14 years we like to think that we know what we are doing! But don’t take our word for it, view some of our testimonials from satisfied customers on the  testimonials page.

An call us soon on 0191 516 66 69 or email us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for your web design requirements.

The Images Group; outstanding Service, outstanding results.

Social media marketing describes the use of social networks, online communities, blogs, wikis or any other collaborative Internet form of media for marketing, sales, public relations and customer service. Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, Xing, ecademy, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.

In Internet marketing terms, social media refers to a collective group of web properties whose content is primarily published by users of the property or content and not by the employees or owners of the property. As an example, the vast majority of video on YouTube is published by non-YouTube employees.

The Images Group have been using social media marketing for the past four years and have experimented with all of the major, and many of the minor, applications to determine which are the most effective to deploy.

It is becoming increasingly clear that social media marketing is a very important marketing tool in today’s fast-moving online environment; the growth of the microblogging monster Twitter, bears testament to that. Used by most of the large corporations, Twitter has quickly established itself as the social media darling of the online world.

In July 2009 the Images Group ran a sold-out seminar introducing the use of social media as a corporate tool and will be running four more before the end of 2009.

Some comments from the last event:

For further information on social media marketing please email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us on 0191 516 66 69 (or follow us on Twitter: @imagesgroup)

Why Use Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing has three important aspects:

(1) Creating buzz or newsworthy events, videos, tweets, or even blog entries that attract attention, and become viral in nature. Buzz is the piece that makes social media marketing work; it replicates a message through user-to-user contact as opposed to paid for advertising.

(2) Building ways that fans of a brand or company can promote it themselves in multiple online social media venues. Fan pages in Facebook, for example are great promotional vehicles, but these pages can be cross-promoted in the other social media outlets to provide real viral growth.

(3) It is interactive and conversational. Social media marketing is not fully controlled by the organisation as it allows for user participation, interaction and communication. Done correctly with due respect to the community of users, social media marketing can have tremendous benefits to the user. Done badly it can have catastrophically damaging consequences.

According to Lloyd Salmons, first chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau social media council "Social media isn't just about big networks like Facebook and MySpace, it's about brands having conversations."

Social media’s growth has been phenomenal and the consensus is that it is here to stay, but as it is still in its infancy the correct methodologies and usage of the medium are still very much in a trial and error stage.

The important thing is to get it right first time and understand that all of the Social Media tools that you use are inextricably linked.

Be congruent, be respectful and always, always be aware that you are on a Global stage!

Social Media is no place for shrinking violets.

The following video short includes a selection of some of the recent logos we have designed for our clients in the North East.

We begin by talking with our clients and finding out what their business is all about. We then sketch a number of ideas before producing a series of designs on several sides of A4. These are then shown to the client and together with feedback a final design is selected. For some this is an easy process but for others it can mean revisiting the same idea and producing many more variations.

Images know that everybody is different and have different needs, so we tailor our websites to the clients needs. We often take the risk of offending our clients by telling them that what they are asking for is not for them and we will not undertake any projects that conflict with the basic rules of a good website; fast loading, valuable content, visitor stickiness and ease of use. Your website has a purpose and we will work with you to uncover its true purpose, whether it is to generate profits, to inform or to entertain. This will be reflected in the final design and must be a part of your brand that you sit comfortably with.

emarketing, or Internet marketing is the marketing of products, or, services over the Internet.

The Internet is capable of taking products and services to a global audience. The interactive nature of Internet marketing, both, in terms of providing instant response and eliciting responses, is a unique quality of the medium. Internet marketing is sometimes considered to have a broader scope because it not only refers to, such as, the Internet, e-mail, and wireless media, but also it includes management of digital customer data and electronic customer relationship management systems.

Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet including design, development, advertising, and sales.

Business models

Internet marketing is associated with several business models:

• e-commerce — this is where goods are sold directly to consumers (B2C) or businesses (B2B)
• Publishing — this is the sale of advertising
• lead-based websites — this is an organisation that generates value by acquiring sales leads from its website
• affiliate marketing — this is process in which a product or service developed by one person is sold by other active seller for a share of profits. The owners of the product normally provide some marketing material (sales letter, affiliate link, tracking facility).

There are many other business models based on the specific needs of each person or the business that launches an Internet marketing campaign.

Advantages of emarketing

Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive when compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience. Companies can reach a wide audience for a small fraction of traditional advertising budgets. The nature of the medium allows consumers to research and purchase products and services at their own convenience. Therefore, businesses have the advantage of appealing to consumers in a medium that can bring results quickly.

Internet marketers also have the advantage of measuring statistics easily and inexpensively. Nearly all aspects of an Internet marketing campaign can be traced, measured, and tested. The advertisers can use a variety of methods: pay per impression, pay per click, or pay per action. Therefore, marketers can determine which messages or offerings are more appealing to the audience. The results of campaigns can be measured and tracked immediately because online marketing initiatives usually require users to click on an advertisement, visit a website, and perform a targeted action. Such measurement cannot be achieved through traditional advertising, where an individual will at best be interested, then decide to obtain more information at a later time.

Because exposure, response, and overall efficiency of Internet media are easier to track than traditional off-line media—through the use of web analytics for instance—Internet marketing can offer a greater sense of accountability for advertisers.

Because of the complexity and customisabilty of emarketing, it is important that the company who you rely on to deliver your emarketing is familiar with and understands all of the elements that link together to create a structured emarketing campaign that is both effective and sustainable.

At the Images Group we have the experience and cross-sector experience to devise and implement an emarketing campaign that will fit both your needs and your budget.

Contact us now on 0191 516 66 69 or email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to see how we can help with your Internet Marketing needs.

The functionality of your site will determine the compexity of its underlying 'mechanics'. Many clients want the full control of a full-blown content management system that enables them to make every textual and image change on the site; others require a level of complexity than cannot be easily managed by the client - where possible in these cases we offer a dual control system where clients can make the day to day updates but leave us to manage the database and ordering systems. The choice is yours.