QR codes on business cards/wider use a good thing?

QR codes on business cards/wider use a good...

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More recently I was given business cards with an ugly black and white square on them that I later found out are QR codes. Here is what QR codes means. QR codes are basically easy link to a website.

I was told that I just have to scan the code with my smart phone and all the contact details from the business card all end up in my contacts.  I tried this out and it worked. Though it would not take me that long to type in the details.

The YouTube video shos wider use of QR codes.

Can QR codes be used for accountancy services marketing? I am not sure how. I am not convinced by this AW US article.

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By thisistibi
25th Nov 2011 11:26

QR codes

The only QR codes I have ever scanned are simply a link to the advertiser's webpage.  It would have been less time consuming for me to type the web address into my browser than it would have been to load my QR scanning app, scan the code and then click on the link!

Perhaps there is a future for QR codes which hold more than just a webpage.  But I'm not convinced.  I think there is a certain novelty factor which means certain people are likely to scan them for fun - but what sort of person?  Probably not a business person, at a guess.  More likely a teenager or student.

And like you say, they are pretty ugly for the 99% of people who will never scan the code.  Is that really the image you want to give to your clients?

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Replying to Kent accountant:
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By DerekBredensteiner
26th Nov 2011 19:48

I agree

Ugly QR codes are a bad image. IF you're going to add it at all, it makes much more sense to have a well designed QR code, that matches the design of the card.

And then the other side of the coin, where do you link it to that's not useless?

Like you said, the company homepage is pretty useless, they could have just typed it in.

What about a link to something of yours that is harder to type in, google+ 's social profile urls come to mind.

There are also some services now that let you generate a QR code once, then update it later. That would mean you could update where your business cards link to, even after you printed them. I imagine that might be useful.

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By leestevens
25th Nov 2011 13:35

I did find a use...

I did find a use for them.  I began writing some software to act as a fixed asset register - not sure I ever completely finished it but the one good thing to come out of it was that it could print QR codes onto labels which I then went around sticking onto all of the fixed assets we had. 

This had a twofold effect - we found quite a few assets had been scrapped (usually broken PCs or printers) and now if we scrap or sell, for example, a printer of which we own 5 identical models, we can scan the QR code and we know exactly which one we are scrapping or selling and we can adjust our asset register accordingly.  Thus, we have a perfect asset register (well thats the theory!).  The other thing we did was to print a PDF of the labels as well, therefore if everything was stolen we at least have pointers to the details of the stolen ones.

That was the best use I could find for them, sorry it was completely off the subject of accountancy services marketing though.

 

Here is an example of the detail returned when scanning a QR code on a printer in my office:

Brother DCP7045N Laser

Owner: Company Name Ltd

Purchased from Staples

Invoice No: 12345

Purchase Date 06/12/2010

Cost £199.99

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By 3569787
03rd May 2016 18:02

For Lee Stevens

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Replying to Tim Vane:
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By leestevens
25th Nov 2011 14:38

From memory, I began writing the program in Visual Basic.  I used a third party control to generate the QR code from http://www.onbarcode.com/products/net_barcode/. It would have definitely have been free because it was a 'spare time' project hence why it remains unfinished.

You are right about printing the asset details onto a label instead, although the QR code can be read by a strategically held iPhone (in my case) rather than, for instance, crawling about under a dusty desk to read a label some idiot (me) has placed in a stupid dark place.

 

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By carnmores
25th Nov 2011 16:02

they are the future for now!

anything that can help potential clients go directly to your site must be a help as oppossed to faffing around with facbook twitter etc

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By dbowleracca
25th Nov 2011 23:41

It definitely is the future
I know banks etc aren't at the forefront of the technological revolution but if they are adding the QR codes to statements then they obviously see it as a future opportunity.

I don't know much about the codes but I can see massive potential for them, ad thongs evolve.

For example you could have one on your office sign, so someone driving past who gets caught in traffic every day outside your office can scan and go directly to your site.

Or even better, you may have a website that contains hundreds of factsheets and pieces of information. Rather than searching the site for that specific item you could just scan the code and go directly there.

And finally, if possible, you could get the scanned code to automatically sign someone up to a newsletter or factsheets by getting the code to send them to a lading page which can read the information stored in their phone and obtain their email address.

Convenience is everything in today's society and if you can get them to your wait quicker and easier it's got to be a good thing.

All new technology takes time to make an impression on how we lead our lives and becomes more useful as it's improved and developed. Take the iPhone I am using now. Ten years ago touch screen technology was useless for phones, and now it is the standard for most devices. Or take for example email - it used to be cumbersome and unpopular and now it's te primary method of communications for business.

I say FT be a pioneer - do it, get a QR code.

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By ACDWebb
26th Nov 2011 02:56

The codes also have some tolerance

so if you were so inclined it is possible to take codes generated and experiment with adding your logo to them in a photo editor. to personalise them a bit if you were so inclined.

The following, for example, should take you to AnyAnswers

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By martinlea
28th Nov 2011 09:57

Funny QR

I was given a business card recently with a QR code which had a link to a very funny Masterchef spoof and no self promoting ads at all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjckqAU8IkM

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By taxhelpukcom
29th Nov 2011 10:56

They can be...

...provided they are used correctly with the website.

 

People will be using them on a smartphone, so it makes sense that they take you to a specific mobile version of the website you would like them to visit, rather than just the normal one which may not be optimised for phones.

 

I have recently used one on a mailing, the thinking behind it is that people can quickly scan the code and store the bookmark, to come back to later when it is convenient.

 

The website it sends them to is optimised for several different smartphones, so they will see an app from whatever phone they use and the site is fully usable on a mobile.

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By Bob Long
29th Nov 2011 11:12

IT Dinosaur

I always thought that they were part of a "Magic Eye" poster and I've been squinting madly trying to see a 3-D image!

;)

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