If you are like me the past few months, you’ve slowly been noticing the onslaught of funny looking square barcodes taking over. They are being seen everywhere from business cards to marketing flyers, on vacant buildings to websites to calendars, on vehicles and used for boarding passes for the airlines. So what exactly are these funny square barcodes anyway…. LETS FIND OUT!

These funny square barcodes are actually called Quick Response codes (QR codes for short). They are similar to the barcodes that we are all familiar with on merchandise in stores. The main difference is the amount of data or information that they can hold. While a merchandise barcode is only able to hold up to 20 numerical digits, the QR code is able to hold thousands of alphanumeric characters. This makes it extremely powerful for businesses of all sizes!

With nearly everyone having a smartphone of some sort these days, the QR code is capable of being deciphered right on the spot with free apps and software. The one I like using on the iPhone is i-nigma and a popular one for the android is Barcode Scanner. With this technology a business can now give consumers information right on the spot.

So what can a business use a QR code for? Really its unlimited, use your imagination… send them to your website, give them a promotional coupon/code, provide a download (music, ebook, etc), send them to your Facebook fan page, have them like your fan page, link to specific blog posts, provide a vcard contact that can be imported directly into the phonebook, show your business on google maps, send a text message, show a video… and so much much more!

QR codes can be put anywhere… on business cards, on brochures, real estate flyers, on vehicles, product tags, convention pieces, menus, ticket stubs, receipts, clothing… you name it!

This brief introduction to QR codes is only the beginning, check back soon as we will continue to bring you updated as well as more detailed information on using and setting up QR codes for you business. In the mean time download your free app and see what the QR Code does in this post!

**Want to learn even more about Social Media? Make sure you grab our totally FREE eBook, “Social Media & Your Business.”**

Nicholas Kohlhepp

I am one of the founding brothers of Social Brothers and you will find me usually behind the scenes working on the technical side ensuring our platforms are running smoothly. Thus this is what you will find my blogs to be about as well, and don’t worry I keep them in an easy to understand format.