Photo: avlxyz

A few weeks ago I wrote about QR codes in the gases and welding industry, and looked at different directives that a QR code can perform, such as directing a user to a particular website or promotion. Even after you’ve figured out where to direct customers, that’s only half of the picture. The other major consideration is where to place the QR code.

I’ve come across some really innovative approaches to QR code placements. Advertisers rely on the novelty of QR codes to intrigue readers. Some are taking the mystery even further, by dropping all readable text and relying on a printed QR code alone to deliver a message. A freestanding QR code on a building or a bus, for example, has a certain draw—the mystery of where it will take you and who put it there.

Photo: clevercupcakes

A freestanding QR code is only one approach. Recently I stumbled across a flickr group called QR Codes in the Wild. If you’re looking for some inspiration, it’s a great place to see what other companies are doing.

I want to hear your ideas:
Where would you put a QR code for your company that might intrigue customers?

What do you think about the QR codes in Welding & Gases Today?

This image may look something like a miniature crossword puzzle, but it is actually a bar code. What’s so special about this bar code is that you don’t need a scanner to read it. It’s known as a quick response bar code—QR code for short—and you can read it with most smart phones.

For businesses, QR codes are the latest form of interactive marketing. When scanned, a QR code can perform a variety of directives, the most common of which is to take users to a specific website. For companies, it’s a great way to get customers to a specific area of a website without typing in a long URL. Instead of being limited to the main website, say www.gawdaedge.org, I could make a QR code to send you to my blog—or even a specific blog post.

In addition to directing web traffic, QR codes can be encoded to deliver coupons, text messages, contact information and much more. Imagine: a QR code on the back of your business card allows your contacts to store your information in their phone without ever typing a number.

Another example: fast food restaurants have started placing bar codes on product wrappers. By scanning the code, patrons can access nutritional information for their meals. How does this translate to gases and welding distributors? A strategically placed code on a hydrogen cylinder might give customers instant access to your Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); another code on a MIG welder might provide detailed technical specifications and safety guidelines.

QR codes can be found throughout the pages of the summer issue of our sister magazine, Welding & Gases Today. These codes allow readers to interact and learn more about companies and their products. Information on how to read the codes with your phone is available in W&GT Online.

With the pervasiveness of cell phones, a phone-accessible code has a lot of appeal for businesses. In the space of a little more than a postage stamp, you can transmit a large amount of information in a variety of ways.

Do you have an idea of how gases and welding distributors can use QR codes in their businesses? Do you think the technology will catch on? Share your ideas in the comments section and they might be featured in the next issue of GAWDA Edge.