QR Codes
For those of you unfamiliar with them you can get some information at wikipedia about them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code
QR codes are everywhere! And they are starting to show up more and more on business cards. Why? Well it makes giving a quick link or phone number to a potential client much easier. They can just point their smartphone at your QR Code and click and head to a web page you direct them to, no more need to type it all in by hand.
I just recently created some new business cards for my company and I decided to add a QR code to link to my site on them. I asked around for advice on if I should do this... I got lots of feedback from different sources and they said yes! And then they added their 2 cents on how to go about it, here are some of those ideas...
Landing Page
Don't just put a link to your main web site, put a link to a landing page. This landing page should be a custom web page that focuses on your contact information and a bit of your pitch to your customer.
Here are some principals I followed when creating my landing page
Most people who are going to scan your QR code are going to do it with their iPhone or other smartphone, then immediately go to your landing page on the tiny iPhone screen. Make sure your landing page will look good on a smart phone. There are some html code that can help out in this regard, I won't go into it here but it is in the html of my landing page and you can look up many more sites that can better describe the how to on that then I can here. (here is one site I used for that http://www.thefutureoftheweb.com/blog/avoid-web-site-zoom-in-iphone-ipod-touch )
Here is my first attempt at a landing page, here is a quick snapshot of it through the eyes of an ipod Touch I have handy.
It's actually located at http://www.10x13.com/landing/pbailey/
There is more information below that can be scrolled down to, including a youtube video on alfresco a product I specialize in supporting. My plan is to replace the video with another that I will make in the near future, I think it will give a more personal touch and an opportunity to engage potential clients.
I currently do not have a good hook. I have had several people suggest that I give something away on this page, like an e-book, a newsletter, etc. in exchange for contact information. I think that is a great idea.... now I just need to write an e-book or start a news letter.
Also, I should mention that I added google analytics to this page so I can track it. With this in mind you could make multiple business cards each with their own QR code with their own landing page. Why would you do that? Well imagine you are headed to a conference and you want to know how successful your pitch is there? You could make a landing page/QR business card just for that conference then track how many people visit it and if any of those visits turn into sales.
My Business card and the tools I used to make it
Here is my current business card (minus my phone number)
There are several sites out there that will produce a QR code for you, I used this one http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ .
I then used photoshop to create the actual business card image then I uploaded it to a shop that prints business cards. There are lots of them out there but I found this one that allows you to upload the images you want on the front and back of your business card and they print them up
http://www.overnightprints.com/ . I just ordered them once I get them I can tell you if they did a good job or not ;)
References
[1] 30 Creative QE code business cards
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/07/30-creative-qr-code-business-cards/
visited 4/10/2012
QR codes are everywhere! And they are starting to show up more and more on business cards. Why? Well it makes giving a quick link or phone number to a potential client much easier. They can just point their smartphone at your QR Code and click and head to a web page you direct them to, no more need to type it all in by hand.
I just recently created some new business cards for my company and I decided to add a QR code to link to my site on them. I asked around for advice on if I should do this... I got lots of feedback from different sources and they said yes! And then they added their 2 cents on how to go about it, here are some of those ideas...
Landing Page
Don't just put a link to your main web site, put a link to a landing page. This landing page should be a custom web page that focuses on your contact information and a bit of your pitch to your customer.
Here are some principals I followed when creating my landing page
- Make it smartphone friendly
- Make it focused
- Contact information should be clear and at the top
- Provide a quick introduction
- Link back to the main site
- Provide an additional hook to keep them interested
Most people who are going to scan your QR code are going to do it with their iPhone or other smartphone, then immediately go to your landing page on the tiny iPhone screen. Make sure your landing page will look good on a smart phone. There are some html code that can help out in this regard, I won't go into it here but it is in the html of my landing page and you can look up many more sites that can better describe the how to on that then I can here. (here is one site I used for that http://www.thefutureoftheweb.com/blog/avoid-web-site-zoom-in-iphone-ipod-touch )
Here is my first attempt at a landing page, here is a quick snapshot of it through the eyes of an ipod Touch I have handy.
It's actually located at http://www.10x13.com/landing/pbailey/
There is more information below that can be scrolled down to, including a youtube video on alfresco a product I specialize in supporting. My plan is to replace the video with another that I will make in the near future, I think it will give a more personal touch and an opportunity to engage potential clients.
I currently do not have a good hook. I have had several people suggest that I give something away on this page, like an e-book, a newsletter, etc. in exchange for contact information. I think that is a great idea.... now I just need to write an e-book or start a news letter.
Also, I should mention that I added google analytics to this page so I can track it. With this in mind you could make multiple business cards each with their own QR code with their own landing page. Why would you do that? Well imagine you are headed to a conference and you want to know how successful your pitch is there? You could make a landing page/QR business card just for that conference then track how many people visit it and if any of those visits turn into sales.
My Business card and the tools I used to make it
Here is my current business card (minus my phone number)
There are several sites out there that will produce a QR code for you, I used this one http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ .
I then used photoshop to create the actual business card image then I uploaded it to a shop that prints business cards. There are lots of them out there but I found this one that allows you to upload the images you want on the front and back of your business card and they print them up
http://www.overnightprints.com/ . I just ordered them once I get them I can tell you if they did a good job or not ;)
References
[1] 30 Creative QE code business cards
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/07/30-creative-qr-code-business-cards/
visited 4/10/2012
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