For a lot of us in the marketing world, we’re happy to see QR Codes start to take off in the mainstream. Businesses are starting to use them pop-up in a variety of places, including on beer bottles, in Pottery Barn’s catalog, @ Best Buy stores, etc.

To start – a brief explanation of what QR Codes. I won’t repeat what others have said best – here’s a link to find out more for yourself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code. In short -QR Codes are way to connect something in the physical or digital world to the mobile world.

I own a smartphone. And I’ve seen the power of the what QR can do for consumers. On-the-spot comparison price shopping keeps vendors honest and encourage price competition so that consumers ultimately benefit.

But – I’m here to let you in on a an enormous secret. QR Codes have almost ENDLESS possibilities for almost ANY type of business. Why?

Two Words – Speed & Efficiency. Typing takes time & effort. Snapping/scanning a bar code is fast & effortless.

Now … on to a few examples of usage:

1) Mobile Interaction – Sure people can type in a company’s website if they see something on a newspaper ad, in a magazine, on a product, etc. But – that takes time and is cumbersome. QR Codes allow for an instant bridge in communication from the digital or physical world right into the mobile world. That instant bridge provides instant gratification in a time where people are expecting instant as a way of life.

2) Customer Acquisition – A lot of businesses, retailers, marketers, stores, etc. want business to “Sign up for their newsletter, Like our Facebook Page, Follow us on Twitter.” And I encourage everyone to do that. But – the usual solution is for someone to try to remember that website or channel promoted. Later on, they may or may not remember. Is that a risk you want to take? Instead, why not setup your collateral, website, retail items, social media promotions and everything else up w/ a QR Code. Immediate interests are rewarded with immediate results.

3) Product Promotion – Imagine you’re a Real Estate agency and you want to figure out ways to interact w/ your customers better. Flyers are placed @ houses, ads are placed in papers, and those houses are shown to the public. But – what if that person could actually interact w/ each house or the agency as whole? A QR Code could be placed on every sign. When scanned, the shopper could be brought right to that house’s website. Or maybe a QR Code is placed next to each house in the paper. When scanned, The shopper is brought to a video of that place on the agency’s website where the house is listed.

These are just a few examples of the beginning use of QR Codes for businesses or marketers. But as I mentioned earlier – the uses or applications are truly endless!

If you’re looking for some ideas on how to use QR Codes creatively & effectively, please drop me a note. I’d also love to hear other people’s success stories too!