Mobile Tagging with QR Codes Makes Print Interactive on the Web.

Here is a scenario that could be happening near you soon.

A woman goes to her doctor for an appointment. In the waiting room she pulls out a month old copy of a local magazine to read. As she leafs through the pages and articles she sees a small advertisement for a nearby restaurant. In the ad she sees a square graphic with the instructions, “Snap me for today’s specials.” She pulls out her smart phone and scans the graphic by snapping a picture of it and is immediately taken to a website page with the restaurant’s specials for the day.

After her appointment she goes to the restaurant for one of the specials and claims the special magazine ad only discount. Six months from now someone reading the same magazine could snap the same graphic and get the specials for the current day.

That graphic is the “Immortal Portal™” to the daily specials for that restaurant!

So what was that graphic that the women in the story snapped a picture of? It was a "Mobile Tag", a QR Code (Quick Response Code) or Microsoft Tag. There are many types of these in use today but the ones we are focusing on are square, two dimensional bar codes that can be scanned by most of today’s smart phones by "snapping" a picture of it. One of the unique things about this barcode is that the barcode can stay the same while the information that it references can change. It can become an Immortal Portal™ to ever-changing information.

QR Codes Are Your “Immortal Portal™”

Because of their popularity and broad applicability, we have decided to focus on the use of QR Codes - Quick Response Codes.  QR Codes make print come alive. They make print interactive on the Web. These codes have been in use for years in other parts of the world and are just now starting to be used here.

 QR CODES MAKE PRINT INTERACTIVE ON THE WEB!!

Here is an example of a QR Code:

Doesn’t look like much, but it can contain thousands of characters of information. It can be read by QR Code reader software that is a free smart phone “app” on most current smart phones. Snapping a picture of the code activates its contents.

QR Codes can contain a variety of information. A QR Code can contain the link to a website page (the one above goes to this page at www.The-Immortal-Portal.com, the QR Code program page on the MURCON website.)

Besides website links they can contain an email address, phone number, plain text, business card information, a link to sign up for an event, a text message. Plain text could be a discount code, a “secret” message, or whatever you can dream up to give to the reader.

The codes are being used extensively by smart marketers in all kinds of print advertising including magazine ads, on ticket stubs, billboards, t-shirts, car magnetics, retail window cards, real estate signs to provide property information (see examples here), fliers (see example), newsletters, box labels, letters (see example), and even tattoos. And, they don’t have to be just black and white. You can make them multi-colored and even insert a small photo or your logo over part of the code (see example*). MORE IDEAS and EXAMPLES...

People will snap your code out of curiosity or to learn, discover, watch something about your products and services. If you can print it, you can make the print interactive and “immortal” with a QR Code.  Don't have a QR Code reader on your phone? On your Smart Phone browse to http://murcon.co/glR32B and select your phone from the list to download a free reader.

Smart Phone sales are expected to exceed pc sales in 2011. This is the year of the smart phone. Be creative! How can you turn your print into an Immortal Portal™ with QR Codes?

NEED HELP?

MURCON can help you explore ways to use this technique to increase your business.  Not only will we help you come up with creative ideas and applications, we will create the codes for you, track them, and provide usage reports for you as well.

Once we help you to decide how to use this in your business we will do the following:

• Create and send to you your high resolution, print ready QR Code graphics.
• Set up click tracking for your codes.
• Send you monthly reporting for your active codes.
• Change the target or content for your codes as needed.
• Order printed marketing materials for you customized with your QR Code(s)  (See banner ad below or click here.)

The unique part of our program for real estate professionals is that the property information does not need to be entered (again) into a separate database.  We direct your QR Code to your current MLS listing or website page.  And, the same codes can be used over and over for different properties.

Or, we can consult with you to set up your own program, create codes, monitor and reporont on results yourself.

Introductory pricing now in effect.  Call today for current pricing.

*MURCON did not produce this example.

Please contact Tom Murphy today to get started.

Snap you soon!!
 

NOTE:  Tom is available to speak to groups about the marketing opportunities presented by Mobile Tagging.