What are these square barcode boxes you are starting to see everywhere? They are appearing on billboards, in local stores and starting to show up on products everywhere. They are Quick Response Codes also known as QR Codes. The simplest description is it is a barcode for smart phones and PDA’s. If you download the free QR Code app for your smart phone, you can take a picture of the QR Code with your phone and the phone will do what the QR Code tells it to do.
Most of the time it will be used to take you to a website, show you a video, dial a phone number, give you a V-Card or send you a text or email. Gone are the days when you need to carry a pen with you to write down information on a business. Just click on the code using your smart phone and get the information you desire.
These codes can help your agency connect and become interactive with foot traffic, web traffic, email traffic, and any type of traffic that you have a visual clue. Don’t think it might be effective?
Imagine this scenario. You walk up to a restaurant that you have never dined at before. You scan a QR Code and it takes you to a Yelp review of the restaurant. The reviews are great. After dinner you walk past the coffeehouse and notice a jazz band is playing, you click on the QR code and listen to a few of their songs and decide to take in a show. After the show you take a walk and you pass an art gallery. Your spouse sees a painting in the window she wants. You sneak a picture of the QR Code on the painting and buy it online for her birthday. Since it’s getting late, you decide to stay in town tonight instead of driving back home. You scan the QR Code in front of the hotel and find out they have a late night walk in only special.
If this sounds a little far fetched, it is not. It is happening in my hometown right now and I just did “the walk” for this column.
How do you think you can use it for your travel business?
- Link to a video of a recent ship or resort inspection
- Link to reviews that your clients have made
- Put it on a business card and link to a video introduction
- Linking to a page of pre-planned trips
Do you have any suggestions? Are you using them? Will you consider it? Please leave a comment!