What the heck are QR codes?

You see them everywhere. People tell you, "oh, that's our new QR code! Scan it!" You stand there thinking...."If I tell them I have no clue what they're talking about, will they still respect me? Maybe it's a Star Trek reference. I'll stare at it and they'll think I'm processing whatever it is I'm supposed to see. Then I'll smile and nod and slowly back away."

Ok, maybe it's not that drastic. But these days, it seems that new technology has us constantly asking "what's that and how can I use it?" QR codes are everywhere. When you buy a plant from Home Depot, there's a QR code that leads you to planting and care instructions. When you are enjoying french fried at your local restaurant, you can scan the back of the Heinz ketchup bottle and enter a contest. Before I get into using video with QR codes, let me take a minute to explain how you use them.

First, make sure you have a smart phone. Without a smart phone, QR codes mean nothing. Sorry guys - that's just the hard truth of it. Next, go to your app store or wherever it is you buy your nifty little apps and search for a "free QR code reader" such as "ScanLife." Download it. Now you're ready to go searching for a QR code. I'll make it easy for you. Here's one for you to try.




Open the app on your phone and hold it over the QR code so the entire code appears on your screen. That should be all you have to do. Now your phone should be whisking you away to 12MonthsofVideo.com - one of our promotional sites. Neat, huh? Ok, take some time to check out that site and then come back and finish this blog. I'm just kidding...you can save the website for later.

How else can you use QR codes? One of our clients had a great idea. He has a large staff and it was important to him for his clients to get to know their representatives on a more personal level. With email and social media, people rarely have to meet face-to-face anymore! We went to their location and shot a quick intro video of each employee. They all have personalized QR codes that each link back to their own video. They can put the codes anywhere - business cards, letterhead, office doors...anywhere they can engage someone.

To see what the videos look like, go to EVideoProductions.net/stqrvids