QR Codes for Great Virtual (and Real World) Business Cards

So you’re here at the home of the web’s best Online QR Code Generator and you’re wondering what else you can do with it? You can find QR codes in education, the business world, and just about anywhere else these days. One of my favorite ways to use my free QR code generator is to network: sharing contact information with new friends and business partners. A QR code on your business card can go a long way!

At the Online QR Code Generator, you’ll notice you can choose VCard or MeCard. Both of these are formats for distributing standardized contact info so it instantly becomes part of whatever services your new contact uses to store that data. But you can take it one step further, the way a lot of entrepreneurs (and even job-seekers) have been doing. Print up a business card from my custom QR code generator and link it to your resume.

“What? Seriously? You Can Use QR Codes for a Job Search?”

Yeah! Businesses have already done great things with their codes: check out this gallery of 30 Creative QR Code Business Cards. Odds are, most of those cards lead to their website or a special promotion. That’s a great way for companies to do business: it’s physical, memorable, and it leads to something great online.

When you’re looking for a job, networking is key. Until lately, people have focused on trading business cards, but the cards themselves don’t really go anywhere or say much. As the economy started to slow down, people were looking for new ways to share their professional info quickly. There are business cards that fold out to a whole resume!

That’s … interesting, but it’s much easier and faster to generate a QR code that really helps you with QR codes marketing. After all, virtually every business contact you make is going to have their cell phone on them. Every cell phone can read QR codes, and more and more phones come with a QR code reader installed fresh from the manufacturer.

You’ll want to make sure whatever you link the card to is scalable and that it works well in the limited viewing space of the average cell phone. But this can be a really powerful statement, especially for guys like me who work in the tech world. What better way to show that you’re connected than with a truly multimedia, internet-enabled business card?

Other Thoughts About QR For Job Search

With the Online QR Code Generator and your average laser jet printer, you can take this pretty far. After all, QR codes don’t have to be color to work. You can create a complete online portfolio that you’ll be able to share instantly with anyone. They’ll be curious enough to take a look, because it’s fresh and interesting.

To give just one example. If you’re in tech, your QR coded business card could lead to schematics, project plans, blueprints, 3D designs … just about anything. In any industry, it would be a great way to store and share testimonials. And it’ll really encourage people to bookmark and share your link if you have a website.

I’m always amazed by what QR can do, which is why the Online QR Code Generator is also a QR VCard Generator and does all the other stuff you’d expect from a really full featured program. But even we’ve only scratched the surface of what QR is capable of. People are coming up with more inventive ways to use it every single day. What’ve you done with your QR codes lately?

More Great Examples of Visual QR Codes

In my last post, I talked a little bit about the reasons why Quick Response is here to stay. Judging from the awesome response I’ve gotten from the online QR Code generator, I think you guys agree with me! One of the things I said earlier about QR is the fact that, when you go looking for something like a free QR Code generator, you’re embracing the fact that QR is a visual artistic medium. It’s completely different from its competitors.

When people are just getting started with QR Codes, they usually compare them to boring old barcodes. Barcodes are so boring they’ve popped up as a symbol of all things mundane, and even oppressive. In fiction, bar codes are almost sinister; prisoners in sci-fi movies get barcoded. Quick Response is completely different, and it’s already building up its own vibe: QR is art, not something ordinary. Here are a few examples:

* 15 Beautiful and Creative QR Codes: Check out the color and design on these! Everything from Time to Disney to Louis Vuitton. Even the makers of Farmville are in on it. My favorite? The retro-inspired Pac-Man design by Patrick Donnelly.

* Make Your QR Codes More Beautiful: Design tips for hardcore QR artisans. Of course, if you’re here, you’re probably already a fan of the Quick Response Code Generator. But if you’re going even deeper into how to generate QR codes and hand tweak them, you can’t beat these tips to make QR something amazing.

* How to Embed a Custom Logo Design in a QR Code: More info on branding your QR with your own logo. There’s a lot of good information here about the limits of switching up your code visually, as well as some more neat examples. BBC, which already rocks the monochrome, did something cool here.

What’s the difference in Quick Response that makes it possible to generate QR code like this? The answer is error correction. Barcodes aren’t very error tolerant by today’s standards, so they can easily get wiped out if they suffer scuffing or damage. On the other hand, QR codes (like the ones created by the Online QR Code Generator) have 30% error correction built right in.

That’s a lot of redundancy for a small space, and it really helps with the “brandability” of code. Up to 25% of your code can be made up of design elements and you still have a pretty good leeway for ordinary wear and tear, depending on where the code is going to live. Probably the best single way to improve your design is to add color, which doesn’t even affect your code’s scanning prowess.

Of course, the visual and tactile prowess of the QR code goes even further: it can be a great accessory to your business card. You can even turn your card into a full-scale online resume and presentation using QR codes! So, don’t delay: hit me up at the Online QR Code Generator. We’ll talk about how QR is changing the job search world later on.

QR Codes in Travel

QR Codes in Travel

On a recent trip to Miami’s South Beach, I noticed QR codes marketing almost everywhere I went. Remember, this is one of the top tourist destinations in the U.S. for Spring Break and summer vacation: the businesses here have a lot to gain by making information available fast through Quick Response Codes. Here are just a few examples of QR codes I saw while I was walking around for a day or two.

QR Codes in Billboards: There are Quick Response Codes popping up in billboards all over the strip. A lot of these codes led to special offers on the company website that are only accessible to QR code scanners. This could grow into a strong brand engagement strategy as more people learn about QR codes. Most of these were for local services and hotels that have a lot of competition in a small area.

QR Codes on Disposable Products: QR Codes are replacing bar codes, not just in items you buy and keep (like books) but also on disposable items like non-refillable drink cups. Anything a customer can handle in their hands or get close to can have a QR code, so it’s no surprise they’re starting to be used for coupons that guide immediate buying decisions. They can even show you to reviews of the restaurant as you’re deciding what to eat.

QR Codes at Hotels: Some of the major appliances in my room and around the building already had QR codes applied. Scanning these led to the hotel’s web-based maintenance portal, so I couldn’t get in. I’m guessing that employees are able to get news and leave updates about the room without going through a complicated, situation-dependent login process. Each item would be tagged with relevant information, making repair easier.

QR Codes for Customer Interaction: With an online QR code generator, it’s easy to create QR codes that pertain to each room, each table at a restaurant, or practically any other division that makes sense. Since you can use QR Codes to access resources that are tied to a physical object, and might not be available other ways, QR Codes may someday serve as a way for guests or travelers to meet in a geography-dependent social network. Even customers will soon know how to generate a QR code quickly, so there’s extra incentive for businesses to provide excellent service!

Advantage Travel Centres, a major travel agency group in the UK, has introduced QR codes to its storefront displays so travelers can access holiday deals, part of its major 2012 campaign. Likewise, marketing firm OnQ Marketing, based in Australia, is recommending its clients use QR codes to beef up travel brochures with testimonials, videos, and other content that can be hard to convey in print. It seems we’ll be seeing a lot more of QR codes at major travel destinations and throughout the industry, especially as tour operators work to extend their clients’ comfort zones through QR-based assistance. Right now, though, the trendiest locales are already on board.

Three Reasons Quick Response Codes are Here to Stay

I was surprised to find out that there are some pundits already predicting the end of Quick Response codes in favor of Near Field Communication. As anyone who’s used our awesome Quick Response Code generator knows, there’s a lot of interest from customers and businesses alike in QR, so this seems a little weird. Their reason? Google phased out QR support from Google Places. NFC technology, unlike QR, doesn’t require you to scan a visual code — but as of yet, virtually no consumer devices support NFC.

That’s not all, though. Here are three big reasons Quick Response is here to stay:

It’s Universal: Every smartphone, tablet, and other internet enabled device on the market can easily handle quick response codes. On the other hand, there’s no telling when NFC support will start to penetrate the market. Even once it does, NFC standards between platforms might not play nice with one another. Quick Response is platform neutral. When you visit the Online QR Code generator, you know what you’re getting.

  • It’s Visual: Don’t get me wrong – I think the potential of Near Field Communication is awesome. But one of the great things about Quick Response is the visual nature of the codes. For an example of what I’m saying, check out this recent article from Mashable: 15 Beautiful and Creative CR Codes. In the switch to Near Field Communication, holding up your phone and getting the same old Place page won’t be the same. Check out that creativity: it’s like urban art. Scanning a CR code should be like a cool surprise.
  • It’s Democratic: Are you here for the Online QR code generator? Then you already know what I mean, even if you haven’t thought of it that way. QR codes can be set up by just about anyone. NFC is chip-based and built into your phone. The likelihood of it having as much to offer the average user as QR is pretty low, at least in the beginning. That might be part of the reason that there’s a little bit of a push against QR. I wouldn’t be surprised if, long after it’s been superseded, it turns a little bit underground and a little bit punk.
  • So that’s the story from the Online QR code generator. Call me biased, but I don’t think we’ve seen the end of QR codes. In fact, we’ll be looking at them for a long time to come. As we speak, people are using them in lieu of business cards (or even resumes!) and a whole lot more. NFC is going to be great, but there’s not as much duality there as people think. Unlike the VHS and CD, or the CD and DVR, QR and NFC can co-exist in peace. Just take a look at these QR coded business cards and tell me it ain’t so.

In the past, QR has had a problem with visibility. But big brands are plastering the codes all over their stuff, and more and more people are learning how to generate QR Codes to do their own thing with the technology. You can help the movement by sharing Online QR Code Generator with your friends!