Today is a guest post from the wonderful Joseph Baker, a wonderful guy and friend of The Engaging Brand. I asked him to give us an insight into marketing with QR codes 
While QR codes are not as ubiquitous as billboards, business cards, pay-per-click ads or television advertising, those that use the codes use them regularly. As more people begin to ask, "What are these black and white squares for?" you can expect to see an increasing number of potential customers venturing into the world of QR codes.
With 14 million people scanning QR codes in June of 2011, awareness of this type of marketing is on the rise. Though scans are still associated with a fairly specific crowd, this type of customer is one you want to have.
Moving Into the Cloud
QR codes are a step away from paper-based marketing and advertising and a step closer to cloud computing and online file storage. With the information stored online instead of through a dedicated server, QR codes are a great option for newer, smaller businesses.
Without the need for a dedicated server, smaller companies can also be more mobile and conduct business from anywhere. With the number of younger people running small start-ups from their homes or abroad, the use of QR codes could soon become the most common business and marketing model.
Simplicity
There is a certain simplicity to QR codes that suggest they could be the next big thing in marketing. Though not necessarily new, QR codes eliminate the need for print advertisement, expensive PPC or Facebook ads, and audio or video marketing.
QR codes give the same amount of information with less space used and with the ability to be placed nearly anywhere. The codes can be placed everywhere from moving buses to newspapers to the packages of other products. Even when used with other forms of advertising like business cards, you can still save space while giving potential customers access to more information. Whether you're selling a product or looking to promote yourself, your QR code on business cards or marketing materials can link back to your product, website, youtube channel, Facebook page, or Twitter account.
QR codes, when placed in store windows, give customers the option to engage with your brand without too much commitment. If you own a small business and people want to know what you're up without having to come inside, a QR code can give them quick info about your company. You can even use your code to encourage check-ins with Foursquare or offer the promise of freebies to come. Your code could be good for a discount, used as a punch card type method or other great deals.
Brand Loyalty
People that use QR codes are on the move, and probably don't want to spend much time loading a page, sifting through information or dealing with a site that isn't designed for a mobile device. They expect things to work well, quickly and always on the first try.
If everything is up and running for their first encounter, they'll probably come back for more. If your QR code takes them to a dead link, a site designed for a desktop or laptop computer, or delivers the wrong information they will probably never try again. Make sure to test your codes several times from every device you have available. Mobile, tech-savvy customers are easy to attract. Those same customers respect businesses of any size that know how to use technology to their advantage. They'll likely tell their other tech-savvy friends, which adds up to a solid fan base for your brand.
So Long, Classified Ads
We've nearly waved goodbye to many types of advertising over the years. Could we soon abandon PPC ads and direct mail for QR codes? Keep in mind that right now, QR codes are still a mystery to many people. Customers can be reluctant to adapt to new technology, so you might not want to abandon older forms of marketing just yet. Depending on your business type, the move to QR code advertising could be fast or slow, easy or difficult. Give it a try. It could be your next big thing.
