Do you have a smart phone yet? By 2011, approximately 317 million people will. With the popularity of iPhones and the entrance of Google into the phone market, smart phone usage will continue to grow rapidly. So with the ability of customers to access data on their phones growing so quickly, how do marketers take advantage? A simple way is with Quick Response (QR) codes.

A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code. Camera-equipped smart phones can scan the codes with apps that are free to download. (Most new smart phones are shipped with bar code readers preloaded.) These QR codes can be printed on almost anything – from business cards, to posters, to clothing. Once a customer scans a QR code, an action is sent back to the phone – a Web address, a phone number, a text or other SMS message. The payoff for taking that action could be something as simple as contact information, expanded information on a product, a company Web site, or perhaps a specific offer. You can even personalize QR codes for customers by combining it with PURL (personalized URL) technology. In the end, you are engaging your consumers in a conversation that if planned correctly, will ultimately lead to increased sales.  

COLORMARK is set to help you enter the mobile marketing arena with QR code campaigns. These can be connected to our marketing dashboards to provide real-time ROI, as well as the ability to constantly optimize your campaign based on its effectiveness.

Read more about QR codes and how they were used at the 2010 SXSW (South by Southwest) Technology Conference.