I was introduced to QR codes a couple of days ago and ever since then, my mind has been reeling! What exactly is a QR code you ask? Well, it’s a barcode that is paired with an application for your smartphone. You down load the app, I have been using ScanLife, and then when you see one of the codes that look like the one above, you start the app and point your phone’s camera at it and it scans it. The code contains a link that the application recognizes and it loads a website on your phone’s browser. Why is this a big deal? Well, for people looking for new homes, it makes getting the details of a home you are sitting outside of a lot easier! Imagine, driving through a neighborhood and stopping in front of a home you think looks nice on the outside and wondering if it has the four bedrooms you need. All you do is scan the code on the sign and bam! Now you know that this home has the fourth bedroom PLUS the game room you were hoping for at the price you want. For us as a builder it makes it easier for our customers to find information about a neighborhood even if the Model Home has closed for the day.
These codes may revitalize print advertising in a huge way. A couple of weeks ago we included a QR Code in our ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The link associated with the code will load Antares Home Page. Since a lot of businesses are focusing a lot of their advertising dollars on driving traffic to their websites, this will be an excellent tool used in a print campaign. And we may see an uptick in print advertising across the board for companies using these codes. Currently Tag Heuer is running a very large QR campaign and it seems like a lot of other businesses are finding different uses for them as well. Starbucks is testing the codes for use in their pay by iPhone application!
We are using the codes in our inventory flyers and I am working on putting them on our available signs. I keep coming up with places to put the codes and I am ordering a t-shirt that says:
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