You might have seen these weird graphics while reading a magazine, and wondered what they are? I am going to show you how to make them, so you can market your business with QR Codes.

First off what is a QR Code, it is a 2D bar code that most smart phones can scan and be directed to do something. When I say scan I mean that smart phone must have a QR Code reader app installed and you use your phone's camera to take a picture of it then the app decodes it for you.

With QR Codes you can point someone to a web address, display text, show a phone number, or send a text message.

So how would you use QR Codes to market your business? Let's look at an example.

A current promotion we are running is you receive a free set of 1000 single-sided business cards with every new site we design, and we would like to advertise this in a local business magazine.

Because of the limitations of print media, obviously you can not go from the magazine print to the web page we would like to direct people so we make a QR Code like the one below. When someone scans this code it directs them to our Web Design quote form where they see the offer at the top of the page. So our quarter page ad could look like this:

This a just a quick example I threw together for this article. You can get quite creative in how you use QR Codes. If you have a QR Code in your phone try this out to see what happens. I use Google Goggles on my phone.

Another way to use QR Codes is to print one out and post it in your Las Vegas store. Let's say you own a restaurant here in Las Vegas and you want to get more fans to Like you on Facebook so they can get special offers from your restaurant. You can make a flyer like this:

Scan This Code With Your Smartphone to Like Us on Facebook.

Be the first to get our specials and discounts

Say you do a postcard mailer, using a QR Code is a great way to get an instant call to action. Someone sees your offer on the postcard and can instantly act on it.

How To Generate a QR Code

If you search for QR Code Generator you will see a lot of services available. We use http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. It is really easy to use. First you choose what kind of QR Code you want to generate.

Then you enter the URL you want to direct people to if this is how you want to use it.

Select the size of the code. If you are using this for print choose the XL version.

After you generate the code you see the page like this.

Now you can save this image to your computer or copy it to place in whatever you choose like the flyer we discussed. It really is that simple.

There are so many ways to use QR Codes to market your Las Vegas business. Your creativity is your only limit.