Roofing contractors should take notice of QR (Quick Response) Codes – a two-dimensional bar code that can be scanned by smart phone cameras to automatically pull up websites, photos, videos, audio, and more on a web-enabled phone, identify geo locations of people and products, automatically add calendar events or contact information to another person’s address book, or initiate phone calls or text/SMS messages.
QR codes have been around since 1994 in Japanese manufacturing processes, but they have many uses for a residential or commercial roofing contractor. They are very simple to use and can be created for free. QR Code reader applications can be downloaded at no cost to any smart phone.
How can roofing contractors use QR Codes?
Since QR Codes can be printed on just about anything, they can be used for so much more than marketing and advertising. Please scan the QR Code you see at the top-left corner of this blog post to view my list of ideas on how roofing contractors can put QR Codes to work for your company.
How do you create and read QR Codes?
There are hundreds of websites you can use to generate QR Codes. I recommend Google’s free QR Code Creator or Kaywa - they are quick, easy and free to use.
There are many free applications you can download for your smart phone to read QR Codes. I use the Google Goggles app for my Android phone. If you have a different type of phone, try one of these options: for the iPhone install either the Barcode Reader, QuickMark or Optiscan applications, for the Android install the Barcode Scanner or Google Goggles, or for Windows phones install the QuickMark application. You can also perform a Google search for the term “QR Code scanner” or “barcode reader” to find more options.
If you have any questions about the use of QR Codes in the roofing industry or would like help developing and implementing a QR Code strategy, please email me at Chris@RoofPal.com.
** For my full article on QR Codes for the roofing industry, please click here. **
