Using QR codes on business cards

Is it really easy?, Does it work? Why would you do that.

Why put a QR code on a business card

• It makes it 'easy' for the recipient to get your contact information into their address book on the mobile phone by scanning it. The alternative is retyping everything manually or using a clever OCR scanner (are those still used?).
• I cannot think of any other reason why you would put a QR code on your card other than perhaps to be fashionable or 'hip'. In many cases these cumbersome (big) black and white blocks will not look good and do not complement the representation of a company as a business card should. Designer and branded QR codes on the other hand do help to promote branding, support house style and customer awareness.

Example business card with QR code

Dynamic QR code on business card

You have some choices to make!

There are four things to take into account when deciding to use QR codes on business cards for contact information exchange.

1. Mecard protocol QR code - Designed specifically for mobile phone contact lists.
2. vCard protocol QR code - Designed for comprehensive business contact data exchange via vcf files.
3. Contact information embedded in QR code
4. Contact information supplied via a URL (link) in the QR code.

Let's have a look at the contact information protocol first to determine which is best suited to your needs.

The Mecard protocol is for mobile device contact information exchange, via blue tooth, infrared, SMS and also QR codes. It is a very simple effective and efficient protocol for fast exchange of basic contact information and best suited for personal use. It does not accommodate diverse information. Example: There is no property for company name nor fax number, you can only specify one telephone number, one website and one email address. This protocol is supported by all mobile devices that can manage an address list and support a communication method to other devices.

The vCard protocol is extremely rich and can hold a mass of information, including profile pictures, multiple profiles (business/private), store dates like anniversaries and much more. This protocol is well established and has been in use for many years, even before mobile phones were common place. Businesses and companies used this protocol and exchanged contact information via attachment of .vcf files to emails. It also became a very good source for spammers to get email addresses and lost a lot of popularity in the early 1990's. I have yet to find a QR scanner that is able to interpret vCard information correctly. If you know of one that really works, please let us know! Currently all the QR code scanner apps we have tested fail on even the most simplest vCard entries. Considering this protocol is older than mobile phones, I cannot but wonder if this is being done on purpose, has technical implications or is ignorance of all the companies currently flooding the market with 'their' brand of QR code reader!

Embedded QR code data does not need an Internet link to get access to the contact information. Just scan the code and it will ask to save too or update the contact list. It's that simple. There is a but! The size of the QR code will vary with the amount of information you want to store in it. The more information, the bigger the QR code gets. This makes it difficult to determine the size of the QR code and where to best place it on your business card until you have made the code.

Linked QR code data needs an Internet connection to connect to the on-line contact information service. All the information is managed by an on-line server. Because there is not limit to the amount of information that can be supplied, vCard protocol can be fully supported, even including profile images. Due to the nature of only having a specific web link to the contact information, the footprint (size) of the QR code will be lot smaller than a code with all the contact info embedded. This is a plus point for printing the QR code on a business card. The 'but' here is, that because it is a service offered by third parties there is often a cost involved to power, maintain and provide the service. Companies offering this for free probably have a business model based on selling your behavior, so be carefully and read the fine print before just using a 'free' service.

Recommendations

For a QR code that contains contact direct information I recommend using the Mecard protocol, vCard although richer in business options is just too unreliable and the mass op QR code reader apps do not support it properly at all at present. vCard appearing to be the best business choice, is actually the worst in this case.

For QR codes via a service and an Internet link I recommend using a service provider or to create your own mobile web page where mobile devices can see,read and download your contact information. The added advantages of a QR code service provider are usually well worth the often small fee they ask.

• Additional contact information options beyond vCard and Mecard protocols like social media links.
• Support for multi-lingual interfaces (Useful for pan European companies).
• Additional options to link to video and presentations that can be displayed on the mobile device
• A user subscription service (get updates on changes)
• Statistics on scan rate (date, time, device, etc.)
• QR code size always the same irrespective of the volume information (ideal for company business card production - uniformity in scanability and area.)
• The information is dynamic and the QR code is always actual. If you move address or your telephone number changes, you add or remove information, the QR code remains actual and up-to-date.
• Ability to add marketing, sales and promotional offers in-line.

Interesting facts: Not all mobile devices are created equal. For example did you know that: iPhones cannot access 'flash' (you probably did) but also no .vcf files or vCard protocol, nor Mecards via an Internet link. And that certain mobile phone Internet providers block protocols without informing their subscribers leaving you with unresponsive mobiles after you scan a QR code. QR code service providers are usually aware of these dubious activities and strange limitations imposed by third parties and provide automatic alternative solutions and routes to ensure maximum coverage and operations for their QR code users to ensure the message gets delivered.

Can a QR code be made to match my company logo colours?

I most cases the answer is, yes. It could even contain your company logo, trademark or product image. These are called 'designer QR codes' or 'branded QR codes' they are fully functional but there is a price to be paid that goes further than the cost of creating them. Get advice from professionals if you want use designer QR codes effectively and efficiently it really is worth every penny.

For an article on what a reusable QR code service can mean for you, see: Ultimate QR codes are dynamic for more background information.

Using QR codes on business cards, to do or not to do, the choice is up to you.

With mobile and smart-phones being common place today, recognition of QR codes and what they can do increasing sharply combined with the fact that there is an abundance of (varying quality) free 2D code readers for mobile devices on the market, any effort made to add value to products and services using this technology can only compliment the efforts you undertake today, on different levels, and also applies to your business card as representation of you and your company.

Free on-line QR code generators for business cards

Test and experiment with QR codes to see how they look and how they work to determine if QR codes on your business card have added value for your prospects and clients and for you and your company.

• Mecard generator that supports transparency
• Mecard generator that supports colour
• vCard generator

Should you have any questions, comments or suggestions please contact us.

The use of QR codes on business cards

Some say QR code business cards do not exist and that this is a fantasy. We say they certainly can and do exist and in more than one flavour as well. Lets have a look at what a QR code for a business card is and what needs to be taken into consideration before using one.

Why put a QR code on a business card
To save a person having to retype all the information into their digital contact list. However the flip side of the coin is that you will have a square 2D bar-code on your business card, and this may not be esthetically pleasant to the 'look and feel' of the card that represents you and your business.

Digital contact information
Forms and specifications of exchanging digital contact information (electronic business card) is nothing new, it was defined in 1995 the 'Versit Consortium' and was represented by Apple, AT&T, IBM and amongst others also Siemens. It became known as the vCard specification. It was developed to make it easy to exchange contact information between platforms that supported address lists and soon was supported by most e-mail clients. It was also shortly after that dumped by nearly everyone because attaching a digital business card to a signature in an email caused an incredible increase in spam because this was an ideal way for email harvesters to get new email addresses and send more spam. So much for e-mail and electronic business cards.

With the invention of the mobile phone another standard designed for these devices appeared in the late 1990. Called the 'MeCard', it was simple and could exchange basic contact information like name and phone number.

There are two different ways of exchanging electronic contact information
The vCard has a comprehensive feature set, allowing for multiple private and business telephone numbers, websites as well as url's and even embedding image data, while the MeCard format is for fast simple basic contact information transfer.

Electronic business card QR code example:

Mecard QR Code	vCard QR Code

The contact information in the QR codes above are the same with the MeCard QR code having a smaller surface area or 'footprint', this is because of the internal data formating required to get the information in the correct format into the QR code.

Which one would you prefer
The Mecard is small in size, does not allow you to put in a company name, or a fax number nor many other business related information objects, so this can be a problem for professional use.

Size does matter
Idealy a QR code on a business card should be as small as possible and contain as much business contact information as needed, here is the first of two points where those who claim that a QR code business card does not exist may have a point. Looking at the vCard, that can contain vast amounts of information, a QR code cannot, like a balloon it has it limits in how much it can store. Making it less than the ideal transfer method to exchange information. A typlical example is the ability of the vCard to hold and transfer an image, a QR code simply does not have the capacity, and if it did, it may need a business card of large proportions to be able to print a readable QR code on it.

Vcard sounds great but has limits and creates a large footprint QR code whereas MeCard is great for personal use but serves the business community badly.

Dynamic QR codes to the rescue

Imagine if you could use the full potential of the vCard specification, like company name and details, fax numbers, even an image of yourself or your company building. It is in fact possible using a dynamic QR code and an Internet service. One company offering advanced contact and vCard information exchange is QR4 with their managed vCard+ service.

QR Code Business Card Example

Results on an iPhone

vCard+ Screen	vCard+ contact information

This is a very clever QR code application using encrypted URL parameters to prevent accidental or forceful access to other peoples information via the internet and recognizes the different mobile phone models and compensates for their weaknesses, The best part is it supports social network links and a few extras that are not dealt with by the vCard protocol. The owner of the QR code is able to change and keep the contact information updated, So even after a move to a new address, rendering the old printed business cards obsolete, the QR code will still provide the current information.

Expand your Xing social network using QR codes

Xing is mobile friendly and QR codes are thus an ideal way to expose your Xing social media profile and gain more contacts and credibilty in your network circles. If you don't know what Xing is, check it out here...https//www.xing.com/

All you need is to know your Xing profile information, enter this in our free online styled Xing generator, and you'll have the perfect tool to use in brochures and other printed matter to allow mobile devices and smartphones get connected to you.

Another great free social media QR code support tool from QR4 to boost your social media presence.

Active on other social media platforms? Then our other services may also interest you!

• Your Facebook profile QR code
• A Facebook Page 'Like" QR code
• Personal LinkedIn QR Code
• Pinterest Pins
• YouTube Video Links
• Sending Twitter Tweets via QR codes
• Styled Twitter 'Follow Me' QR codes
• Expose your twitter profile to mobile devices

Have we missed something? Need a QR code to get your social activitity more mobile? Let us know what you need and we'll make work of it.

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Active Navigation via QR codes

Mobile devices with GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities and that have one or other navigation application onboard can make use of QR codes to activate as example, a route planner, for realtime navigation activation.

Like the sextant (six piece od a circle measurement) a nautical and astronimical device to determine the longitude using Greenwich time, our modern electronic devices need three components to make it work.

• GPS receiver and processor
• Navigation and mapping application
• QR Code reader capable of understanding geo-encoded data

Creating navigation QR codes

QR4 provides a free QR Code Navigation Generator

There are other geolocation and routing options

For devices that do not have GPS, nor mapping capabilities, but do have a QR code reader the use of an Internet service is the best choice to show where the co-ordinates you have encoded are on the globe. It stands to reason that navigation will need to be done externally by entering your current location in the online service.

The requirements for this type of service are:

• Available Internet connection (via any type of connection, teathered or wireless)
• QR code reader capable of understanding a request to go to a resource on the Internet

Passive geolocation and routing

QR4 provides a free QR code Geographic Generator

So now you can implement active and passive (via an external service) geo-location using QR codes.

Which type of QR geo-coding is best to use when and where?

Let me start off with: If it's printed, painted, projected or anything in the analogue world...use QR codes. If it's digital and portable DON'T!

Both types have their merritts. If you want people to know where you are, play safe and use the passive version, knowing that if that service fails or changes it's way of working, your published and printed QR codes could become totally useless. If you need to guide people to your location the navigation QR code is your best option, but will only work with mobile devices meeting the three criteria for direct navigation ability. The choice is yours. As complete measure you could consider providing both geo-location types to service as wide an audience as possible.

Maps and Navigation QR code examples

What mobile marketers use to get their message to mobile markets.

A comparison between 2010 and 2011 deployed mobile marketing tactics. I'm sure that 2012 will again see an increase in the use of QR codes.

Source: Chief Marketer Mobile Marketing Survey

In 2010 no one bothered to check the use of augmented reality, so data is missing for this year.

Interesting to note is that barcode scanning is up 15% (this includes QR codes, MS tag and other proprietary barcoding technology) and outperforms any other technology used between 2010 and 2011 and I expect it to increase even more in 2012. Mobile apps are also still a popular instrument for branding and marketing.

SMS marketing that was always seen as an urgent and immediate communication channel has declined the most. Even though it is the fastest and simplest way to set up, use and to communicate to mobile devices, I can only imagine that the costs per message in combination with limited interaction and presentation options are the reason it is being abandoned by marketers.