I’m pleased to introduce this guest post by Keith Hackbarth of RentersFriend.com who’s got great ideas about how to make QR codes—like the one you see here—work for you.

QR codes, short for Quick Response Codes, are currently a hot topic in the marketing world.  They look like barcodes.  If you look around, you’ll see them in newspapers, museums, and online blogs.

Consumers equipped with smartphones such as iPhone, Android, or Blackberry can take a picture of these codes and be instantly transported to a website with helpful information about the properties.

Realtors and property managers have started placing these QR codes on their signage and brochures.  For example, a rental property might have a QR code on the “For Rent” sign in front. Walk-by traffic will see this code, capture it on their phone, and instantly get a virtual tour of the property.  Best of all, the QR code will also be stored in the phone’s memory for later reference.

To get started with QR codes, download “QR Reader” or “QR Scanner” software on your phone.  There are many free applications, such as Google Goggles, for this.  Next take a picture of the code and follow the link.

Ask your signage company if they can put QR codes on your lawn signs, flyers, and business cards. It might make the difference between a vacancy or not.

About the author:  Keith Hackbarth is CEO of RentersFriend.com, a web service for online rental applications and credit checks. He loves finding ways to use technology to improve  his family’s real estate business. If you own rental properties, take a minutes to check out his innovative service https://rentersfriend.com

You’ve probably seen them, those square barcode-like symbols that are popping up on buildings, on marketing material, and even on people’s business cards.  They’re called QR codes (short for Quick Response) and they make it easy for anyone to encode a great deal of information in a small amount of space.

You create QR codes using a QR code generator easily found on the web.  At Zebra Crossing for example, you’ll find a free open-source one that lets you imbed a URL, contact information, GEO location, text, or a calendar event into your code. In order for prospects to read the information embedded in the code, they’ll need a web-enabled mobile phone and an app for reading QR codes. QR code readers are easy to find; they’re available in the app stores of all the major phone platforms.  Once the QR reader is installed, a prospect simply snaps a picture of the code and their phone “translates” it for them.  If the code contains a URL, the web-enabled phone takes them to that website.  If the code contains text, that text appears on their screen for them to read.

QR codes have been popular overseas for some time, especially in Japan.  They’re only beginning to gain popularity in the U.S. and there’s a growing buzz about them in the real estate industry.   They can be faster and easier for busy people to use than copying and pasting a URL, and they have an added “curiosity factor” since passersby can’t know what the coded message says unless they take some action.  For these reasons QR codes have great marketing potential and many possible real estate uses.  Here are some ways you might use them:

• Use a QR code on the outside of a building to provide prospects with a digital property prospectus—text they can read on their phone that describes pricing, floorplans, listing broker information and more.
• Post a video tour or a slide show of the property to the web then use a QR code to let prospects see what the property looks like on the inside even though they’re standing outside.
• Use a QR code on a sign outside the property to alert prospects to an upcoming open house.  Create a buzz in advance by posting QR codes around the neighborhood.
• Buyer not interested in this property?  No problem.  Use the QR code to direct him or her to other properties nearby that are also for sale.
• Add them to your Facebook page or the sidebar of your blog to let readers know about new properties or special events.

The possibilities are endless.  What else can you think of?