A QR (quick response) code is a matrix barcode (one of the things in the picture to your right) that can be read by dedicated QR readers or camera phones. The code is made up of black dots on white and each one is unique – think of it as a digital fingerprint.

If you’ve seen them around lately and think they’re snazzy (that’s right, I’m brining snazzy back) then it’s about time – the QR code has been around since 1994 (roughly when snazzy was last used in a conversation), was designed by Toyota (actually a company owned by Toyota, but no one had ever heard of them so Toyota gets all the glory) with the key benefit that it can be decoded at high speed (in a swoosh).

QR codes are becoming mainstream, and are useful for anyone (or any business) wanting to communicate with a demographic that has a camera phone (or will do in the near future) – they will scan the QR code in a practice we know as ‘mobile tagging’.

How do I get one?

With the greatest of ease and (in many instances) completely free, by visiting or using one of many free QR code generator sites or apps (try www.scanme.com), where you simply enter your details and the site generates a code for you.

How is a QR Code useful in a B2B context?

QR codes make it easier for savvy (and there might not many of those yet, but more will adopt the technology for sure) people in your industry or target industry to get in touch with you or your business. You can load info onto your QR code that, when scanned, takes them to your website, your Twitter page, gives them your contact information or lets them connect to your wireless network. It basically gives you the option to put a link on a physical object – like a t-shirt or an advertisement in a magazine (this is known as hardlinking) – so the possibilities are endless.