It seems that QR codes are everywhere, even on wine bottles! QR code stands for Quick Response Code and they are similar to a bar code and you can scan them with your mobile device.

To scan a QR code with your phone, you need a QR reader app. If your phone hasn’t got an inbuilt scanner, just go to your app store and download a free one.

You can see QR codes everywhere, in restaurants to scan menus, in shops, on products… there is an endless way they can be used to convey a variety of information almost instantly. Once you scan the code, the link takes you to a website, an app or even to downloadable material.

So they are now widely used by businesses on business cards, on website banners, on posters, flyers, labels, stickers and on social media.

There are two types of QR codes: Static and Dynamic. What is the difference?

A static QR code contains information that is fixed and can’t be edited once the code has been generated. Great for personal use and they are ideal for the following uses:

WIFI: Let your friends and family connect to your home network easily by scanning the code.

Plain text: Displays up to 300 characters and can be used to message customers for example.

vCard: You can display your code on a business card instantly providing your customers with your email address, phone number, website url and company details.

Email: Provides customers with a convenient way to contact you with this code and can be sent with a pre-filled message

The other type of QR code is the Dynamic QR code. It allows you to update or edit the code which makes it ideal for business and marketing. They are great for the following uses:

App stores: You can link to multiple app stores with just one scan, making the promotion of apps much more efficient.

PDF: You can offer your customer the chance to save and share documents, you can boost your marketing  with digital magazines, brochures and eBooks.

Social Media: You can share all of your social media platforms on one landing page.

Coupon: You can offer coupons your customers can scan and they can also share on social media or email.

How can we use a QR code for our books?

I use QR codes very simply on the first page in my books, especially in my children’s books. For now I’m just linking to my author page but you could use a QR code to take your customers to a landing or opt-in page, you can take them to your blog or website, you can even offer files such as pictures, poems, extracts of your book, and even audio and video recordings. You could make an interactive book!

I usually place a QR code at the beginning of the book, above the copyright notice and I try to make them look interesting, especially for my children’s books. I generate the code on one of the sites listed below and then I add interesting images or graphics on Canva to make them look more interesting and eye-catching. You can even upload files to Google Drive and share the shareable link, it’s that easy!

Where can you make QR codes?

The Selfpublishing Titans website includes a very easy code generator and so does the Kindlepreneur site, but you can also make them directly on Canva! That’s probably the easiest way if you are going to embellish your code by adding pretty frames or elements.

There are also some interesting codes you can generate on

qr-code-generator.com

and

qrstuff.com

Above all, have fun and try using QR codes to drive your book buyers to your website but also to drive potential buyers to your Amazon page! The possibilities are endless