BlueCapra

Using Technology To Solve Problems and Create Solutions

  • About Alan Reeves
  • Curiosity & Learning
  • Projects

Getting Started with QR codes – Make Your Business Cards Stand Out

June 28, 2013 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Getting Started with QR codes - Contact Information sticker - Alan ReevesLet’s face it, our network of friends, coworkers, and other contacts is one of the most important assets we can build in any business.  As the old saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.  But tracking contacts, remembering details, and keeping up with business cards can take time that you don’t have.  Thankfully, QR codes can help (or at least, let you help others).

To illustrate the point, picture yourself at a networking event.

You are meeting some great people and getting some outstanding business contacts.  By the end of the day, you have a pile of business cards.  You don’t have an assistant yet so you need a way to get these contacts into your computer and accessible through your smartphone.  As much as you hate data entry, it has to be done so you get to work.

After three or four cards, you flip one over to see a QR code and the caption, “Scan code for contact information”.  Intrigued, you fire up your smart phone and scan the code.  Amazingly, with just a simple scan, all the contact information is magically entered into your address book.  “What a great shortcut” you SCREAM to the strange looks of your family…  No misspelling, no thumb-typing, no typing at all.  You must have your own QR code.  But how?

Adding a QR code to your business card is an easy process.  You can add them to new designs but even if you have a box of new business cards, you can still take advantage of the benefits of QR codes.  So, let’s get to work.  The first step is to create the QR code.

Creating a QR code

There are several free online QR code generators.  All you have to do is enter the information and with a click of a button, you have a QR code of your very own.  The result is a small graphic, usually in a PNG format, that you can put into a word processor or graphic software to be printed.

Let’s walk through an example using the ZXing QR code generator.  Here is what it looks like initially:

Getting Started with QR codes - Creating a QR code online with ZXing

Since Contact Information is already selected, go ahead and complete the fields.  Here is what mine looks like:

Getting Started with QR codes - Creating a QR code online with ZXing - Alan Reeves's QR code

A few notes to pay attention to:

Encoding

The default is MECARD which results in a simpler and thus, smaller QR code so we’ll stick with that.  The other option is a vCard.  I won’t get into the differences between the types right now (they are very similar) but if you want to learn more, I am working on a guide that will explain QR codes and how they can help you (especially if you have a small business)

Barcode Size

The default is Large but for our example, go ahead and change that to Small

All the other default options are fine so go ahead and click on the Generate button.  Here is the QR code encoded with my MECARD:

Getting Started with QR codes - Alan Reeves's QR code

Now, the fun part; let’s create some QR code stickers.  For this part, you have many options but one choice is to use some 1″ x 2-5/8″ return address labels from Staples (the same as Avery 5160/8160).  Be creative.  Not sure what to do? Here are a few ideas:

Getting Started with QR codes - Label examples on the back of business cards   Getting Started with QR codes - Label examples for the back of business cards

If you don’t want to print them yourselves, you can have your QR code stickers professionally printed.  Here are a few options:

Vistaprint

Moo

Getting Started with QR codes - Digital mockup of a QR code sticker from Moo

Just peel and place the stickers on your business cards.  It is that easy.

Congratulation, you have just taken the first step toward making your business cards stand out.  By adding something as simple as a QR code, you have made it quick and easy for others to connect with you.  Think of all the time you can save and all the time you have saved everyone else.

If you are looking for more practical information and ideas of how to use QR codes for your small business, I am working on a guide.  If you want to be notified when it’s finished, complete this form and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.

Filed Under: How-To

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Find what you are looking for

Books I've Read

48 Days to the Work You Love
Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error
How Doctors Think
The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely
Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life
A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy
Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition
Startup Guide to Guerrilla Marketing: A Simple Battle Plan For Boosting Profits
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin To Munger
Multiple Streams of Internet Income: How Ordinary People Make Extraordinary Money Online
Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
Build Your Own Wicked Wordpress Themes


Alan Reeves's favorite books »

Copyright © 2025  ·  BlueCapra.com  ·  Built on the Genesis Framework and Centric child theme   ·  Affiliate Disclosure

Copyright © 2025 · Centric Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in