Market your services with QR codes

OMTI QR Code
QR codes have been around for a long time but in recent years they have become ubiquitous because they can be so practical:

When restaurants reopened after COVID lockdowns, many switched to using QR codes instead of paper menus for contactless service at their establishments. And since you no longer have to download a QR code scanner app — instead you aim your phone’s camera at a QR code then click the link that appears on your screen — anyone with a smartphone can easily scan a QR code to read a menu — or access a website like your RB Connect Mobile site.

Not only are QR codes easy to use, you don’t have to pay to get one if you don’t want to. There are free and paid versions of QR codes — and the free ones work just as well as the paid ones. They are definitely a budget friendly way to promote your services.

Promote your RB Connect Mobile site

If you haven’t already added QR codes to your marketing efforts, this article will show you how to use a free QR code to encourage traffic to your RB Connect Mobile site. Instead of expecting clients to type in your RB Connect URL, you can easily generate a QR code online then add it to your business card and other materials. When people aim their phone’s camera at your QR code it will take them directly to your RB Connect login page.

And while you are at it, you can do the same with the Resource side of RB Connect — generate a QR code for that URL and add it to materials you offer resources.

You can generate QR codes that lead to other things too: Your company website, a specific page on your site, your contact information, a location on a map — if you can think of a use for a QR code for your business there is probably a way to do it.

Getting your QR code

Follow these steps to generate a free QR code that links to your RB Connect Mobile site.

NOTE: I am using QRCode Monkey’s free QR code generator in these instructions. There are other generators you might prefer but QRCode Monkey is a genuinely free generator and easy to use. You can use their codes however you want and they don’t expire. They include useful customization options. We aren’t endorsing this site or getting paid to promote it but I think it’s a good option if you want free QR codes.

  1. Go to https://www.qrcode-monkey.com.
  2. Enter your RB Connect URL in the first field — include the https:// prefix with your web address.
  3. If you want a different color QR code than black on white, click Set Colors. Then enter the color’s hexadecimal numbers or click the color square and pick a color in the interactive color palette. Other color options:
    • Color Gradient: Click the radio button then select the beginning and ending colors for the gradient. You can have the gradient change from top to bottom (Linear Gradient, the default) or radiate from the center (Radial Gradient) by selecting your choice in the dropdown.
    • Custom Eye Color:  QR code “eyes” are the bigger graphics in the corners of the code. Click this radio button then choose colors for the rim around the eye and the center of the eye. In the OMTI QR code above I entered a hexadecimal number in the second custom eye color so the centers are red.
  4. If you want to add your company logo to the middle of the QR code like we did in the OMTI QR code, click Add Logo Image. Then click Upload Image. Select your logo image file on your computer and click Upload. Click Remove Background From Behind Logo to stop the QR code at the borders of your logo.
  5. Click Customize Design. There are 3 categories of options that you can choose to customize the appearance of the generated QR code:
    • Body Shape: Click an option for how the elements in the main graphic will appear.
    • Eye Frame Shape: Click an option for how the rim around the eye will be drawn.
    • Eye Ball Shape: Click an option for how the center of the eye will be shaped.
  6. On the right side of screen the default size is set to 1000 x 1000 pixels. This is a sufficient size for most of your print needs but you can change the final size of your QR code by sliding the handle to the left or right for a custom size. Click Create QR Code.
  7. A preview of your QR code will appear. Aim your phone’s camera at it and click the link to check that it works — sometimes having a logo in the code makes it inoperable or the colors are not readable or maybe there’s a typo in the URL. Make adjustments if needed/desired and click Create QR Code to preview your new code.
  8. When you are satisfied with the look of your QR code click Download PNG. If you prefer your code in a different format you can click one of the other options: .SVG, .PDF, or .EPS.

That’s it! You now have a custom QR code that will take people to your RB Connect site. Add it to all of your marketing materials and handouts as appropriate to give people an easy way to go to your site.

Other uses for QR codes

If you don’t have an RB Connect site, there are plenty of other ways to use QR codes in your business. On the QRCode Monkey site you can create free QR codes for:

  • Any URL
  • Text
  • Your email address or phone number, even an SMS message
  • All of your contact info as a vCard or MeCard
  • Your office location on a map
  • Your Facebook page or Twitter account
  • Your YouTube channel, a playlist, or a single video
  • Your WIFI network so someone can join without needing to know the password

They have other options too that you might find useful. Some are only available in the paid QR Code Generator Pro application — but you can probably get all the QR codes you need using the free version.

Listed under Best Practices, Communicating with clients, Communicating with resources, RB Connect, RB Connect Mobile | Tagged , ,