QR codes have been a hot topic in online marketing circles in 2011.

I’ve been hesitant to recommend them to clients for various reasons. But after a discussion at a local marketing/PR event recently, I decided to learn more about their potential uses and implications for my clients.

Here are some of the more interesting—and useful—posts I’ve discovered in my research, organized into three categories:

Basic how-to/background posts

How QR codes can grow your business. This is a great explanation of the history of QR codes, along with a few case studies and potential uses.

50—count em, 50—creative uses of QR codes. Nice, long, creative list of potential uses of QR codes. My favorite examples: in a jigsaw puzzle, on the bottom of flip-flops, and on produce.

How to use QR codes for event marketing. This Mashable post highlights potential uses and how not to use QR codes.

The ins and outs of effective QR code marketing. A QR code primer from David Griner at the Social Path broken into four simple rules every marketer must know.

Stats

QR code growth explodes by 1,200 percent. This list of data points and research, conducted by Vancouver-based Mobio Identity Systems, includes a staggering number: QR code use has increased by 1,200 percent in the last year.

The QR code statistics you’ve been looking for. Here’s a great infographic from the folks at Jumpscan. My favorite stats: 52 percent of users have seen or heard of QR codes, and 28 percent have actually scanned them.

The rise of QR codes. Another infographic. This one’s from queaar.com, and it includes a host of stats, including where QR codes most commonly appear, which phones are scanning QR codes most frequently, and which companies are using them as marketing tools.

QR code case studies

7 recent QR code marketing examples by major brands, music artists, and publications. This list of case studies from Wayne Sutton features Ford, Delta, and Redbox, among others.

QR code case studies. Shel Holtz aggregates numerous case studies from Chevy, Sir Speed, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and more.

2 stunning case studies show how QR codes can generate revenue. In one, Verizon asserts it grew sales by 200 percent thanks to QR Codes.

37 examples of using QR codes. This is a Slideshare presentation featuring 37 ways to use QR codes. My favorites: on a pancake, on cufflinks, and on shoes.

5 Minnesota QR code examples. This post from Dave Erickson features examples from the restaurant, real estate, health care, and academic industries/arenas.

Arik C. Hanson is the principal of ACH Communications in Minnesota. He blogs at Communications Conversations, where a version of this story first appeared.

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