QR tags are a new thing that you may have seen in print ads, but they can also be used in digital signage. You can embed QR tags in your bulletins to prompt action from viewers - send them to a website, have them vote in a poll, or offer a downloadable coupon. It’s a great way to track ROI for your messages.

A QR, or Quick Response, tag is a two-dimensional bar code that embeds data, such as a website URL. Mobile phones can read this code with their cameras. The tags can be put on any visual medium that can be photographed – print materials, emails, web pages, t-shirts – and, of course, digital signage content.

Generating the QR tag is easy. There are a bunch of free online generators you can use. Simply tell the generator the destination you want the QR tag to go to, and it will generate a square image file with the embedded data – usually a PNG image file. Then you just insert the image file into your bulletins and media designs.

Audience members with a camera phone simply download free reader software to interface with QR codes. Their phone’s camera captures the image and scans it for data, which causes the phone’s browser to launch and redirect to your designated URL. Keep in mind, though, that you need to keep your QR tag on screen long enough and position screens so people can take the photo.

The most popular destination for QR tags is a webpage you’ve created. However, you can direct your viewers to Google Map locations, social networks, email addresses, or downloadable coupons and images.

One QR provider is I-nigma.com. They offer both the generator and reader software for free on their website.