From Square to Share: QR Codes Meet Zoom

August 12, 2025-Tactical Tuesday: Guerrilla Marketing Tip

Zoom is probably here to stay, and so are QR codes. I was bummed out when they had first come out and then fell off being used for marketing (but continued to be used on retail products like bananas and headphones). Covid brought QR codes back with a bang, and people started to see how useful they were.

There are some dangers for QR codes, the occasional malicious link being used on websites that are typically hinky in the first place, and “safe” QR codes being covered by stickers and linking to places both malicious and NSFW. Since most QR codes are being used in print, unlike gas station card skimmers where it’s very hard to tell it;s there, it’s pretty easy to tell if someone has schwacked a label over something else. And just like clicking on suspicious links in email, or “hopefully not clicking on them”, if you hover over a link or scan a QR code, it should link to what it is supposed to, not to notsafeforwork&^%&%&^.co.

Using QR codes on Zoom during networking events and other business-related meetings (social works too) is easy to do and helps drive traffic to whatever online resource or website you wish to.

A QR code can be added as part of a custom Zoom background and/or used as your photo placeholder when you have your video off. Canva.com offers a way to customize a Zoom background with some starter templates. You can also use Canva’s QR code creator, but I don’t find it as customizable.

My favorite QR code generator is QR Code Monkey. I like it because you can change the color and the shape of the QR code, plus you can upload your logo and have it in the middle of the code.

https://www.qrcode-monkey.com/

For those new to QR codes, please be aware there are two types of QR code. QR Code Monkey offers both. Static QR codes link to a static link that you can’t change after creation. In a dynamic QR code, the link is changeable after the code’s creation. Dynamic QR codes are never free and typically have a monthly recurring fee. I know some businesses are not aware of the difference and get sucked into paying for the dynamic ones unintentionally. If a QR code generator is asking you to create a login for an account to create a QR code, that’s usually a tip-off to be careful what option you pick.