THE GIST: CodeSquare allows users and businesses to create QR codes that are linked to their social profile, allowing anyone to Like, Follow, or Add the QR creator on Facebook with one click. Business owners can create specified messages or coupons that can only be accessed once the user clicks the Like button.
BUSINESS MODEL: CodeSquare has a very robust Forever Free plan. However, for those that want advanced features – such as analytics and URL redirect – the company has a subscription-based PRO offering. Luckily for users CodeSquare has chosen not to display advertisements on neither Free nor PRO.
FOUNDERS: CodeSquare co-founders Salvatore Salpietro, 31, and Austin Jenkins, 26, met in university in Rome, Italy. After university the two went their separate ways and then met back up both eventually made their way to NYC. They began to see that every business was asking customers to ‘find us on Facebook,’ which isn’t the easiest of processes. “[Finding a business on Facebook] It’s laborious – open phone, open Facebook, type in the business name (if you remember it), click search, find it in the list, check if it’s the right one, and finally click Like. Too much work. We realized how few, including us, actually did it. For two glaring reasons: it’s too difficult, and there’s little if no incentive, ” said Salpietro.
COMPETITION: QR code generators are a dime-a-dozen, but few are socially integrated. When they are, most of them send you to Facebook. CodeSquare doesn’t do that. The user Likes the brand or business from within the CodeSquare experience, and businesses are given the option to offer a custom message or coupon to be displayed
after the Like happens. However, CodeSquare doesn’t want to compete solely with other QR code generators. “We also like to think we can compete on some level with the plethora of deal-of-the-day websites. These guys tell the business owner that they need to give away or discount. And it’s often at a substantial financial loss. AND — they’re not even guaranteed a social-connection with them, so the one-time-deal is literally that. As we know, customers often only come because of the revenue-hemorrhaging deal. So once they leave, the small business owner has no way of trying to get them to come back. CodeSquare gives the customer the opportunity to get a deal, and the business owner gets to keep them updated on future promotions and events via their social page. Everyone wins.”
AN EFFECTIVE QR CODE: “All of our plans have to address a three-problem checklist. 1.) Make it easier for the user, 2.) Give the user a good reason to connect socially, and 3.) give the business control of the incentive. For example, a CodeSquare displayed in a bar that says “Like us – second beer is on us!” meets all three requirements.”
CUSTOMERS: CodeSquare has just come out of a private alpha launch and is now in public beta. “We have a few hundred businesses, musicians, and artists already using CodeSquare to help customers easily connect socially — and rewarding them for it. We’re gaining users in a few ways — we have a team that is actually going to businesses and setting them up — for free. Between this, word-of-mouth, social marketing, and some strategic reseller agreements we have in place, we plan on makingCodeSquare
the way people Like their favorite restaurant, band, or artesian.”
ON THE FUTURE: “For the future, we plan on makingCodeSquare a destination to find businesses using CodeSquare — you know, prior to going out that night. Check CodeSquare, see which businesses are offering which incentives for stopping by, enjoying their product, and LIKEing them. We also plan on integrating Twitter, LinkedIn to CodeSquare — as well as developing a “CodeSquare Finder” mobile app with integrated QR code scanner. We’re ridiculously excited about the possibilities.”
FUNDING: CodeSquare has been bootstrapping thus far, but is looking to raise funding in the future. “We’re at a point now where the future is clearly defined, and we know what we have to do to make it happen. And we have a great team that is really capable. But to really make CodeSquare ubiquitous and “the way” people connect socially in the real world, we will need some resources to make that happen.”