The Power of Partnership Marketing
We have been slow to react to the QR Code frenzy at the Urbane Lab. A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds (“modes”) of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or by supported extensions virtually any kind of data.
Marketers have flooded the space with a variety of QR Codes aimed at getting the customer engaged. Social Media Examiner sums up how these work in an article titled How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business.
When you scan or read a QR code with your iPhone, Android or other camera-enabled Smartphone, you can link to digital content on the web; activate a number of phone functions including email, IM and SMS; and connect the mobile device to a web browser.
The problem, and you have likely experienced this if you have tried to use QR Codes, most of them, like many things marketers go after, are lame. At best they take you to the businesses web site. Boring and mediocre, or worse, you have potentially irritated your customer.
Break From the Pack of Apartment Mediocrity
Apartment marketing need not be boring, and that goes for QR Codes too. Do something interesting, surprise your resident and give them something to talk about. That is the goal of a Resident Retention
Program we have launched at Urbane Apartments. We are increasing our Resident Touch Points with a series of surprises aimed at Enhancing the Residents Experience spread over the lifecycle of the residents lease term.
The first in the series occurs at Move In, which can be a pretty frustrating experience even if all goes well. Who likes to move, not many. Free pizza isn’t anything new, however we have added a twist or two and induced Partnership Marketing into the mix and a spin on the typical no one really wants move in basket.
We have created a QR Code that is on the inside of a pizza box that has been placed in the apartment unit on top of the stove. Inside the pizza box are paper plates and napkins, along with a QR Code shaped like a pizza that takes the the user to a short animated video that makes a spoof of the hassles of moving, and tells the resident that dinner is on us tonight, and here is how to get your free pizza delivered. We hope that the pizza, coupled with the free Vitamin Water in the fridge eases the pain of moving and brings a smile to our new residents experience.
Reach Out to Partnership Marketing
Here is the great news, we have negotiated with a local pizza shop for free pizza boxes and pizzas in exchange for marketing on our on line magazine. We have a long standing relationship with Vitamin Water, where they furnish each Urbane new move in with a sampling of their products in exchange for cross marketing.
So for the budget minded operators, the cost to the property is nil, as we have created the animated QR Code in house and have most everything else cross marketed with our marketing partners. A true Win Win.
Hopefully this is enough of a nudge and something to talk about that the residents will share via their social channels, and we all get a compound return!
Eric Brown
Eric’s background is rooted in the rental and real estate industries. He founded metro Detroit’s Urbane Apartments in 2003, after serving as senior vice president for a major Midwest apartment developer. He established a proven track record of effectively repositioning existing rental properties in a way that added value for investors while enhancing the resident experience. He also established Urbane Media, a social media marketing and PR laboratory, where innovative marketing ideas are tested. Eric has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Week Magazine. You can connect with Urbane_Media on Twitter. Eric also writes regular articles for the following publications; Multi Housing News Social Media Examiner Search Engine Guide
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