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Mobile Marketing?

By
Home Stager with Showhomes

I have been house shopping recently and have been struck by the high number of mobile marketing tactics Realtors are using. Mobile Marketing is a buzzword to catch all of the tools you might use to route traffic to a customer's cell phone. Since our cell phones have almost become our home office, it makes sense that this would work, right?

I'm pretty savy on marketing, social media and technology but I'm old-school when it comes to driving around looking at homes. My wife and I like to grab flyers and keep the flyers as we drive. We make notes on them and keep them in a folder. This helps us remember the details and have it handy in the car when we are out and about.

Because, like many buyers, we rely on the flyer, we both find text messaging for home info hard to love. You have to stop driving and listen to the text, sometimes the text takes too long to get to you and you don't have a way to keep track of the homes you are looking at (prior to working with your Realtor of course.)

Making matters worse, twice recently I've gotten spam calls from mortage folks who are providing the service free to Realtors in hopes of capturing leads.

It's bad enough that I can't get information in the industry standard - the flyer. Worse, now the Realtor is the source of spam and his or her trust level just plummeted. For my wife and I, we have simply started boycotting homes that don't have flyers. Text messaging is nice and could be a helpful addition to using flyers but shouldn't replace the flyers.

What do you think?

Thomas Scott

www.showhomes.com

Comments(3)

Kate Talarico
Kates Home Staging and Interior Design - Goshen, NY
RESA, Top Orange County Home Decorator & Stager

I also think a home flyer should be provided, it is where a potential buyer can write their notes on the home they just visited.  If you are looking at 4 or 5 homes in one afternoon, the flyers will help you remember what you just looked at.  Technology is great, but sometimes it can go to far.

Sep 15, 2009 09:59 AM
Leanne Zumbrunnen
Z Touch Design Services - Lenexa, KS

Thomas, I'm with you.  Obviously we are very visual people in our indrustry and as we know most people can't visualize!  They want those pictures on a piece of paper.  I'm a recycler and I try not to waste but I think most people like the flyers too.  I think they need to offer both so the "tactile" and the "techies" are happy.

Sep 15, 2009 03:10 PM
Home Staging
Showhomes - Nashville, TN

I'm always amazed at how few homes have flyers these days. Even though the market is down, there are still buyers. Skipping flyers really makes for a poor impression of the Realtor. That said, I love the promise of mobile marketing and would like to use it for our home staging company. My friend Greg Dawkins, a Attorney in Alabama had this to say:

Greg Dawkins
hmm, you probably have more going on up in Nashvegas than here, so this may exist. but what I'd like is this: a short number on a sign that I could text my interest in a property that would then prompt an email to me with pictures, room dimensions,virtual tour, etc., sort of a pimped up flyer. so I don't have to waste my time with an agent if it isn't a fit.
Sep 15, 2009 03:47 PM