Mobile Marketing in the Real Estate Space

Ten years ago, most agents were made aware that if they did not have a website they would fall behind their colleagues in short order as the industry progressed in that direction. The same can now be said about having a mobile friendly website. There are more than 23 million cell phones in Canada and, for those who haven't noticed, they now come surgically attached to the hands of anyone under the age of 30! Add to that the fact that 43% of first time home buyers fit into the 18-42 year age group and you have a compelling reason to go mobile! 

There are typically three elements to mobile marketing for agent. The first, and most important, is to have a good mobile website. A mobile website is a site that is optimized to look great on any smart phone (smart phones are cell phones that offer access to the Internet like Blackberry's, iPhones and Android phones). Notice the screen grab in the picture below:



This is what a typical non-mobile website looks like on an iPhone. You don't want your customers to have to zoom in to read your website. Screenshots below shows a mobile friendly website and you'll notice that it is simple, easy to navigate and provides only the information that is really necessary for anytime, anywhere use.



A mobile website allows for instant one touch communications via phone, text or email and most sites allow for the sharing of listings from the device. The greatest advantage to mobilizing your website is that your customers can use their phone's GPS system to find listings closest to where they're standing. This is a great feature for agents to tell their buying customers about. You can suggest that they go to the school that they want their kids to attend and search for the closest listings to that school!

Another important reason to have a mobile website is that it acts as a mobile landing page for QR (Quick Response) codes. QR codes are here to stay and they are now widely used in the retail industry in Canada (LCBO, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, etc.). The greatest thing about a QR code is that it is a quick link to content on mobile devices. QR codes are read using the camera on smart phones or most of the new tablets (to check your devices eligibility and for a FREE QR code reader download, visit www.4QR.ca). Given that these are purely mobile in usage, agents must understand that they require a mobile friendly landing page to truly provide the proper user experience. If you link a QR code to your regular website, you are disappointing your customers. They don't want to have to zoom in on a tiny non-mobile website to find your information. 

QR codes allow you to provide more information without paying for a lot of print real estate. When you include a QR code on a feature sheet or with a photo in a print add you are essentially including all of your MLS information and more photos.



We know of a number of agents in the GTA who regularly get 40-75 hits from their ads in the weekend local papers. By using QR codes they are actually able to track eyeballs in their print ads by checking how many links there were to their mobile website! 

Another great use of QR codes is to link to your own biographical information. Use them on your business cards so potential clients can quickly learn who you are and what you offer. Create a YouTube video and use a QR code to link to it and you'll be amazed at the familiarity that will develop with your client base! 

The final element in your mobile marketing package is a text platform. Smart Phones are great when you have a mobile website for your client to use. However, almost 70% of Canadians have feature (or flip) phones that do not allow Internet access. The only way to interact with these clients is via text or SMS. The greatest benefit to you as an agent is that Text/SMS is the only platform that actually allows you to capture potential client's phone numbers!

All of the current text platforms in the real estate space have two things in common – a short code and a keyword. When a sign says text "agent" to "123411" the word agent is the keyword and the number 123411 is the short code. In Canada there are typically two types of text platforms – multiple keyword and single keyword. Multiple keyword solutions require agents to match their MLS listings to a particular keyword and then match the appropriate rider to the appropriate property. The newest system is the single keyword system that allows agents to use one keyword for all of their listings.



The linking is done automatically to the MLS listings and there is no requirement to have separate rides for each listing, thus saving on rider costs. The single keyword also has the advantage in that your keyword can be part of your brand ie: text "JoeKing" to 123411. 

The past two years have seen a number of great mobile marketing platforms created for the Real Estate vertical. Do your own research and choose the platform that best suits your needs. There are a number of template companies who offer some of the above elements and a couple of mobile specialty firms that cater specifically to their market. Whichever you choose, know that you are serving your customers better by being mobile!