Realtors are constantly seeking new
ways to control business costs, in a slow market. Placing print advertisements,
and printing up fliers to leave at listings, may eat a sizable portion of a
realtor's budget. Fortunately, real estate mobile marketing, as part of an
overall digital strategy, provides a no-paper, low-cost avenue for reaching
potential clients. This type of marketing also helps realtors to be more
proactive with advertising, rather than reactive.
Mobile marketing is defined as
communicating with customers via a mobile device. This capability appeals to a
clientele that is rapidly growing more technologically sophisticated. This
availability gives the realtor a competitive advantage, in the recruitment and
retention of clients.
Realtors are set back in a reactive
position with print ads, and even with websites. In both cases, realtors have
to wait for clients to contact them about the property. Ideally, realtors
should be able to proactively market their listings to potential clients. Mobile
capability will give realtors a platform in which to be more assertive, while,
at the same time, saving money.
When realtors list a new property,
for instance, they may choose to send the information to clients, using text
messaging. Realtors should also take advantage of SMS. For instance, realtors
could establish a service, in which clients could text a keyword to a specific
number, and then receive property listing information, right on their smart
phone. Advertising is only one aspect of an overall digital strategy. Many
clients use their phones to look at property information online. One idea is
for realtors to list homes on real estate websites, like Zillow or Trulia. Both
of these websites feature high-quality mobile applications, and are rich in
visual features. Another idea is for realtors to use social media to
communicate with their client base.
Real estate mobile marketing gives
realtors new, fresh ways to reach out to potential clients. Web and phone-based
services offer convenience to clients, at a low cost to realtors, thus helping
them to recruit and retain more prospective buyers. Utilizing all of the
capabilities of computers and smart phones allows realtors to match their
services to the technological savvy of their client base.
