The Facts On Real Estate Mobile Marketing

Today's real estate market is far less robust than it was just a few years ago. Every realtor is cutting costs, and one expense they tend to cut is advertising. For most realtors, real estate mobile marketing offers an inexpensive alternative for promoting properties.

Mobile marketing is simply communicating with customers via mobile devices. This type of communication can assist with finding and retaining leads. It can also give a realtor a competitive advantage or those who are less tech-savvy. In addition, it makes realtors available to customers every hour of every day.

Prospective buyers use their smart phones and assistants for one of two reasons. The first is to send text messages. The second is to surf real estate websites so that they can look at properties while they're on-the-go. Realtors are smart to examine their digital offerings. This is especially true as the target demographic becomes younger.

Print ads and website listings put realtors in a reactive position. They have to hope that a prospective buyer will find their properties and contact them. Mobile technology offers realtors ways to be more proactive by using text messaging. For instance, a realtor could send a text to a database of buyers. The text could tell them about a new listing. It might also tell clients when an open house is about to start.

Two new technologies are very promising. The first one is Short Message Service, or SMS. Clients can text a keyword for a particular property and receive immediate property specifics back. This means realtors will not have to keep boxes or tubes of flyers at all properties. They also do not have to utilize expensive 800-numbers.

A second technology is Location-Based Services, or LBS. When the client drives near a property that is for sale, the LBS tracks the location of the client. It then sends an automated text message with property specifics. Future technology will allow the LBS to send automatic texts to anyone who walks or drives up to a property.

Realtors can also improve advertising by improving web presence. All websites should have a smartphone interface. If the site isn't configured to be seen easily on a smartphone, or if a lot of the site is in Flash, it may not be easy for a potential buyer to navigate.

Marketing companies can help to update a realtor's technology. Such companies offer SMS, website and content development, and better website visuals, including video. They also perform better search engine optimization for MLS listings. They insure that client listings get a higher ranking on search engines. In addition, they can help realtors get set up in a social media site, like Facebook or Twitter.

Some realtors cannot afford to operate their own websites. If this is the case, realtors can add listings to sites like Zillow and Trulia. Both have feature-rich, high-quality smartphone interfaces. Just go to the site, open up an account, and then upload listings manually.

Real estate mobile marketing is the strategy of the twenty-first century. It services customers better by making realtors more accessible. It also costs less and gives a realtor a competitive advantage. These days, realtors need all the advantages they can get.

Dave is a real estate consultant who specializes in marketing ideas for real estate.