Brokers Must Immediately Audit Mobile

Mobile accounts for 50 percent of web traffic for most brokers today. Sadly, the mobile solution that you purchased a year or two ago is probably behind the times. Not only does your website need to be "responsive" to any mobile browser, but you'd better have a damn good app too.

The first thing that you should do is try it. Make sure that you download your app and use it every time you need to look up something on a property. Moreover, be sure to use the mobile browser. This consumer experience is lost on most brokerage operating principles.

The second thing to do is audit your agents and office managers. Ask them to show you the company's app on their phone. You will be astonished at the number of agents and managers that do not have the app installed. It's a good time to ask them "Why not?" There may be a very good reason.

Promote Your App On Your Website

Sometimes the simplest things can make enormous differences in your business. After getting everyone in your firm to download the app, market it everywhere. We audited a brokerage firm's online strategy recently and made a simple suggestion. We asked the broker to code in links to their mobile app on every page of their website. It is a simple procedure; place the icons and links to the download sites.

We were astounded by the results. Their app downloads went up by more than 3,000 percent!

The funny thing is that consumers visiting their mobile website were already presented with the "Download Our App" option when they first hit the site. The website would detect the mobile solution and make the appropriate recommendation. Unfortunately, that option disappeared if the user did not select it immediately on the first page.

I guess what we learned is that the consumer wants to access the content first, then download your app after you have demonstrated that your website is the one they want to use for home search. In other words, app conversion is happening at a much higher rate on the third or fourth page view than on page view one.

Promote Your App On Yard Signs

Most brokers have some form of mobile call to action on their yard signs. I have seen everything from sign riders to banners to QR codes. They all work, but perhaps something more elegant is to simply put the icons in the lower corner of the sign. The Apple, Android, and Windows Mobile icons have meaning to consumers; you do not need to explain them.

To view the original article, visit the WAV Group blog.