Top 10 Mobile Marketing Strategies for Real Estate

Before we take a look at these top 10 strategies, let's agree that mobile is crucial to our Internet marketing based on just two simple facts:

• As of January of 2014, there were 143 million smart phones and 71 million tablets in the U.S.
• Nearly half of consumers state that they won't return to a website if it doesn't load properly on their mobile devices.

Mobile is how our prospects, customers, and clients are searching for information about local real estate, so we need to respond with mobile marketing strategies that meet their needs.

1. Your site must be mobile-friendly: What do you carry? Perhaps it's an Android phone, or an iPhone, or even a Blackberry. You may also frequently use a tablet device, Android or iPad being the most common, though Windows is still in the tablet battle as well. What happens when you try to visit a website and it doesn't load properly, or maybe the text and images are so small you can't decipher the information? You do what everyone else does ... you move on to another site.

Our first mobile marketing strategy tip is simply to be certain that your website renders properly in all types of mobile browsers. It's not just about seeing it all, but also about being able to read it without a magnifying glass.

2. Understand the mobile user: When it comes to real estate research, think about why someone would be using a mobile device. With the movement from desktop to mobile searches growing at a rapid pace, we should change our marketing planning to always include a mobile component, if appropriate. Whether online, in print, or in other media, think about how mobile can be a part of every campaign.

3. Where they may be and why: Get out and drive around like you're a buyer or a potential seller checking out the competition. Understand that they're actively engaged in getting information, and they could be sitting in front of one of your listings when they attempt to make contact. While a newspaper ad may reach someone as a buyer or seller prospect, it's hard to find a better opportunity with a more involved prospect than someone out and about driving by properties. That's when to be there for them.

4. Make it easy for them with QR Codes: At WebsiteBox.com, we understand the growing acceptance of QR Codes in the U.S. We also know that the average consumer wants an easy way to get what they want. If you provide a QR Code on a sign, they simply scan and go right to your online marketing piece. Think about someone reading a Homes magazine in a doctor's office and seeing your new listing. If they can scan your QR code and go to the listing online, they're getting your best presentation on the spot. Even put a QR code on your business card.

5. Market your other nearby listings: If you have other listings in the area, your QR code can send them to a page with your listings and prices on a map. After all, they're driving around, and you don't want them to miss your other offerings. Think of other custom pages you can create for QR code routing; maybe schools, shopping, etc.

6. Mobile-friendly IDX is critical: Don't limit your prospect with just your listings, as they're going to love using a mobile-friendly IDX search as well.

7. Encourage sharing: It's very likely that people wanting to buy or sell real estate are also friends with or related to other people with the same needs. In every ad, on every page of your site, and in mobile marketing, always encourage sharing of your content and listings. We're a mobile society now, and sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other sites is a way of life. Multiply your mobile reach with sharing.

8. Respond NOW: All of these mobile marketing best practices up to this point are focused on serving the mobile information needs of prospects. At some point, doing this well will result in a contact, whether a phone call, contact form submission, text message or an email. You're mobile, too, so where will you be when a new prospect enters your system? Respond in a hurry and you're first in line for their business.

9. Respond their way: Especially with younger mobile users, texting has almost replaced actual conversation. They don't make phone calls; they text. But, whether it's email, a phone call, or a text, take note of their preferred way to communicate and continue using it.

10. You're mobile too, so think that way: This is kind of a catch-all for the other tips, but it's very important. Re-evaluate all of your marketing and advertising with mobile in mind. It's not just outbound marketing. Think about how to make inquiries easy for the mobile user, how to deliver what they want on mobile devices, and how to respond the way they want.

Like any other marketing plan, what works for us is what works for our target audience. Think like they think, how to give them what they want when they want it, and mobile will work for you.

To view the original article, visit the WebsiteBox blog.