VPAR Technology Newsletter July 2010

Give Dropbox a Try!

6 Free Safety Measures to Protect Your Computer and Your Business

Have You Tried Mobile Marketing?

HAVE YOU TRIED MOBILE MARKETING?

by Brian Sklute

As more and more people are communicating through text messaging and using smart phones to access the internet (just the other day my daughter said ”email is so yesterday, dad”), maybe it’s time to consider how we market our homes these days.  If you think texting is just for kids, you should see my 76 year-old mother-in-law fire off a few text messages!

We have all seen those 1-800-XXX-XXXX sign riders on listings.  Well that is one form of mobile marketing.  Does it work?  I’ve dabbled in it a little bit, and I can tell you that it allows me to connect with buyers much more successfully than just using flyers.  Here’s how it works:  You put the sign rider up with the 800# and maybe even a flyer with no price.  The prospective buyer pulls up, likes what they see, and they call the 800# to get the price and more details…either right from their car or later because the toll free number is all over your flyer as well.  As soon as they call the number, the listing agent gets an email and/or a text message with the buyer’s contact information. Usually it’s just a phone number, but sometimes you get where they are calling from or even their name.   Within 5-10 minutes, if possible, call them back and say something like “I noticed you just called on my listing at 123 Apple Street.  There’s a limited amount of information I can put on that recording, so I am just making a quick follow-up call to see if you had any questions.”  Because they called you first, you don’t have any “Do Not Call” issues (at least that is how it was explained by the vendor I use – consult you legal advisor).   But wait…there’s more!

Now you can do a similar thing with text messaging.  The prospective buyer can send a text message and receive more information.  Again, you will be notified immediately and can then follow-up.  Take a look at one of my listings (it’s already sold, but I’ll leave it active so you can check it out).  Be sure to click on the link if viewing it from a phone with data access.  I think it looks really impressive, but judge for yourself:  text “LMA1” to “88000.”   Normal texting fees apply, but you probably have unlimited texting, right?
Here are some links to some vendors:

For 800 # Marketing (or Google “real estate call capture technology”):
www.proquest-tech.com
www.callcapturehotline.com
www.realtyone800.com

For Text Marketing (or Google “mobile marketing real estate”):
www.drivebuytech.com (it’s only $1 for your first code, and it can be used over and over!)
www.cellsigns.com
www.cellitmarketing.com