The use of mobile devices and of smart phones in particular is leading many industries to devote more of their marketing focus to be more mobile centric. There are currently nearly 323 million mobile subscriptions in the United States which represents over 102 percent of the population, a telling statistic of mobile usage which should scream “target mobile” to any business. Anywhere you look you will see people using their mobile device to surf the web, buy movie tickets, download videos and more. Perhaps no industry at this time can benefit more from focusing on mobile marketing than the Real Estate industry.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Real Estate Book the use of their mobile device in the home search process was considered a “valuable tool” with over 46 percent saying that it was essential. This only makes sense when one considers that many potential homebuyers cruise neighborhoods that they would like to live in looking for homes with mobile device in hand, with over 68% stating that they contacted an agent to see a home based on their mobile search it should be obvious how crucial the use of instant information provided via mobile can be in the competitive real estate market.

Real Estate agents themselves tend to be first movers when it comes to embracing new technology and what needs to happen now is that they must also take this approach when it comes to marketing to potential clients. This doesn’t mean stopping conventional marketing methods entirely but it is obvious that more attention needs to be paid to a mobile marketing strategy in the coming years as the numbers of potential home buyers using mobile search will only continue to increase.

The implementation of mobile marketing in real estate is a relatively straight forward approach and unlike some other businesses doesn’t require that much of a change in the way business is done. With the real estate industry the signage and advertising is already in place so the main issue is the development of a mobile website or application which features all of your properties and then making sure that the potential client for your listed homes is able to easily access or download your information.

The ideal method of implementing mobile marketing in your real estate advertising strategy would be to integrate the use of SMS/Text messaging, QR Codes and mobile applications to cover all your bases. Text messaging campaigns can be used to collect and manage leads just as email is used and many people today prefer texting over email. You simply add a “code” to your signage and advertising that asks the home searcher to enter the code and send to a particular number for more information and now YOU have access to send communications to them instantly to their handheld device. With text messaging you don’t have to worry about SPAM issues and you know that your message has a much higher chance of being seen since virtually everyone views a text message as soon as they receive it. Drip marketing messages can be added to your text marketing campaign just as with email and there is a myriad of info you can give to the client via text message including more detailed property information, walk through videos, the link to download your mobile app or link to your mobile website and more.

QR Codes may be used to give instant download access to mobile apps and websites and may be placed on virtually any surface including signage, publications, and even on the window of the home itself!

Mobile marketing gives the agent the ability to be in instant communication with a potential client and creates a much more interactive environment by giving you access directly to the potential home buyer on their mobile device. Imagine how much more effective your communication can be when you are reaching the client nearly 100% of the time by delivering the information straight to their smart phone.