We’d like to introduce you to a new feature on the eZanga blog: Mobile Mondays. Every Monday, we will post something related to the mobile industry. The specific topics each week from new iPhone news, updates on mobile operating systems, cool mobile apps to check out, and more.
This week, we are going to talk about something we love talking about: QR codes. If you’re not familiar with QR (quick response) codes, you can read our Introduction to QR Codes.
Most people think of QR codes as a way to get to a company’s website or Facebook page quickly and easily while they are on the go, or possibly as a way to get coupons or deals at their favorite stores. But the retail industry is definitely not the only one that can and should embrace QR codes as a way to engage customers. The two examples above are probably two of the most basic, unimaginative ways to use a QR code in your mobile marketing plan. So let’s look at a few ways QR codes can be used in the real estate industry.
Get possible clients to contact you. - QR codes can be a no fuss way to save your contact information into someone’s phone. Several QR code generators give you the option of creating a contact details card, also known as a VCARD, that contains information such as your name, phone numbers, and email addresses for the scanner to save into the phone’s contact list. These can be helpful with stationary listings or advertisements. Scanning the QR code and saving your contact information makes it less likely that they will forget about the property once they walk away.
Get prospective buyers to the property. – Did you know that QR codes can be used to activate the navigation app in the mobile device scanning the code? When creating the QR code, instead of entering a URL to take the scanner to, you can enter a street address or the latitude and longitude of a property listing to open in Google Maps or the phone’s map/navigation app. Then put the QR code in advertisements and listings for the property. Those who see the listing and are interested in the property can then scan the QR code and get directions to visit the property in-person.
Give a virtual tour. – Say someone is walking down a street and sees a home for sale. They can see that it’s beautiful on the outside, but what about inside? They may want more details before they decide they want to get in contact with you. A QR code can link to a video tour, photos, and floor plans of the property. To make sure the QR code provides added value to those who scan it, make sure the content that the code leads to isn’t just a reiteration of the listing or ad the QR code is in.
Share the listing. – Real estate decisions are rarely made by one person and one person only. Even when someone is buying a home for themselves, it’s likely they are going to look to family and friends for their opinions. Make it easy for your prospective buyer to share your listings with family and friends. You can create a QR code with an email message including a quick message that includes a link to the online listing. Don’t be afraid to get creative with the message! Make it so that all the viewer needs to do is enter the email addresses of those helping make the decision.
If you’re convinced that QR codes can enhance the real estate industry, most QR code generators are free and have several format options to meet your needs. QRstuff.com is one example of a generator that supports all of the ideas we have discussed today, but most of the popular generators should have these options, as well.
If you’re a realtor, have you ever used a QR code? Tell us how in the comments!
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Tags: mobile, mobile marketing, Mobile Monday, QR Codes
