It was about a year ago when I first decided to try using QR Codes (also known as 2D codes or tags) in my real estate marketing.
I didn’t know of anyone else that was using these in their marketing so with an adventurous spirit I set forth creating my own plan.
During the course of the last year the use of QR Codes picked up a lot of attention in the real estate space and a lot of nay sayers, too.
Many people don’t see a reason for QR Codes or the hype that they have picked up. I have quietly continued with my use of them and about once a week someone (a programmer or another agent) will reach out to ask me how things are going.
Since people (at least some people) seem interested in knowing how it is going for me, I thought I would write a post.
The first thing that other agents want to know is how many leads I have picked up or have I had any sales directly from a QR Code. The answer is none and no. But I didn’t expect that to happen, not for some time. I also think that question is sort of like asking how many leads you have gotten from having a smart phone.
QR Codes are bleeding edge stuff and I live in a very suburban area. I figure it will still be a year before consumers really start to “get it”.
Which usually brings the next question, “Well then, why are you doing it?” Answer:
I am intrigued. I like the fact that they turn print materials into mobile ready information and that they are a green friendly solution to flyers and other printables. They are more trackable than a regular print ad and they are notable in their uniqueness. Staying abreast of mobile marketing is a big part of my business plan and I want to be a leader in my business space.
Also, they are becoming more mainstream. In the course of the last year I have seen major department stores using them in ads, sports stores using them in displays and most of my bills have one printed on it, too.
The sales of smart phones is on the rise and with that, mobile smart technology is bound to become more popular.
As to what I have learned over the last year:
#1- I was doing a specific property code and web url on a rider for each listing. This is not only not cost effective, it is wasteful as the metal rider is useless after that home is sold. I have switched that to create a url and code that will deliver the buyer to an easy to navigate general listings page and I can keep using the riders over again.
#2- There are a LOT of ways to generate and track and promote your codes. I have tried Clikbrix and am just now trying Toor.me
While I like both sites and appreciate that they are very easy to use, one thing that keeps me from using them more is that I have to fill in another page of information. I am already filling in an MLS form, ad forms, web page information, blog posts, etc. I find that I often put these mobile sites to the back burner because of form burnout.
#3- You want some kind of tracking. Sure, you can’t reach out and contact the people that scan your codes (but I think that would be creepy anyways), but you can see which codes are working and re-think your strategies. There are lots of ways to track: via a company like the ones mentioned above or by tracking the url with a service like bit.ly or my preference goo.gl.
#4- Be creative. Anyone can create a code for their listing, but what ELSE can you do with them? I put one on my business card that opens up my online business card so clients can easily save me to their smartphone without having to type. I also put one on this year’s business holiday card that opened a video with a holiday greeting from me…thereby making my holiday card an interactive multi-media experience.
Well, I have work to do so I will wrap this up, but I will finish by saying that I know I have yet to scratch the surface of how a QR code can be used for real estate and plan to keep experimenting. I will keep you posted!
