What is a QR code?
QR codes, or Quick Response Codes, are two-dimensional bar codes that are arranged in a pattern of squares and used to encode product information. When scanned by a smartphone camera, the user can be directed to any web page you specify, such as your website’s home page, a specific listings profile page, your contact information, a page with a video offering more information about you, etc. The benefit of this new technology is the person can easily scan the code and be directed to where they want to go, no need to enter a website address. QR codes allow agents to track how many times someone has clicked on their different codes. QR codes have already been used in a number of ways, including on direct mail pieces, business cards, movie posters and even signposts to provide visitor information about a city.

Some have estimated that around 1 billion people will own a smartphone by 2013. The more people start to realize just how convenient these handy codes are, the more they will become mainstream.

Marketing Potential
Agents can use QR codes in real estate marketing as an innovative tool because potentially it can simplify and accelerate the process of promoting homes for sellers and attracting buyers to listings while connecting them to the agent’s website. The simple design and size make it easy to integrate QR codes into real-life marketing tools. The following are just a few ideas of where to add your QR codes.

1. Flyers. Put a QR code on your listing flyers and send potential buyers to a YouTube video featuring you and the home they are interested in, a slide show of the home, or listing page with additional photos.

2. Lawn Signs. Similar to Flyers, a QR code on lawn signs give buyers instant access to virtual tours, property specifications, community information, and mortgage options by leading them to your website.

3. Magazine Advertising, Business Cards & Stationary. Consider linking the QR code to a video that starts by mentioning where the barcode was scanned, (i.e. Thanks for reading REALTOR(R) Magazine, etc) and then moves on to the information you want to convey. It could also connect clients to a website, Facebook page, blog, or Twitter account.

4. Direct Mail Pieces. In a mail campaign, using QR codes is a great way to connect with potential sellers. Send the viewer to a video tour of of yourself talking about the wonderful neighborhood area that they live in and the great opportunities available to sell a home fast using innovative marketing tools (such as QR codes!).

5. Your Vehicle. Similar to using a business card technique, provide a video that starts off by thanking the client for scanning the QR code and reiterating the need to have an agent willing to use the most innovative and effective marketing tools available.

How To Create QR Codes for Real Estate Marketing
Creating your own QR codes is simple and FREE. Follow our steps on How To Create QR Codes for Real Estate Marketing using Google’s free online service.

Thoughts
When used effectively, QR codes for real estate are an excellent way to engage your target audience. They are simple and inexpensive, making them easy to integrate into any current marketing tools already being used. Best of all, they can help Agents stay a step ahead of their competition. Hopefully this article has introduced you to enough to get you experimenting with this great marketing tool. Let us know if you have been using them successfully or how you plan to use them in the future.

Log Into or Create a Google Account
Sign in to your Google Account. Don’t have one, create one for free in less than 1 minute (How to Create a Google Account and Why you Should).

Creating Your QR Code
Visit Google’s URL Shortner service and simply enter the URL (web page link) that you want to send someone to when they scan your QR code. Google will create a shortened version of your website link and then list it below. You can then click the Details link located to the right and you will see a one-of-a-kind QR Code created just for your link. It’s really that simple and you can create as many QR codes that you need.

Testing Your New QR Code
Want to test your new QR code creation? If you have an Android or iPhone, simply search your App Store for “qr code scanner” and you will find plenty of free apps. One popular scanner is RedLaser – Barcode Scanner and QR Code Reader By Occipital. Some the benefits of marketing with QR codes is you can view basic visitor stats such as Country, Browser, and Platform. This can be helpful in determining if the effort and money you put into creating, managing and marketing these codes is worthwhile.

Stats Page

Add-on includes:

• New page created so visitors can enter www.yourdomain.com/mobile on their mobile device which will display your Mobile IDX solution. We recommend you advertise this link in all your print advertising, especially your property flyers.
• New Mobile Search marketing page, so visitors viewing your site from their desktop / laptop computer will know you offer a Mobile IDX search for their convenience.
• New “Mobile Search” link will be added under your Search Properties link located in the main navigation
• New graphic will be added to your sidebar navigation advertising the Mobile Search feature
• Mobile browser detection script will be added to your marketing page so when visitors are on a mobile device, they will be automatically redirected to your Mobile IDX search.

Advertise and Increase Exposure
By advertising your Mobile IDX search both on your site and in print (property flyers, ads, business card, etc) you increase the likelihood that visitors will contact you when they look for property on the go.

Pricing
$99 one time set-up fee

One great way to promote your mobile IDX search, is to create a marketing page on your website to let visitors know how they can use this valuable tool to get more photos and property details on “any” active listing while on the go. Encourage them to bookmark your mobile search on their mobile device. Promote that they can enter any property address number or street name to quickly find more details. Include a link to view your mobile friendly search for visitors using a mobile device. Feel free to use the example text found at the end of this article and any images on this page to create your Mobile Search Marketing page.

Tip (Advanced): If you are comfortable editing code, you could add a detection script that would automatically detect and redirect visitors to the mobile friendly search when using their mobile device.

Suggestion 2

Add a Mobile IDX Search graphic to your side bar that would lead visitors to your mobile IDX marketing page.

Suggestion 3

Create a page on your site called Mobile and redirect it to your mobile IDX search page. Promote your customized link in printed material as well as in your other marketing (business cards, print ads, voicemail greeting, etc). Advertise that all someone needs to do is visit www.yourdomain.com/mobile and they can start their search when on the go.

Example Marketing Page

Feel free to copy and paste the content below for your own website. Be sure to right-click the image and save to your computer, then upload it to your own website.

Go Mobile! View Photos, Property Details and More

Have you ever wanted to see more photos or details on a home when you were right in front of it? Now you can. By using our mobile friendly search, you can enter the property address number or street name and instantly access photos, pricing, property description and more.

Just visit
www.yourdomain.com/mobile
(be sure to bookmark the site on your mobile device)

- Search all listings
- Search by MLS number, street number or street name
- Listings are updated daily
- View more photos than typically found on flyers
- Pin point property location on Google Maps
- Easily contact us if you have questions about a property

Option 1

Most Popular – Simply add a graphic or text link that visitors can click on to view your mobile search. Better yet, create a mobile IDX marketing page that explains the benefits of using your solution and how visitors can access it. This will give visitors the option to choose between your normal IDX Search or mobile friendly version. We have provided some graphics below that you are free to use for this very purpose.

Option 2

Add a redirect script to every page on your site that will automatically (as best it can) detect if the visitor is using a mobile device. If a mobile browser is detected, the visitor will be redirected to your Mobile IDX solution. This seems like an ideal solution, but if the visitor wants to view other content / pages on your site, other than the MLS Search, they will not be able to get back to your site. At the time of this writing, this appears to be what Coldwell Banker does (www.coldwellbanker.com).

Option 3

Add a redirect script to your IDX pages only. Visitors will see your normal website when visiting from their mobile device, but when they visit any IDX solution page, they will be redirected to the more mobile friendly version of your search. This allows visitors to still have access to your normal content, but forces them to use the mobile IDX when trying to search for property. A disadvantage to this solution would be that if the visitor wants to access some of the more advanced search features they will not be able to do so since they are redirected to the mobile version.

Option 4

Custom solution. This will require some new designed pages and programming knowledge. It will also be more time consuming / expensive, depending upon what you want. Ideally, when someone visits your site for the first time, they are redirected to a landing page that has very simple options…such as, View Full Website and View Mobile Search. Once they make their selection, your site will remember their preference and take them to the full site or mobile search any time they return. You also incorporate links that allow the visitor to switch between the mobile search and back to the full website.

Mobile Browser Detection Script

A great resource to find open source code that you can use to detect mobile browsers: Detect Mobile Browser.

Need Help?

If you are not comfortable adding code to your site, speak with your web developer for assistance or if we built your site, contact us for suggestions or a quote. IDXCentral.com Support.

Free Mobile IDX Search Images

Below are some images that we have created for our clients to use. Feel free to use these on your site as you see fit. Simply right click the image and select “save picture as…” or “save image as…” > select the location to save the image. Now you can upload the image to your website and link it to your mobile idx solution.

Visitors can search for listings via basic criteria (area, bed, bath and price) or specifically by MLS number, street number or street name. Your contact information will be displayed prominently at the top of every page with your phone number and email address so they can easily contact you directly with questions.

Result pages will display home address, price, bed, bath and square feet. The profile pages will include the property description, more photos, location of the property on Google Maps and more basic information.

Get your link by logging into your IDXCentral Account Manager and going to Account Setup > IDX Solution Links.

Need suggestions / help integrating this new link on your website?
View our post offering free graphics and some suggestions on How to Integrate Your Mobile IDX Solution.

The following icons are free to use for both personal and commercial websites provided you either link to their site or spread the word about them online…so here you go, enjoy. The designer has a very nice collection. Free Social Media Icons