Goin Mobile
With 99 percent of new home shoppers using mobile websites in their search, REALTORS® must make their sites mobile-friendly to stay competitive.
By James Cappio
Going mobile is no longer optional for REALTORS®. Consider the following:
- The National Association of REALTORS® and Googles 2013 Digital House Hunt study found that 99 percent of new home shoppers used a mobile website at some point in their research.
- According to the same survey, 87 percent used a mobile app.
- The survey also disclosed that 21 percent of home shoppers used a mobile device to find a listing agent and 46 percent used one to make contact with an agent.
- A study by Realtor.com found that in the second quarter of 2013, more than half of all page views of listings nationwide were made on mobile devices 58 percent in the most expensive market in the country, Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York.
- Create a separate mobile version of the site, as Levy has done. This allows him to offer special features. Tapping Search on his mobile site brings up an interactive map of the properties he currently lists. Tap on a propertys icon and a pop-up appears that leads to pictures, descriptions and other information about the house.
- Responsive design involves creating a single version of the website to display across all platforms by adapting to the different display sizes. One drawback is that the design cant be completely changed for the smaller platforms. But Warner insists this is really an advantage. Responsive design isnt just a technical matter; its a content strategy. You need to begin thinking about content in bite-size pieces that are easy to rearrange. That means breaking text up with pictures and bulleted lists and using flexible pages with minimum and maximum widths, among other things.
|
Top five activities of new home shoppers on mobile devices |
|
|---|---|
| Read general home information | 55% |
| Get directions to visit a home | 48% |
| Compare prices | 44% |
| Compare features | 35% |
| Search a listing companys inventory | 35% |
People shopping for homes today are tech-savvy, especially in affluent markets. As Sarah Reed, a Seattle-area CRS, puts it: Im right between Google and Microsoft, and Amazon is on the other side of the lake. I have to stay cutting-edge for my clients.
In a city like Portland, Ore., where the two biggest employers are Intel and Nike, people travel and work overseas, says Rob Levy, CRS, and they are on the go even when they search for a home. As Ken Jansen, a CRS in Kansas City, Kan., explains, they probably got to the REALTOR®s website by Googling the address of the house they like on their phone, while sitting in their car.
Janine Warner, author and founder of digitalfamily.com, a Web design and training company, puts it succinctly: Everybody who has a website needs to make it mobile-friendly. Here is what REALTORS® should keep in mind as they optimize their websites for mobile devices.
If You Shrink It, Will They Come?
Warner explains two strategies to shrink down a site to be effective on a mobile device (a third, adaptive design, is suitable only for very large companies):
But Warner cautions against making the mobile site too stripped down; at the very least, she advises, include a link to the main site.
Jansen agrees that content rules. Write for the consumer, not for other agents. Avoid jargon, abbreviations and the like. Try to identify what the consumer is looking for and make sure the page meets that need.
To App or Not to App
Do REALTORS® need apps they can distribute to their customers to be truly mobile-friendly? Rob Levy is skeptical. Who wants to download [another] app these days? he asks. Besides, the listings available on an app come from all the agents who have paid to advertise on it. You dont stand out. Instead, Levy funnels everything through the mobile version of his website. This allows him to push an integrated branding drive; he also includes a QR code on his flyers that links to the website.
Janine Warner cautions: Apps are great, but not everybody needs one. The priority for any mobile strategy should be to make the website mobile-friendly.
On the other hand, Sarah Reed swears by an app called Agent Tapp, customized with her branding, logo, contact information, listings and virtual business card. It has brought in new business. A program manager who wanted to refer a client to Reed had the client download the app. A little over a month later, Reed was assisting with the closing.
Take the Plunge
Reed, Levy and Jansen are only three of the many agents who are winning more clients and closing more deals by optimizing their online presence for mobile devices. As more potential clients spend more of their time on such devices, REALTORS® must follow suit.
Agents who are not comfortable with the technology should not let that hold them back. Plenty of help is available. Even Jansen, a self-described geek who does his own Web design and analytics, counsels, If you dont find it fun, hire somebody who does.
