When is a real estate sign also a web page? When the agent is using a QR Code on the sign to market the home!
What is a QR Code?
A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. They are currently used for a wide array of purposes including: driver’s licenses, paperless coupons, on bills and other publications. A QR code, when scanned by a smart phone (i.e.: BlackBerry, iPhone, Android) will take the scanner to a website.
QR Codes are a fantastic way to promote any kind of marketing information in a modern, non-traditional and green method. A code can contain text information, a phone number or a website url: any information that you want to share with your customer.
While used widely in Japan and other parts of the world for some time, the use of QR Codes is a fairly new concept in America.
Enter Lesley Lambert, Realtor for Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA and co-founder of TQ, Inc Social Media Consulting. Lambert prides herself on her use of technology in real estate marketing. Over the past few years she has become a blogger; including blogging for both local and national online magazines, studied search engine optimization and web site coding and has been using social media tools to grow her business.
“I learned about QR Codes at PodCamp Western MA and through a post by Lani Rosales on Agent Genius,” said Lambert. “The code was added to the event t-shirts by one of the organizers, Jaclyn Stevenson. After having the concept explained to me and then seeing it in action, I got to thinking about a QR Code campaign for my real estate marketing.”
Lambert is rolling out a marketing campaign that will include the use of QR Codes on sign riders at her listings as well as on printed materials like flyers and postcards.
Lambert explained how she sees this working. “Let’s say a potential buyer with a smart phone drives by the house and is curious. They stop to write down information and then notice my sign rider. They take a scan of the QR code and ZIP! they are delivered to a webpage dedicated to information on that property. A website that is rich in information and content like video, photos and important documents…all available instantly by scanning the code”
While Lambert knows that this isn’t a commonly used tool, yet, she feels it is the marketing wave of the future and is excited to be offering something new and innovative to the home sellers and home buyers.
“I am also trying this out as a test program that we can add to our list of services for real estate consulting,” Lambert added.
If you have a smart phone you can find a QR Reader application in your application store. Go download the free application and give the code above a try. To encourage the fun in this new gadget, Lambert is running a contest. Anyone that tries the QR code on her newest listing (seen above) will be taken to a page with instructions on how they can be entered into a contest for a $25 Starbucks gift card.
“It’s like a virtual scavenger hunt,” concluded Lambert. “I want this to be fun for people.”
Real estate may never be the same.
