QR Codes For Real Estate

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

QR Codes are a hot topic these days. But what about for Real Estate? Are you using them? Do you know what they are? Lets discuss how QR Codes are changing the way Real Estate Marketing is done.

56

Canada / General Chit-Chat

SAM THE MAN

NewBee

8

1

Beats me - what are QR codes?

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

sam said:
Beats me - what are QR codes?

QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are 2 dimensional barcodes that you can scan with your smartphone. The codes can contain any information, but typically contain a URL pointing to a website. By scanning the code it removes the need to type in long URL's into your mobile browser.
All smartphones have the capability of scanning a QR Code. Let me know what type of phone you have and I can point you in the right direction to get a reader on your phone....it's free.
One note that should be pointed out is that all QR Codes should resolve to a mobile website since you are scanning them with your phone.
QR Codes for Real Estate have certainly been gaining traction over the past few months. Our company Clikbrix - http://www.clikbrix.com is a turnkey QR Code and Mobile Web solution for Realtors and Brokerages. We were just awarded with the Smaato International Mobile Marketing Award for Best Mobile Web Solution. This shows us this technology has huge potential in the Real Estate space.
Most of our Agents/Brokers use our system to generate a mobile website (in minutes) and the QR Code it resolves to. Our clients put their codes on everything, from their For Sale signage and Direct Mail pieces to their business cards and bus shelter ads...some use their Clikbrix QR Code as their Facebook or Twitter profile pics because they can be scanned right from the computer screen.
We are also able to "brand" our client's Clikbrix QR Codes - you can see an example here - http://www.clikbrix.com/customize-your-qr-code
Take a look and let me know what you think.
Sincerely,
Erik

ROY BHANDARI

Senior Buzzer

512

60

I know of a few agents who have adopted them - Mark Savel who frequents this board (www.savelblogs.com) was probably the first agent that I know of who adopted the technology.
I've thought about it, and will probably have a QR code when I print new business cards to test the waters but don't have enough print material to go nuts on it. Since I don't do much resale, I don't send out mass flyers etc. but would be interested in thinking outside of the box to find uses for QR codes.
Would be interested in hearing about how other agents have done with it...

MOO STASH

BabbleBee

301

21

Erik said:
QR Codes are a hot topic these days. But what about for Real Estate? Are you using them? Do you know what they are? Lets discuss how QR Codes are changing the way Real Estate Marketing is done.

Hi Erik, I am not a real estate agent, but I do love real estate. Further, I love technology.
I have started to see QR codes pop up around Canada and North America, and they fascinate me.
However - again, I am not an agent - I see that QR codes could potentially work against agents.
For example, from a marketing perspective, if I am to have a For Sale sign on a client's yard or a listing paper, I would imagine that there would be a lot of people who want to know more about they project but the project will not be for them. In this case, I would want them to call me, so I could see what would be the right "fit" for them and place them in the proper house.
Chances are, the "right fit" would not be one of my own listings, so if they came to my website they would not find what they were looking for.
In this situation, if they clicked the QR and didnt see what they like, they will leave. If they call me, I can turn them into a client.
As mentioned above, I am not a real estate agent, so I could be completely wrong, and not understand the game.
Any agents out there want to comment?

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Hi Moo,
We have run into your point (which is a good one) before. What Real Estate agents are beginning to realize and put in to practice in terms of their marketing tactics is that it does not matter what the Real Estate Agent wants. What matters is what the potential client of the Real Estate Agent wants. Mobile home shoppers want to know 2 things:
1. About the Agent
2. About the Property
Agents know that if they don't start marketing the way people want to be marketed to another Agent will and they will be left behind. This not only applies to Real Estate marketing but to any kind of marketing across verticals.
Our QR Codes link back to the Agent's Clikbrix Profile Page. We have a "click to call" function, email the Agent, Contact them via Twitter, Contact them via Facebook.
Take a look at one of our Agents Clikbrix site by entering m.clikbrix.com/t/124 into your mobile browser.

SAM THE MAN

NewBee

8

1

Thanks for the explanation of QR codes - I've seen them, but needed know what they were called. I've got a Blackberry (not sure of model).

TRONTSIES ONTARIO

Buzzer

103

1

They're the new, improved, more personal barcode. They may be a fad but for the time being they're pretty hot and I know that when I walk by a QR code or see one in a magazine I want to whip out my phone and scan it - just because!

ART CONDOS

NewBee

7

We used QR codes to great success as part of an interactive art project that we ran as part of the Queen West Art Crawl and will be using them again in the future - really cool and so easy to set-up and use!

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Here is an online presentation we put together highlighting 10 Benefits for using QR Codes in your Real Estate Marketing Mix:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38554876/10-Reasons-Why-QR-Codes-Are-Beneficial-For-Real-Estate-Marketing

CITYZEN GROUP

Buzzer

16

We have a QR code on the hoarding for our L Tower project which has resulted in direct registries. It definitely adds something different and gives the public another option.

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Join @clikbrix and @mlrealestate for a FREE 1 hour Webinar on QR Codes for Real Estate. The Webinar is Monday, November 11 @ 1pm EST.
Follow this link to join - http://bit.ly/9iWatI

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Erik said:
Join @clikbrix and @mlrealestate for a FREE 1 hour Webinar on QR Codes for Real Estate. The Webinar is Monday, November 11 @ 1pm EST.
Follow this link to join - http://bit.ly/9iWatI

Sorry the Webinar is November 22 @ 1pm

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Branded Clikbrix.com QR Codes For Real Estate - Say hello to Clikbrix Realtor Lisa Heindel from Westbankliving.com - Check out Lisa's Clikbrix QR Code Sign Rider http://twitpic.com/35nh9k

JEREMY SHIFTLER

Buzzer

167

3

Neat! Can you place the image anywhere? Can you do ones like Louis Vuitton?
Vuitton example: http://hypebeast.com/2009/04/louis-vuitton-qr-codes-by-takashi-murakami/

BRAD SAGE .SAGE REAL ESTATE

Buzzer

11

1

Full disclosure I am not a realtor but i do handle the marketing at Sage Real Estate so i know a little bit about real estate marketing.
QR codes are something that we have gotten into in a big way. We have them on everything from print ads in the newspaper, to feature sheets, just listed/sold cards, and our lawn signs. I am not an expert in QR codes but i have done a fair bit of research for our own applications so all i can tell you is what we did and why. We ultimately chose to use standard black and white QR codes that get automatically generated when you crate short codes with goo.gl and bit.ly. There are a couple of issues that I had with the custom/cutesy Louis Vuittonesque codes:
1) It is such a new technology (especially here in Canada) that people may not know that you can scan those custom/cutesy codes. We may take another look at them when codes become mainstream and widely understood.
2) Some of the custom ones that we looked at also required that you download a very specific QR code reader. I don’t know if that is true with the LV one but when i tried scanning it with my standard qr code reader it did not work. The more stumbling blocks you put up for someone to scan your code the fewer the number of people that will do it.
3) Goo.gl and bit.ly are just so easy to use especially if you are already using those services
The really exciting aspect of QR codes for us is the ability to leverage the mobile web, which is a whole other discussion.

MARCO DIFOTI

Senior Buzzer

550

45

^^ How do you train people about them? I imagine that the majority of Torontonians have no clue what QR Codes are. The only people who know, are advance BlackBerry Messenger users!

LONDON SASSE

NewBee

8

I think QR codes may never really hit the mainstream - or gain more popularity than they have right now. I think they may start to fade.
BUT people have been saying this about txt messaging for years and its sure surprised everyone - so you never know.
I can just say from personal experience that QR codes are high maintenance - it takes me more time time to read a QR code on my phone than simply entering a url in my browser.

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Mac N - I think the following may be a counter perspective to yours:
Here is research showing that 22% of Fortune 50 companies are using QR Codes in their marketing -http://slidesha.re/htrSJg
Global TV just announced today that are putting QR Codes on live news casts - http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/canadian-broadcaster-global-tv-launches-interactive-smartphone-to-tv-contest/
Here is a list of 50 more Major US Media Companies Using QR Code - http://blog.greattv.com/2010/12/great-list-50-major-media-companies-using-two-dimensional-2d-scan-codes-in-2010-including-quick-response-qr-scanlife-ezcodes-and-tag/
Here is a list of 101 other major brands using QR Codes and other 2D codes in their marketing - http://blog.greattv.com/2010/11/list-101-major-u-s-national-brands-are-using-two-dimensional-2d-scan-codes-in-2010-including-quick-response-qr-scanlife-ezcodes-and-microsoft-tag-scan-codes/

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Hi Marco
As you can see in my response below the limited knowledge of QR Codes has been changing and will continue to change in the very near future. JMHO but the facts don't lie.
Erik

ROY BHANDARI

Senior Buzzer

512

60

I lean a little towards what Mac N says - I'm not sure it'll be the next big thing everyone is predicting. I think the adoption rate of QR Code Readers is relatively low (am I wrong about this?) - I know for the iPhone I have to download a separate app for it, but until it comes pre-loaded on all phones I don't think people will go out of their way to get them.
I consider myself pretty tech savvy, and I once downloaded a QR reader because I HAD to in order to buy tickets (would have been way easier to just give me a url....). I had no other need for it and deleted it shortly after.
My point is that I think the tech is cool, but I think anything where I am forcing my clients to download an additional piece of software to view what I want them to view is putting them out. I still haven't adopted QR, but I'm keeping a close eye on it in case I am wrong and I can jump onto it. My gut feeling is that it will be an elitist product that caters to a very small group of customers.

MARTHA LEE

Buzzer

35

1

Sounds like a good idea to me - provided that you don't expect too much from it. I can see it working as a fast easy way to communicate all of your contact info, and a link to your website. Soon enough it will be as simple as exchanging business cards, but with the bonus of not having to enter any data manually into your phone. Great fit for anyone marketing professional services.

CYNTHIA FEDOR

NewBee

1

How people communicate and get information is changing. They look to the web; they use their smartphones; they want an instant connection.
Herein lies an opportunity for real estate agents. You can reach prospects faster, measure how well your marketing efforts are working, and accelerate business growth by integrating technologies like QR codes into your farming, just sold, and just listed direct mail campaigns.
To see how you can use QR codes with your postcard marketing campaigns, I suggest you visit http://Ez.com/cjzc and take a look at QuantumDigital's TriggerMarketing instant marketing program.

LEONARD THE BEE

Buzzer

162

4

Thanks to Craig Pilgrim, who says the following via Twitter:

Craig Pilgrim said:
I use Microsoft Tags. On my sign riders, back of bus. cards, & car windows-all point consumer to diff. places. http://www.cominghome.ca/general-real-estate/microsoft-tags-edmonton-real-estate

Source: www.Twitter.com/craigpilgrim
Anyone know anything else about Microsoft Tags?

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Leonard The Bee said:
Thanks to Craig Pilgrim, who says the following via Twitter:
Craig Pilgrim said:
I use Microsoft Tags. On my sign riders, back of bus. cards, & car windows-all point consumer to diff. places. http://www.cominghome.ca/general-real-estate/microsoft-tags-edmonton-real-estate

Source: www.Twitter.com/craigpilgrim
Anyone know anything else about Microsoft Tags?

Hi Leornard,
MS Tags are proprietary to Microsoft and require the MS Tag reader to scan them. The QR Code is based on an open source platform and therefore allows many QR Code readers across all phone types to scan them.
Companies like Google, Blackberry, a ton of large brands and soon to be Facebook and Apple support the QR platform.
Both technologies are booming but the industry is looking to make one the standard.

DAVID PYLYP

NewBee

6

why stand and look at a card? Risk miss typing the contact details, transposing the telephone number, I didn't hear it properly because of phone static.
The QR (downloads) reader apps are free
You down load them and then: Directly enter that persons (CONTACT REAL ESTATE AGENT0 details into my phone.
if you don't get, don't get it.
More for those that do. Its about those that are Gen X and Gen Y plus the boomers with know how to use them.
There will be many places to use QR codes and extend the shelf life of your printed material.
David Pylyp
Living in Toronto

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Global Growth in Mobile Barcode Usage - Q4/2010. Canada has 442% Growth! http://bit.ly/i0ED7U

EUGENE MEZINI

Buzzer

157

7

I have used QR codes in the past and will continue to do so in the future. I really like the technology but I think very few people will use it. During the print campaign I did, I got 3 responses from 500 postcards. Not bad but I dont think anyone responded because of the QR code. That being said, although most people have no clue what QR codes are, Ill still use them to give people something to scan if they happen to know what it is. It can't hurt to have them and it won't cost you anything so it's almost personal preference.

JEREMY SHIFTLER

Buzzer

167

3

Hi Eugene,
Do you ever track the QR Codes, and see how often they are being used, and where from? For instance, in the campaign above of 500 postcards with three responses, how many scans on the QR?

EUGENE MEZINI

Buzzer

157

7

Hey Jeremy,

Unfortunately I didn't track that one. Wish I had but I was on a deadline and it just slipped my mind. In the future however, I will definitly track it. I beleive you'll see a lot of success from business cards so once Ive handed out my next batch i'll let everyone know

JEREMY SHIFTLER

Buzzer

167

3

Hi Eugene, looking forward to seeing the results from your next campaign.
Has anyone tracked their success? Could you share your QR results?

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

I just saw this really interesting way of displaying QR Codes in an advert: http://yfrog.com/h7t3psij
Cool!

ADDY SAEED

Buzzer

66

2

Another website that I would recommend is Dave Chomitz www.decidedworth.com that deals with QR codes as well... I'm in the process of implementing it for my vehicle and couple of key marketing materials such as business card etc...
I don't know if I would use it on a massive scale at the moment...

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

I just read an interesting statistic on Jump Scan:
57% of Facebook and Twitter users said they have scanned a mobile bar code at least once in the past year, while as many as 40% had done so five or more times in the past year.
Also, QR Codes had a 1200% increase in scanning from July to August of 2010.
Wow.
One more bit of trivia.. when was the QR Code invented? 1994 by Denso Wave Inc., which created QR codes for tracking vehicular parts.

BILL

NewBee

4

I think QR codes are incredible. A great way of tracking the results of different medias in a campaign.
I have even added a QR code to my business cards and Linkedin profile.
Bill Muir

JEREMY SHIFTLER

Buzzer

167

3

Bill said:
I have even added a QR code to my business cards and Linkedin profile.

Hi Bill, do you track when people use the QR codes on your business cards? What happens when someone scans it? It would be cool if their contact was automatically added to your directory.

BILL

NewBee

4

Jeremy said:
Bill said:
I have even added a QR code to my business cards and Linkedin profile.

Hi Bill, do you track when people use the QR codes on your business cards? What happens when someone scans it? It would be cool if their contact was automatically added to your directory.

Hi Jeremy, the QR code on my business cards is a VCard. It automatically adds my contact info to their contacts. It woul be nice if I also received their info, maybe in the future.
Bill Muir

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Bill,
Have you tested your vCard QR Code out on all devices? We are building a few vCard applications for some clients...our learnings are that vCards can't automatically integrated with the address on iPhone and iPads?
Please let me know if you have seen success with this.
Thanks,
Erik

ERIK GOLDHAR

Buzzer

13

Clikbrix.com and our QR Code and Mobile Web Solution for Real Estate and our other company QRe8.com featured on CTV News a few days ago - take a look if you have a chance http://bit.ly/fAwVyo
Thanks,
Erik

BILL

NewBee

4

Hi Erik,
I tested the code on IPhones and Blackberry phones. They all worked well. I am sure there are many phones that it will not work with, but these two seem to be the most popular.
Bill

BILL

NewBee

4

Eric,
thanks for the NEWS cast. It helped me out with a client.
Bill

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

After semi-giving up on QR Codes for real estate, finally I have found one that "gets it right", and understands that QR Codes can be used to convey a message and relevant information, not just to take people to a registration page.
Way to go Minto775.
Below... note, I had to scan this image from a small advert... so, I hope the QR Code doesn't get too distorted to use.

URBANDREAMER

Buzzer

96

2

I think QR codes would look brilliant as wallpaper, bathroom tiles or area rugs! That says it all...!

ANONYMOUS

BabbleBee

301

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I think that Minto ad is pretty cool and pretty clever

RAY

NewBee

2

Matthew said:
After semi-giving up on QR Codes for real estate, finally I have found one that "gets it right", and understands that QR Codes can be used to convey a message and relevant information, not just to take people to a registration page.
Way to go Minto775.
Below... note, I had to scan this image from a small advert... so, I hope the QR Code doesn't get too distorted to use.

Agreed! Finally an org. that understands how to bridge print with digital correctly! The majority of times I have seen qr codes used they have redirected to non mobile friendly content-and I'm referring to some big media org's that should know better. btw, I loved the vid. Nicely done.

RAY

NewBee

2

I've been encouraging our clients to use them. Given the software automatically makes one for each of their listings they just have to print them off and apply them to their toppers etc. Small % are actually doing it though.
In addition I am recommending they create a qr code for their mobile MLS search tool and add that to everything...including temporary tattoo's if they have to.

MINTO

NewBee

5

Wow, thanks for all the kind comments!
We're blushing!

MARK SAVEL

Buzzer

143

26

Where is this? I'd love to try it I'm person!! Super cool use of a QR code

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

^^ I found it in the Home Trader free new home and condo guide. Not sure if it is in any other print, but will keep my eyes open.
It works on the image above.

ROB MCPHAIL DESIGN

NewBee

1

Matthew said:
^^ I found it in the Home Trader free new home and condo guide. Not sure if it is in any other print, but will keep my eyes open.
It works on the image above.

It's great to get the feedback.

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

Hey @Mark... Not sure if you got the Toronto Star over the weekend, but the advert was there.
Hey @RobMcPhailDesign, what are you looking at the feedback for? Thinking about doing a cool new QR Code? Keep us posted!

AMIT BHANDARI

Buzzer

167

13

I am a HUGE fan of this technology and can see a great way to implement them (It's my secret). At the end of the day the QR code needs to be able to do 'something' that allows the business individual to be able to stay in-touch. I hope to implement and leverage QR codes into our material very soon.

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

Amit said:
I am a HUGE fan of this technology and can see a great way to implement them (It's my secret).

Care to leak your secret?

JEREMY SHIFTLER

Buzzer

167

3

Mark said:
Where is this? I'd love to try it I'm person!! Super cool use of a QR code

I got an email from Minto yesterday with the ad. Works better in real life than on a computer screen though.
It is - finally - a great use of QR Codes.

AMIT BHANDARI

Buzzer

167

13

Matthew said:
Care to leak your secret?

Patience!

MATTHEW SMITH

NewBee

3

1

Check this one out!
http://www.wimp.com/marketingcampaign/

MATTHEW SLUTSKY

Senior Buzzer

2299

171

@Matthew, amazing find! Probably one of the best QR Code uses I have ever seen.
Amazing find.
It is especially interesting to see the results of how successful the campaign was. I would love to see something like that in Toronto. Loblaws, where are you?? Maybe, Longos?