Monday Morning Mobile

MTV knows a thing or two about reaching, captivating and controlling the eyeballs of their audience.  Their rein as the go to source for pop culture information as well as the inventors of Reality TV has them ingrained within the TV’s, Desktops, Mobile Devices and now Tablets of America’s youth as well the young professional demographic that was the youth when MTV launched back in 1981.

MTV recently released a new Video Site custom designed for the iPad in order to cater specifically to the growing number of tablet users frequenting their domain.  Now when you go to MTV.com, MTV.com/news or any of their other affiliate sites they automatically recognize you as an iPad user and immediately displays a pop up that states, “You’re on an iPad!  Check out our new Video site custom made just for your iPad.”  They then give you the ability to click to “take me there”.



Why would they want to segment out iPad users and drive them to a site specifically for that particular device?  Well without having access to the planning committee meetings where they put this initiative together I can only take an educated guess as to the following; when they looked at their web traffic stats they realized that the overwhelming majority of iPad users were visiting their website in order to watch videos.  Those iPad users were then sifting through videos the same way traditional desktop users were sifting through videos.

Instead of treating both users the same, they decided to cater to the iPad demographic and utilize the feature set that iPad users know and love such as the ability to swipe through different home page options, scroll up and down using touch screen functionality to determine which videos they want to watch and provide full screen high definition videos which work well on the iPad.  This keeps iPad users more engaged with the brand and on the site longer.

In real estate, your equivalent to the music video is property search.  If you look at your web stats, how many users are visiting your site from an iPad?  Of those iPad users is the overwhelming majority immediately going to the property search function?  If so, then you should strongly consider optimizing your property search for iPad and tablet users.

Give them the experience they want such as touch screen functionality, swiping imagery, maps, overlays and most important of all GPS search; something your desktop site does not offer!  If you cater to this user, not only will they stay on the site longer, but they be more engaged with your brand and more likely to connect with you to assist them with their real estate search.

For more information how to optimize your site for tablet users contact: tabletidx@mobilecardcast.com

We all know that Google is no stranger to the world of Mobile, after all their operating system, Android, is the most popular in world, all their apps (Gmail, Google calendar, flicker, etc.) are all designed for use on mobile devices and their search engine of course works on all mobile devices.  However, in November of 2011 they announced yet another new initiative in support of the mobile movement; GoMo.  GoMo is a free online resource for retailers and other businesses looking to go mobile.

This new resource allows business to come to a website, enter their own URL and see how their site displays on a mobile device.  Then by answering a series of questions, they provide feedback on what can be done to enhance the experience for consumers.

Last week, in support of the GoMo initiative, Mobile Real Estate, LLC (MRE) followed suit with their own tester and series of questions designed specifically for the real estate industry to be able to test their sites.  “As the real estate industry’s number one mobile solution provider, we wanted to use our expertise in mobile and real estate to support this great initiative by Google,” said John Lim, CEO of Mobile Real Estate, LLC.  “We believe that the shift in consumer eyeballs to their mobile device is expedited in the real estate space, and as such, every real estate broker and agent should mobilize their URL and their brand to ensure the proper consumer search experience; this tool is meant to help inform and expedite that process.”

The main difference between Google’s site tester and the one developed by MRE is that Google’s is not industry specific whereas MRE has designed theirs specifically based around the trends and needs of mobile within the real estate industry.  This allows brokers and agents alike to see where they can improve the overall mobile experience specifically as it relates to the real estate consumers they are trying to serve.

You can test your real estate website now by visiting www.testmysitenow.com.  It is estimated that as much as 17.3% of all paid search ad clicks last month will stem from mobile devices – does your site on the other side of that click optimize for mobile devices?  Find out now!

As an independent real estate firm or agent we often don’t have resources (time and money) to research market trends and analyze consumer behavior.  So what do we do?  I recently read Crash Boom, By Greg Rand (great book – lots of awesome real estate principals) and he suggested following the leaders; for example, if Home Depot is opening a store, they did the research to know there will be home buyers and residents to support it.  I think makes pretty logical sense.

When it comes to your marketing and what you need to be doing the same principal applies; follow the leaders.  Facebook’s (they’ve done a pretty good job at marketing) recent IPO filing shared a lot of interesting statistics about the company. “In December 2011, Facebook had more than 425m monthly active mobile users – people logging in from the company’s apps and mobile website. That is just over half of its 845m monthly active users overall”.  Their filing went on to read “”We are actively seeking to grow mobile usage”.  Mobile currently plays a huge role and given what their research has showed, it will only play a bigger role in the future of their business.

The WAV Group Report released Friday February 3, 2012 featured a Nielsen Profile or Trulia and Zillow; another two leaders in their own right.  The profile highlighted the Mobile Internet Demographic for the firms, stating “One of the biggest changes in real estate technology that has emerged over the past three years is the adoption of mobile search. Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com and others have been outspoken about the volume of visitors searching for real estate property information on these devices. The total audience measured is 45 million. Of this group, Trulia reaches 3.9% of the total audience. Zillow reaches 9.6% of this audience.

If I have not succeeded in making my point thus far, here it goes; follow the leaders and invest in a mobile solution now if you have not already done so.  It is not going anywhere and will only to continue to grow.  Your sellers are aware of how popular mobile is, they see what these “leaders” are doing and want to know what you are doing if you are going to the one representing them in one of the biggest transactions of their life.

Don’t know how to get started on mobile or who to look to for advice?  As you know probably know from reading Monday Morning Mobile I am a huge believer in Mobile Real Estate ID’s mobile solution for real estate agents (www.MobileRealEstateID.com).

However, if you don’t want to take my word for it, I recently heard about a great way to ask your peers about different technology products and services and get unbiased advice from those who use them.  There is a new Facebook group you can join “What Should I Spend My Money On?” started by Jimmy Mackin.  Here you can hear about what your peers are using and what they have to say about the products you are thinking about.  If you want to get exclusive offer and deals on all the products you can even join the Fugyl Club (www.Frugyl.com), it’s like Groupon for real estate.  Check it out – it’s cool.

According to a recent study by New York based research firm, L2, almost 50% of top fashion, beauty, hospitality, watch and jewelry and retail brands have “feeble” mobile initiatives.  Their study focused on the most recognized brands with regards to their ability to meet consumer demands for the proper mobile experience.

Only two-thirds of the brands surveyed even have mobile optimized sites and a full third of those don’t allow consumers to shop (the desired feature for these brands).  The study also notes while 70% of the brands surveyed have apps, those apps have been “blind investments in iOS app that lack utility and stickiness.”

On the contrary, within the Real Estate industry the top brands have made major strides in not only going mobile, but ensuring that the feature most desired, property search, is the primary focus of their mobile initiative.  Tae the New York tri-state area for example, there are over a half dozen companies I can name off the top of my head who have spent time, energy and resources ensuring that their consumers can access information in the proper format from their mobile device.  Take for example, Houlihan Lawrence (www.houlihanlawrence.com), Rand Realty (www.RandRealty.com), Lois Schneider Realtor (www.LoisSchneiderRealtor.com) and Terrie O’Connor Realtors (www.TOCR.com) – if you visit any of these sites from your mobile device you will have an experience tailored specifically to you as a mobile user on your mobile device.  Perhaps it’s time for you to follow the industry leaders and get on board with mobile if you haven’t already done so.

From a pure perception standpoint, mobile has been on the forefront of topics discussed at every major real estate conference over the past 2 years.  Topics from mobile web, to QR Codes, Text messaging and apps have been a mainstay and for good reason.  Most likely the same reason that companies like L2 are taking time to research the mobile initiatives of 100 of the top retail brands; mobile is growing faster than ever before!

Mobile devices accounted for 14.3% of web traffic on Black Friday and 9.8% of online sales in 2011.  IDC estimates that more U.S. based internet users will access the internet from their mobile device than their PC by 2015.  That’s only 3 years from now – stop waiting to transition your brand and your business to the eyeballs of mobile consumers.

How can you tell you have a mobile website?  One way would be to go to your website from your mobile internet enabled device.  The other would be to go to www.testmysitenow.com from your web browser and test your website.  Don’t wait till it’s too late.

We all know that Google is no stranger to the world of Mobile, after all their operating system, Android, is the most popular in world, all their apps (Gmail, Google calendar, flicker, etc.) are all designed for use on mobile devices and their search engine of course works on all mobile devices.  However, in November of 2011 they announced yet another new initiative in support of the mobile movement; GoMo.  GoMo is a free online resource for retailers and other businesses looking to go mobile.

This new resource allows business to come to a website, enter their own URL and see how their site displays on a mobile device.  Then by answering a series of questions, they provide feedback on what can be done to enhance the experience for consumers.

Last week, in support of the GoMo initiative, Mobile Real Estate, LLC (MRE) followed suit with their own tester and series of questions designed specifically for the real estate industry to be able to test their sites.  “As the real estate industry’s number one mobile solution provider, we wanted to use our expertise in mobile and real estate to support this great initiative by Google,” said John Lim, CEO of Mobile Real Estate, LLC.  “We believe that the shift in consumer eyeballs to their mobile device is expedited in the real estate space, and as such, every real estate broker and agent should mobilize their URL and their brand to ensure the proper consumer search experience; this tool is meant to help inform and expedite that process.”

The main difference between Google’s site tester and the one developed by MRE is that Google’s is not industry specific whereas MRE has designed theirs specifically based around the trends and needs of mobile within the real estate industry.  This allows brokers and agents alike to see where they can improve the overall mobile experience specifically as it relates to the real estate consumers they are trying to serve.

You can test your real estate website now by visiting www.testmysitenow.com.  It is estimated that as much as 17.3% of all paid search ad clicks last month will stem from mobile devices – does your site on the other side of that click optimize for mobile devices?  Find out now!

In a recent interview with the global head of the Mobile Marketing Association, Greg Stuart, he said, “2011 was the year when mobile really began to hit its stride.”  I think we can all agree the time for early adoption is over and mobile is officially mainstream and now.

With over 324 million handsets sold in 2011 the mobile penetration rate in the country increased to over 100% (yes, this means there are more active cell phones than people).  In addition, the mobile medium outpaced its predecessor, print, with U.S. adults spending more than 10% of their time on mobile as opposed to just 4% for newspapers and 2.8% for magazines.  Why?  A lot of the print publications are now available to us through our mobile devices.

However, the part of the article I found most interesting was when asked about the impact tablets would have on brands the marketplace there was no definitive answer, Mr. Stuart simply stated, “the tablet is going to be a huge part of the future of mobile and will have a big influence on how brands and sellers approach marketing.

It seems to me that most brands, real estate being no exception, are missing the boat on the emergence of tablets and the ability to create an even more engaging experience on this device than on a mobile device with all the same added benefits.  What I am getting at here is that the tablet device is a hybrid between the PC and the Smart Phone.  This means you can leverage features like GPS, touch screen and mapping to create a more engaging experience for your consumer.

In addition, this can only be done through the internet, no downloable app needed.  You simply need to take the approach that the same way you needed to create a unique experience tailored to mobile phone users you need to provide an equal if not greater experience for the tablet users who visit your website.

Don’t lose the eyeballs your website already captures from tablet users to a third party app – there is no reason why you can’t provide your visitors with an equal or greater experience while keeping your brand top of mind.

For more information on how you can optimize your website for tablet devices contact tabletidx@mobilecardcast.com

This year’s holiday season is primed to be the most mobile yet and this is a trend that is sure to continue for years to come.  As tradition has it, the Monday after Thanksgiving is normally referred to as ‘Cyber Monday’ because that’s when all the online retailers release the deal gates.  However, this year, with an overwhelming amount of people going online from their mobile devices we may soon need to rethink the name; perhaps ‘Mobile Monday’ (I like it).

With the advancements that have been made in both networks as devices over the past couple years in conjunction with the proliferation of smart phones there is no surprise that the sheer number of mobile shoppers rose from 7.3 million in 2010 to an estimated 17.8 million this year.  Here’s what some of the biggest mobile players said about Cyber, or should we call it Mobile, Monday this year:

-           PayPal said it saw a 552% year over year increase in global mobile payment volume on Cyber Monday.

-          Ebay stated that U.S. shoppers spent two and half times more on the mobile channel than they did last year.

-           Ecommerce firm GSI said it saw a 374% increase in mobile sales this from their clients alone.

-          IBM said “iPad shoppers continued to drive more retail purchases than any other device, with conversion rates reaching 5.2%”.

It’s not just shoppers who are getting into the mobile spirit this holiday season; retailers are catering to the consumer desire to find/get deal on their mobile devices.  Best Buy is now running geotargeted ads that not only save consumers money, but show them where the products can be found closest to where they are at the time.  Best Buy is running this campaign within the popular Pandora iPhone application.  When consumers see and tap the ad it shows them the offers for the products, how many are available at nearest Best Buy location and how long the offer is good for in an effort to drive consumer traffic.  Consumers can also use the click to call function to contact the store.

In today’s commerce environment, whether retail or real estate, being relevant means being mobile.  Our mobile devices, smart phones and tablets, generate the shopping and browsing experience we as consumers want to have.  A comparison to the “daily deals” trend within real estate is the ability to provide “real time” information.  When someone is outside a listing, how are you ensuring they can get all the information about that house right on their smart phone?  If you are not catering to the mobile consumer this holiday season and into 2012 you need to rethink your strategy.

For more information visit: www.MobileRealEstateID.com

This year’s holiday season is primed to be the most mobile yet and this is a trend that is sure to continue for years to come.  As tradition has it, the Monday after Thanksgiving is normally referred to as ‘Cyber Monday’ because that’s when all the online retailers release the deal gates.  However, this year, with an overwhelming amount of people going online from their mobile devices we may soon need to rethink the name; perhaps ‘Mobile Monday’ (I like it).

With the advancements that have been made in both networks as devices over the past couple years in conjunction with the proliferation of smart phones there is no surprise that the sheer number of mobile shoppers rose from 7.3 million in 2010 to an estimated 17.8 million this year.  Here’s what some of the biggest mobile players said about Cyber, or should we call it Mobile, Monday this year:

-           PayPal said it saw a 552% year over year increase in global mobile payment volume on Cyber Monday.

-          Ebay stated that U.S. shoppers spent two and half times more on the mobile channel than they did last year.

-           Ecommerce firm GSI said it saw a 374% increase in mobile sales this from their clients alone.

-          IBM said “iPad shoppers continued to drive more retail purchases than any other device, with conversion rates reaching 5.2%”.

It’s not just shoppers who are getting into the mobile spirit this holiday season; retailers are catering to the consumer desire to find/get deal on their mobile devices.  Best Buy is now running geotargeted ads that not only save consumers money, but show them where the products can be found closest to where they are at the time.  Best Buy is running this campaign within the popular Pandora iPhone application.  When consumers see and tap the ad it shows them the offers for the products, how many are available at nearest Best Buy location and how long the offer is good for in an effort to drive consumer traffic.  Consumers can also use the click to call function to contact the store.

In today’s commerce environment, whether retail or real estate, being relevant means being mobile.  Our mobile devices, smart phones and tablets, generate the shopping and browsing experience we as consumers want to have.  A comparison to the “daily deals” trend within real estate is the ability to provide “real time” information.  When someone is outside a listing, how are you ensuring they can get all the information about that house right on their smart phone?  If you are not catering to the mobile consumer this holiday season and into 2012 you need to rethink your strategy.

For more information visit: www.MobileRealEstateID.com

The closer we get to our mobile devices – the closer they get to us.  Who you ask?  Everyone and anyone who wants to sell us something, generate mind share, or impact our buying decisions.  In technologies past such as the traditional internet that would have been a bad thing; with mobile we’ll welcome it.

This new generation of mobile devices has become so intimate to us that our reliance on them is unlike anything we have ever seen in the modern world.  They combine all our communications, pictures, videos, navigation, banking, organization and now buying in one pocket sized PC.

As a result of the confluence of all these things as well as the nature of the device, it has the potential to become the biggest channel for commerce in the world.  The evidence of this can be seen in the changes that are taking place right now in the way in companies interact with consumers.

Just this week internet giant eBay announced the launch of its new iPad app which focuses on TV Commerce.  TV Commerce takes product placement a step further and allows you to actively buy what you see in the show you’re watching; items such as a sports jersey, a suit or a toaster oven.  This is aimed at the 86% of tablet and mobile phone users who use their devices while watching TV.  A path to purchasing everything our favorite TV characters are wearing, using or drinking has now been created.

In another effort to better target consumers, Verizon announced they would join a geo targeted advertising program.  This means that if you’re using Verizon’s wireless network to access the internet (on your mobile device), the ads you start seeing will be targeted to your city and perhaps even your neighborhood.

Last, during the biggest shopping week of the year, with black Friday upon us, retailers are getting to consumers before they even enter the stores.  By offering “mobile-only” deals aimed at shoppers who may be on line or on their way to their favorite retailer, this allows online retailers to compete the more well established brick and mortar competitors.  Shoppers utilizing their mobile devices to compare prices in store will be able to find unique online deals and capitalize on alerts for offers from retail apps they are already using.

All of the examples of the ways in which mobile devices will begin to impact commerce are a welcomed transition from the invasive and unwanted advertising and spam we suffered through for years on the traditional internet.  The ads are more relevant, they allow us to find better deals and the exact products we want at the time we see them.

This can be seen in real estate through the popularity of location and mapped based searching.  Showing your clients the properties they want to see on the device that they want to see them on is all the more vital.

For more information visit: www.mobilerealestateid.com

In Walter Isaacson’s new book Steve Jobs, he illustrates Steve’s unique ability to craft products that people emotionally connect and engage with.  No shock there, the iPod, iPhone and iPad have been some of the most successful product launches in history due to the fact that the actual device draws you in; it engages you.  It creates more of a connection and gives you the type of access your desktop could never provide.

In a recent article by Steve Nash on Mobile Insider, he makes the point that the mobile web (phone and tablet) is what we have wanted all along.  That is the ability to access from where we are – not where our desktop is or where we can open our laptop.

Our mobile devices, according to Nash, are fixing what the traditional web had broken over the years; engagement.  This can be seen through the metrics of early apps like GQ in which engagement approached the hour mark per issue.  This type of time spent was traditionally how long people spent perusing the pages of the actual magazine (because they could pick it up and take it with them to multiple places).  However, when it came to the web, if the time spent averaged a quarter of that it would be a success.

Nash goes on to point out that the desktop and traditional online experience is the most uncomfortable of all our various media platforms; I couldn’t agree more.  What this new generation of devices like the iPhone and iPad do is give us back the control over where and when we shop/browse/read/watch/listen; on the couch, on the train, during our lunch break, at starbucks, where ever and whenever we want.

This realization that people actually enjoy these types of media will and should make us all reconsider how we go about engaging users online, knowing that where we want to go online is from our mobile devices, not our desktop.

While I can visit a number of real estate websites from my desktop and see the same properties on all of them, what I want is the ability to pull them up on my iPad while in a neighborhood or thumb through the streets of that neighborhood on Google maps to see the other houses in the area and how they’re kept from the comfort of my couch.  Real estate consumers are no different than the magazine reader who has swapped the printed pages for the app because they can still turn the page and take it with them on the train.

Put your brand in the position to engage consumers the way they want to be engaged by rethinking your approach on the devices of today – mobile devices.