If you’re unfamiliar with my generation’s latest trend in online dating, allow me to introduce you to a little something called Tinder. I’ll keep the description short so as not to digress too much (and to save myself some shred of credibility).
Tinder is a smartphone app that connects to Facebook and brings up opposite sex singles within a certain radius. Your profile includes your first name, a few select photos, some shared interests you may have with the app user and mutual friends. The app user swipes right if he or she is interested and swipes left if the interest isn’t there. Perhaps there weren’t enough “shared interests.” If both parties swipe right then a match is made and the opportunity to chat is created.
Young singles everywhere can be seen swiping left and right depending on what catches their eye. We are now making potential partner decisions based on high-level app functionality and almost no information. Much as we scan headlines on Twitter and statuses on Facebook, this methodology of swiping for interest on our phones is essentially the natural next step for mobile and social marketing.
So how does it tie into real estate you ask? Well think about the way we shop for homes. We narrow down our initial preferences by radius, we are attracted to the most visually appealing homes and we tend to create profiles based on buyer criteria. That coupled with the fact that real estate agents are going after a young, mobile-savvy demographic and you’ll see it’s not so different from this Tinder thing after all.
Doorsteps.com got smart and created Doorsteps Swipe, an app powered by realtor.com. The app provides potential buyers access to thousands of homes in their area. As you swipe left and right, your “likes” are saved and a persona is essentially created for you. At the end of a round of swiping (let’s say 30 swipes) you can see what you’re most attracted to and what sort of home is right for you. Sound familiar?
What’s more, the filters capability lets users narrow their search by location, price range and bedrooms, which makes the most use of their time so we aren’t all swiping right to the $20 million dollar mansions. You can ALSO see who is listing the home, inquire right there or share the listing via email.
This could be a potential game changer in the real estate industry because it aggregates all available homes to the palm of a buyer’s hand and they can shop much more quickly and efficiently than ever before. It compresses the experience from having to scan page after page into a 20-minute shopping experience. It could potentially speed up the process of creating interest lists and take some of the pressure off of the agent or broker who often has to pull teeth to find out what a buyer’s preferences are.
Imagine if young, first-time homebuyers came to a Realtor and said they want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a circle drive, preferably older looking with some color trimming. This takes a lot of guesswork out of the process.
This is just one example at how mobile marketing is transcending the social experience into being a power player in other industries. Real estate is just the first to hop on the bandwagon, but there is virtually no limit to what could come next. What if we swiped to find or match with doctors, hotels, cars or restaurants?
If you’re new to the marketing game, allow us to help! We’re constantly educating ourselves and keeping up with the latest trends in tech and mobile technology. Agency Entourage is a full-service, digital marketing agency in downtown Dallas. Give us a call if you have any questions, 214-414-3035.
