Proximity marketing is the new For-Sale sign

Ask a marketer about the four pillars of sales and they’ll reel off the usual: product, price, promotion and placement. It’s a line-up that hasn’t changed since the 1960s. That is until ‘Proximity’ rode into town and became the new buzzword.

Proximity marketing (sometimes called hyperlocal) is about spotlighting your product when the consumer is physically close to it. It uses phone technology to send marketing messages to mobile-device users who have opted in. There are unlimited ways the system could be employed in real estate.

1. A potential client is walking through a neighbourhood. They pass a property that’s For Sale and a message pops up asking them if they’d like details of the property. They can then use their wi-fi or bluetooth to browse text, photos or video of the property for further details.

2. A potential client is peering into a Real Estate window when a message link pops up inviting them to watch an aerial video of the neighbourhood with the current For-Sale properties spotlighted and nearby amenities listed.

Both of those scenarios would work better with a smart antenna, a five-watt, waterproof, weatherproof box that can be placed inside a property window. It transmits up to 300 feet and works with iOS, Blackberry and Android.

Then there’s the iBeacon, Apple’s offering to the market. iBeacon devices are small and easy to position. The transmission range is shorter but they work well in localised situations. Say you’re holding an open house. Interested buyers often like to roam the property alone so you can’t share all the info you’d like to. If the buyer accepts the iBeacon’s pushed messages, their phone could alert them as they pass certain features. A personalised guided tour.

Then there’s the data. REALTORS® can add a poll for feedback on anything from the price point of a house to the décor. The devices will also gather info on the number of phones reached, the number of users who accept and decline, duration of people who browsed further, number of pages viewed, and so on.

Proximity marketing could be a huge step forward for REALTORS®. The only way to make your pushed, For-Sale message more dynamic would be to stand there on the street corner yourself.