Tag Archives: SMS

Sepo18

SeanB

2

Vancouver Sun Business: House hunting goes mobile with new text services

My favourite local real estate columnists, Derrick Penner penned a great new article about what is happening with mobile technology in the real estate industry.  Shopping for a home goes mobile was published on the front page of today’s Business section in the Vancouver Sun.
There are some good quotes from Vancouver Realtor Kye Grace (@KyeGrace) throughout the article. He says “There’s no doubt that mobile is where it’s at… and in all reality, the consumer is going mobile.” I need to talk to him to see what system he is using.
The article mainly talks about old technology, using a call to action on a For Sale sign. This method is over supplied and under utilized by consumers. Realtors tell me all the time that they aren’t getting the traction they were looking for. This is why we focus on MLS search and delivery. We Make Mobile MLS Easy!
The article also mentions an iPhone app. Of course, the App Store is dominating the mobile space and can’t be ignored. 3locations is working on phone apps that combine the MLS with the best practices of social networking.

3locations Mobile MLS

3locations Mobile MLS

Juno14

SeanB

2

Phase 1 - with Tweaks but no Twitter (yet)

3locations has recently completed the first phase of development of our Mobile MLS solution for Realtors and real estate companies. I am very impressed with the MLSearch functionality. With our system, you can easily request and receive real estate listing information on any phone through SMS. Simply text message any address to +17783214411 and the 3locations system will send you the 3 closest listings in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Phase 1 specifications include:
1) Proximity Search by address or MLS number
2) Active MLS information with Realtor branding and short URL
3) MLS details with listing images on mobile optimized site
4) Web-to-mobile widget for real estate websites
Recent tweaks include increasing the size of the MLS images on the mobile web, reduced the size of the embedded short URL and eliminated unnecessary numbers to achieve a text message of 140 characters.
In our next release, we will be introducing a Twitter api that will deliver MLS information in Tweets that follow references to real estate listings in the original Tweets. Stay tuned for more developments.

Mayo21

SeanB

1

Bad News: 60% of teenagers text while driving in the U.S.

Vlingo, a mobile application development company released a report yesterday stating that 26 percent of people in the U.S. admit to texting while driving. The Consumer Mobile Messaging Habits Report polled nearly 5,000 people to come up with their findings. The report concluded that drivers in Tennessee were the worst offenders (or most honest) with 42% of respondents confirming they Drive While Texting (DWT) and Arizona posting the lowest score of 18.8%.
The Vlingo report states that the problem has to do with the explosive growth in the popularity of text messaging with nearly 60% of all mobile phone users texting on a regular basis in 2009. The problem increases when you break down the report by demographics, with 49% of adults aged  20 - 29 and where close to 60% of those aged 16 to 19 will read and send text messages while operating a motor vehicle.
The answer to this problem lies in tougher legislation. As of May 2009, only 7 states in the U.S. have laws completely prohibiting a person from using SMS while driving.
“Texting is such an integral component of our daily lives, and more people are texting. The good news is that many state legislatures are starting to take up this issue, and today more advanced technologies exist that can increase safety on the roads” says Dave Grannan, CEO of Vlingo.

Mayo20

SeanB

0

mlSMS - When only one listing will do

3locations has developed a product that will send a single MLS listing to your phone by SMS. This product is called mlSMS. It works by sending the command “MLS# v######” to our system’s phone number.
The 3locations system will automatically register a new user account and generate a password when it identifies a new user’s phone number or allocate the proper Realtor branding when it recognizes an existing account phone number.
This product is ideal for a number of marketing initiatives. There is the Keyword strategy where a Realtor will add a statement to their For Sale sign that reads… Text “MLS# V######” to +17783214411 for listing info.
As well, Realtors and real estate companies can use widgets on their websites to send MLS information to a user’s phone. This works well when the widget is placed alongside a listing on a web page or as an option in delivering MLS search results. mlSMS may be the easiest way to generate leads and better understand what your new clients are looking for.
3locations is committed to exploring new and better ways to increase productivity and improve communications. For more information on our products and services, please contact us by email: info (at) 3locations (dot) com

Mayo17

SeanB

1

Mobile advertising to grow 36% in 2009 and reach $229M

Fierce Mobile Content reported May 5, 2009 that U.S. mobile advertising will grow from $169 million in 2008 to revenues of $229 million in 2009. Global media and forecasting firm Magna credits the revenue growth to the increasing number of wireless subscribers using text messaging and the mobile web. The forecast predicts that SMS advertising will perform strongly, with text messaging platforms representing the “best near-term potential for advertisers” who want to use mobile phones to support broad-reaching marketing campaigns. This contrasts with slower growth rates for other types of mobile media campaigns such as mobile search, in-call media, mobile video, mobile coupons and mobile gaming.
Magna explains that “few (types of) media have captured the passions of consumers, marketers and inventory owners alike as the mobile advertising space has.” The popularity of mobile phones, with more than 270 million U.S. subscriptions at the end of 2008 (according to the CTIA) and the increasing use of text messaging (virtually every device has the capability to receive SMS) is supporting the growth in advertising revenues.
Also, smartphones like the Blackbery and iPhone are driving growth with the popularity of phone applications among consumers, marketers and carriers. This results in exponentially higher levels of data (and mobile web) consumption. This segment of the market will continue to expand rapidly as more mobile operating systems create “App Stores” to drive similar products to a wider range of devices.

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