Microsoft’s TAG – it’s relevant to home buyers and sellers

by Jim Newell

I just finished a conference with a “new media” guy from Evansville. His company advises clients on the use of social media and new technologies to reach out and talk to their customers/clients. Why did he ask for the meeting? He’d seen Carpenter featured in Microsoft®‘s Gettag mobile barcode program. Being Microsoft’s first real estate partner in the eastern U.S., we have a lot of Tag knowledge, since we’ve been using it for nearly a year now. “New media” guy was ready to learn more and offer this as an option to many of his clients.

We’re using the mobile barcode (we call it TAG IT!) to help home buyers and sellers connect with each other. The tags instantly link a smartphone user to detailed information about homes for sale, to our real estate agents’ v-cards and websites and to Carpenter web pages. As a result, it’s a perfect way for us to get information into the hands/phones of those buyers and sellers. We use it on yard signs, on property flyers, our newspaper and magazine advertising, our weekly TV show and even on agent business cards. This fact-finding mission helped me better understand the value of TAG IT! Here’s someone whose business specializes in social networking and new media, and here he is explaining that he saw the Carpenter name on Microsoft’s Get Tag web site and wanted to pick our brains. Now, these brains are pretty picked over, but they warm up when complimented like that.

With TAG-IT!, our goal is simple. Use the latest technology to give agents the latest tools and to offer buyers and sellers more opportunities to match up.

Is it working? For a new technology in beta testing that has limited mass awareness, we’re pretty pleased. A typical Indy Star Home of the Day ad will get a half-dozen click-thrus to the home’s detail page. On a normal Sunday, we’ll see a couple dozen newspaper readers click on the tag to download Open Houses and map their open house tour. For an emerging technology that’s still unknown to a big percentage of consumers, those are darn good numbers.

Thanks to my new “new media” friend for reminding me that adopting new technology – when relevant to your business model, providing relevant information to customers – does have a positive payback.

Posted by: Jim Newell