quick-look network - Mobile Growth Report

For more information on how your For-Sale board can be enhanced by the quick-look network, please visit

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We can help by bringing your ‘for-sale’ boards to the party This report was created to demonstrate the ferocity of the growth of mobile internet, and to show how to use this to your advantage alongside traditional marketing techniques.

As more and more people use smartphones and other mobile devices, the frequency of making purchases and finding new information via mobile Internet has increased significantly.

If this trend continues, which professionals affirm it will, we can expect more people to access the web on their mobile devices than desktop computers by 2015.

Over the next few pages we will detail some of the latest figures and statistics regarding the use of smart-phones, and how specifically the quick-look network can help you inexpensively capitalise on this.

You may already have your mobile sites set up and think that this won’t apply to your business - but as you’ll read there are different ways in which consumers use their mobiles at different times.

Our product is designed for people who are out and about, who don’t have time to search through your main mobile site, and just want a quick link to a beautifully designed, fast loading site full of relevant information.

It’s no coincidence that at the time of writing all the network providers (EE, Vodafone, o2) are investing £millions expanding the 4G network, whilst simultaneously the number of wifi hotspots increases by hundreds daily. Where there is demand, the supply shortly follows!

Mobile Marketing for Modern Clients

quick-look.com

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There are approximately 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions today

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This statistic pretty much speaks for itself; this is 96% of the world population. Mobile usage is definitely not going away anytime soon. However, this also means that your business has to make sure that you are implementing mobile strategies that will help you capitalise on this massive audience.

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Mobile marketing is growing 8 TIMES faster than the internet grew in the early 1990's You've probably noticed how quickly the internet has grown over the past couple of decades. Thanks to the web, small businesses have been able to implement growth strategies that allow them to generate more leads and customers than ever before. However, mobile marketing is growing 8 times faster than the internet, which means if your business is not fully "mobilised," now is the time.

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61% of users call a business after finding them on their smartphone Mobile users are usually ready to take some type of action when on a mobile site. In other words, these are hot, ready-to-spend leads. As a local business, your success thrives on the number of leads you can get.

Our sites will help you capitalise on this, with their prominent tap to call and tap to email buttons. If they’re not ready to call, they can easily share the property on Facebook or Twitter to get their friends’ and colleagues’ opinions.

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71% of smartphone users that see TV ads, printed ads, or online ads, do a mobile search for more information If your business is doing other types of advertising, mobile is still a major factor in converting those leads into paying customers. For instance, if you're running a TV ad, many people use their mobile devices to find out more information about your company, products, or services after seeing that ad. So they need to be met with a mobile-friendly site when doing their research.

Likewise, if they see our quick-look link on your forsale board, that clearly leads to a mobile site featuring that particular property, they’re more likely to visit that site there and then, in the heat of the moment.

All that, with the added bonus that it’s a direct link with no need to search out the property.

74% of consumers will wait 5 seconds for a web page to load on their mobile device before abandoning the site Consumers today move fast and do not have the patience to wait more than several seconds for a website to load on their mobile devices.

Does this tell you they’d like to spend time searching through en existing mobile site, or be instantly directed to the page they’re looking for?

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Well, you get the idea, but here’s an infographic with a few more...

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The growth of 4G All quick-look sites will load quickly via a 3G network, but 4G will soon be taking over. We have relied on the 3G network for the last few years, but although the network providers claimed that they covered around 90% UK coverage, opensignal.com found that in reality only around 60% coverage existed.

This led to a lot of mobile 'not-spots', particularly in more rural areas. 4G, however, should be set to remedy this with betterpenetrating frequencies and huge investment in the UK rollout, with an actual coverage of 98% expected by the end of 2014.

4G can be a confusing beast, particularly when there are three different frequency bands in use in the UK alone.

The 2.6GHz band is one of the two frequencies that were auctioned off by Ofcom in February 2013. It has a greater data capacity than the other two bands so it can deal with loads of people connecting at once, but it doesn't fare so well over long distances, making it ideal for cities and other compact, densely populated areas but not so good for rural locations.

The 800MHz band is the other spectrum that was sold off in February 2013. It was used to provide analogue terrestrial TV, but has been freed up since the big Digital switchover.

While it doesn't provide the same data capacity as the 2.6GHz band, the 800MHz frequency can easily travel over long distances and will be used to provide broadband speeds to rural areas where telephone exchanges can't reach.

EE boasts speeds typically five times faster than current 3G networks, though on several occasions it has been found it to be ten or more times faster than a comparable 3G handset in the same area.

4G's impressive speed increase is achieved with the use of OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Divison Multiplexing), a transmission technology used by the likes of ADSL, Wi-Fi, DVB-T, DVB-H and DAB. Not only does it reduce latency (the amount of time taken to buffer and connect to webpages), but it also minimises interference and is able to cram greater amounts of data into the same slice of radio bandwidth.

Simply put, this enables 4G/LTE phones and tablets to stream video and play online games like never before, largely because 4G has been designed primarily as a data network, rather than a voice one and it uses the same TCP/IP protocols that underpin the internet.

Being low frequency it's also better at penetrating walls than the 2.6GHz or 1800MHz bands, so it will provide an improved signal when indoors.

The 1800MHz band strikes a balance between coverage and capacity (falling between the extremes of the 2.6GHz and 800MHz bands) which makes it a good 'middle-ground' for getting 4G around the country.

The UK may only just be fully embracing 4G but some parts of the world are already looking to the next generation of high speed mobile data. That next step is LTE-A (the 'A' is for 'advanced').

Essentially it works by increasing the number of antennas in use as detailed above, alongside 'carrier aggregation' which allows a device to combine multiple 4G signals or even multiple different frequencies, rather than just using one at a time as standard 4G does.

Although all of the networks had 4G services by the end of 2013, they of course focused their efforts on major cities first in an effort to service the most users.

Ofcom's targets say that 4G must reach 98% of the population and 95% of the country by the end of 2017, but EE claims that it will cover 98% of the country by the end of 2014 and already covers over 60% of the UK population, while O2 and Vodafone are both aiming to cover 98% of the country by the end of 2015, so UK-wide 4G coverage may be closer than you think.

Each of the networks are spending ÂŁmillions per day increasing their 4G infrastructure, which in itself demonstrates the huge public hunger for the mobile internet.

In theory LTE-A can deliver far greater data speeds than the 4G of today. In fact it could potentially reach real world speeds of well over 160 Mbps, which is comparable to a 20MB home broadband connection.

LTE-A won't work on 4G-ready phones as they'll specifically need an LTE-A chip in them, however there are already a few LTE-A compatible handsets out.

For example there's an LTE-A version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 which is available in some parts of the world, but if you're considering importing it, don't, because other than a very small scale trial by EE none of our networks currently support LTE-A. The UK will certainly get in on the act one day, in fact EE is talking about making an LTE-A network commercially available sometime in 2014. But the technology is still in its infancy and we've only just got normal LTE, so we've probably got a while to wait before it's widely available.

What to Expect with a Mobile Website With the increase of mobile web use via smartphones, many companies have created mobile websites to ensure that consumers can view their business information easily and quickly.

There are many benefits to having a mobile website for your business. Consider the following:

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Consumers are a lot less likely to invest time or money in your service if they can't access a mobile-friendly website.

Keep in mind that you'll want the property’s most important information to be at the forefront and easy to find. For example, when a consumer visits a specific property site, they’ll want photos, brief information and contact details prominently displayed.

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Companies with a mobile website boost their brand's image in a few different ways. First, it shows potential customers that you understand mobile technology and its progression. In other words, you won't allow your company to be left behind as technology moves forward.

Moreover, having a mobile website shows that you want your customers to have the best viewing experience possible.

People hate waiting! If you can avoid the search procedure, do so, as they may not wait around.

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Fortunately, major search engines such as Google are able to determine what kind of device someone is using when performing an Internet search. Therefore, when a consumer searches for a local business from a mobile device, the search engine results will provide the mobile website information first.

What this means for companies is that mobile websites will rank higher in the search engine results. This in turn, will potentially bring more business.

Another major factor in rankings is the number of backlinks that point to your main domain. Each quicklook property site links back to any page of your choosing. So, if you had 100 properties on your books, and each property had a quick-look mini-site, that would be 100 more backlinks than you currently have!

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Combined with the aforementioned advantages, sales can increase with a mobile website.

If someone were to pass a for-sale board for a property that caught their eye, or a board at the bottom of a private drive, and they could bring up that property there and then on their mobile - seconds later you as the agent could be getting a call to book a viewing that you wouldn’t previously have had.

According to a recent survey performed by Google, at least 65% of the 1,500 people who joined the survey stated that they prefer using mobile websites as opposed to applications when researching company information, shopping for new products, and finding directions.

In addition, 42% of smartphone users don't consult a traditional website via a laptop or desktop computer before making purchasing decisions. In other words, these consumers rely solely on mobile websites for product and service information. For companies with good mobile strategies, this of course means increased sales and exposure.

6 How QR Codes and Mobile Websites Work Together

Here’s a bit more information on what a QR code actually is...

A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode, that when scanned by QR scanners, smartphones, and certain cameras, will provide information about a particular product or service.

In addition to a plethora of product packages, QR codes are seen quite frequently on business cards, restaurant menus, brochures, mail advertisements, flyers, and more.

It's basically a simple way for smartphone users to quickly scan items and find out more information on the service and/or product they are interested in.

As a result, QR codes also go hand-in-hand with mobile websites and can provide invaluable information.

The main purpose of a QR code is to provide a way for people to move along to a mobile website for added details on services and products they are interested in.

Once they arrive on your mobile site, the scanned QR code will take them directly to the specific product or service details .

Even the most optimised mobile websites can still be frustrating for consumers if they have to browse around before finding specific information. QR codes eliminate the hassle by taking people directly to the product or service data they scanned.

● Per a recent study performed by QR Aware, more than 52% of consumers have heard of QR codes, and at least 28% of them have used QR codes to scan for additional information. As more and more people become smartphone users, these numbers are expected to grow. Keep in mind that mobile marketing has more than quadrupled over the past few years, and QR codes are the next growth portion for mobile marketing. ● Since so many people are turning to smartphones for shopping decisions, QR codes act as a gateway for product and service facts in print. It's one of the easiest ways for someone to get information from print form into a more detailed, digital format. ● Businesses can especially benefit from QR codes as they can be placed literally anywhere. As previously mentioned, you can place a QR code on your business cards, on your products, in direct mail, on advertisements, flyers, brochures, and of course on your For-Sale board! While QR codes can lead consumers back to your product or service, they could also be used to lead people to event information, social media, a mailing list, and much more.

10 Musts for your Mobile Site to Avoid Frustrated Users!

In today's society, millions of people are constantly on the go; more than ever, consumers are turning to their mobile phones to get tasks completed. These consumers need specific information and they want it quickly.

A mobile website affords them a way to get the information they need without having to wait for long load times or filter through irrelevant details. For example, while some things, such as a blog, may be useful on a regular website, it won't assist them when they have a direct intention for action.

A mobile website can condense details so that consumers can quickly find your phone number, directions, and services offered. If consumers can't locate a mobile site for your business, they'll more than likely move on to a similar business that does have one.

As previously discussed, fast load times is a key feature of mobile websites, and it's also one of the most important functions to have. Mobile websites are trimmed down versions of regular websites, loading only what's needed and what mobile users typically search for.

In order for mobile websites to load faster, simple websites are encouraged. You can also have a custom-created layout made that's catered towards mobile users yet represents your company.

Keep in mind that mobile users are working with a small screen when compared with laptop and desktop computer screens. A mobile website ensures that the dimensions of each page are created to fit smaller screens, reducing the need to scroll through several pages.

This makes navigation much easier for consumers. If you've ever had to "side scroll" to view something while on a regular computer, you probably understand how frustrating this is. The frustration is magnified when you're working on a small screen.

Since phones don't have an external mouse, users typically tap their screen to navigate around. Enhanced mobile websites offer "finger-friendly" options such as tap-to-call, tap-to-email, and other features that make it easy for people to get in contact with your business with just a tap.

Most mobile users have a specific intent when visiting business websites. They are looking for business information such as a phone number or address, seeking product and/or service information, or looking to make a purchase.

Call to action features can help make the process easier, and since these features work with just a simple tap, it's especially beneficial to have them on your mobile website. Call to action features can include "Call Now," "Email Now" and other buttons that users can tap to perform a specific action.

Although previously discussed, it's important to remember that mobile devices load a lot less slowly than regular laptops or desktops. Additional pictures and graphics are best used for a traditional website where load times aren't as much as a factor. For mobile websites, less is more. Pictures and graphics are skimmed down and optimised to only what's important to consumers and what will help them make an informed decision.

One of the biggest differences between regular websites and mobile websites is the ability to play Flash. While most laptops and desktops do support Flash, the majority of mobile devices do not. In fact, even Google completely eliminated Flash from its Androidbased phones in 2012. What this means for mobile sites is that people can view information quickly without being bogged down, or having large ‘blank spaces’ on-screen where the flash element is placed.

Many phone users visit popular social media sites frequently. In fact, many consumers find out about companies, products, and services via social networks.

Mobile sites, fortunately, can easily integrate your social media accounts into the website, making it easier for others to share product information with others, engage with you, and learn more about your services. In fact, there are a variety of ways that social media integration will help your mobile website, including: - It provides a connection for people to move from social media to your business website.

- It encourages social sharing with others.

- It creates a way for users to add and share comments on your products and services.

This is an essential part of a mobile website and one that's utilised a lot. A map with directions to your business, or in the case of Estate Agents directions to an individual property, can easily be integrated into your mobile website, making it simple for consumers to find it, or find their way back to it.

www.luxurydaily.com www.emarketer.com pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Smartphone-Ownership-2013/Findings. www.ridgemarketing.com mobithinking.com www.mobify.com www.vocus.com www.localytics.com www.tnooz.com savvypanda.com visual.ly/qr-aware-mobile-barcode-awareness-study Google: Think Insights: www.techradar.com www.Opensignal.com

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