Mastering mobile marketing has become essential to real estate success, especially when selling to Millennials. Four out of 10 homebuyers now start their search online, according to the National Association of Realtors. About 94 percent of Millennials use the Internet at some point in their homebuying search, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers and 65 percent or less for other age groups. To be a successful agent, you must use the Internet effectively as one of the key tools of your trade.

Here are some mobile marketing tactics you can use to attract Millennial homebuyers:

1. Mobile CRM – One of today’s most essential mobile real estate tools is a customer relationship management (CRM) app. About 71 percent of agents now use CRM tools, according to an Inman report. CRM software combines the functions of address books, appointment calendars and email. CRM tools provide you with mobile access to your contact list. They also let you manage your sales activity, telling you where a given prospect is in the sales cycle, what actions you performed during your last interaction with them and when your next meeting is scheduled. You can identify your hottest prospects at a glance for a more productive use of your time.

CRM tools further help you automate your marketing activity, scheduling your drip marketing email campaigns. In order of popularity, today’s most popular real estate CRM tools are Top Producer, Market Leader and eEdge, with Contractually and Realty Juggler tied for fourth. General CRM tools such as SalesForce can also be adapted to real estate purposes.

2. Beacons – Another important mobile marketing tool useful to real estate agents is beacons, which are devices that send out Bluetooth low-energy signals that trigger push notifications on compatible mobile devices that pass within their range, usually a few feet to about 100 feet away. Beacons can be placed on strategic locations such as yard signs, open houses and brokerage windows.

After Apple introduced its version of beacon technology — the iBeacon — in 2013, real estate beacon tools began to emerge geared toward users of Apple devices such as the iPhone. For instance, Beamly allows users to send consumers messages with links to external websites or Beamly-specific content. During an open house, a message can be triggered when a homebuyer enters a specific room, providing them with information about a highlight of that room. Another real estate beacon service, RealtyBeacon, allows agents and brokers to direct consumers to websites. Trulia has a beacon feature that sends notifications to prospects when they pass near a property that meets criteria they have selected in Trulia.

3. SMS – Beacon technology works well in conjunction with short message service (SMS) marketing, more commonly known as texting. One agent’s application of texting is placing a custom keyword and phone number on a property sign instructing interested buyers to text the keyword to the number for information on the property. Upon sending the text, the sender receives a short listing with a link to a picture. Meanwhile, the agent gets the sender’s phone number added to their contact list. You can also send or schedule personalized text messages to people on your contact list, or use texting as an email alternative for receiving property or buyer information.

4. QR Codes – Another versatile mobile tool agents can use is Quick Response Codes (QR codes). QR codes are barcodes that mobile devices can scan in, triggering actions such as redirecting the user to a website link, image or video. One real estate application of QR codes is placing codes on postcards, where recipients can scan them for information on a pictured listing. You can similarly place QR codes on flyers, business cards, property signs and on real estate lockboxes.

Roy Rasmussen, co-author of “Publishing for Publicity,” is a freelance copywriter who helps small businesses get more customers and make more sales. His specialty is helping experts reach their target market with a focused sales message. His most recent projects include books on cloud computing, small business management, sales, business coaching, social media marketing, and career planning.