Two BombsBombBomb is a video mail program. You can record yourself talking on your computer or mobile device and send that recording as an email. It is a streaming email, so you are not sending a large file. Beyond vMail, BombBomb allows you to vLog or video blog. You can publish the recordings you make in newsletters, on your blog, website, or social media page. Suffice it to say, once the video is created, you can ship it anywhere.

Using BombBomb for the first time was quick and easy. I entered a little bit of profile information and was off creating my first video within less than a minute. However, there are a few areas where I believe there could be an improvement. The good news is that they are all very fixable.

Suggestion 1: Don’t Change My Password – When I registered it asked me for my password. In the registration email confirmation, there was a password which was system generated that I did not set up.

Suggestion 2. Promote the Mobile App – I feel like vMail is something that is more impactful and more efficient on mobile. I would rather talk into my phone than try to type – especially when I am on the go. None of the registration pages or confirmation emails mentioned anything about support for iPhone, Android, or Windows Mobile. Fixing this is a simple matter of dropping in some icons and linking those icons to the application stores.

Suggestion 3. Contact Sync – Once I set up my account, I would expect to be taken directly to add contacts. They do support uploading a CSV file – but agents will not do that unless they have a burning desire to adopt vMail or vlogging. Even those that do will be constantly challenged to keep contact records in both places. As a company that consults with enterprise business, I would tell you that without Gmail Contact Sync and Microsoft Exchange Sync, it would not be licensed for all agents. Again, this is not heavy lifting for any skilled development team, so I would expect that BombBomb may be able to add this functionality inside of a month or two.

My guess about the reason that they do not do contact sync is because they bill by the number of contacts you add, which I believe is a mistake. I would counsel them to bill on the number of videos viewed. In fact, $33 per month for 500 contacts is about the same price as MLS services or mobile data. My impression is that BombBomb is more of a vitamin than a painkiller. It is cool, but not an essential tool that has the same value in real estate as the MLS. They would probably have more traction at $30 per year than $300 per year.

I think that the best marketplace for BombBomb may be in corporate communications rather than agents. A video mail from the CEO or broker is a great touch, and the price points would be immaterial for the company. A broker with 500 agents would not even blink at $300 per year, but an agent would. A 25,000 member MLS or Association of REALTORS® could easily justify $2400 per year.

I also truly believe that video improves communication by humanizing the message. I get video mail from Century 21’s CEO and a number of other industry leaders. I also really liked the video market update that Dan Forsman of Prudential Georgia/Berkshire Hathaway published. In this day and age, we expect to see video from leaders in our industry. I am not quite sure that consumers expect video from their REALTOR®, at least not yet. I may be a bit biased, my daughter tells me I have a face for radio.

Don’t take my word for it. Try BombBomb out for yourself. They offer a 14 day free trial. BombBomb is a participant in the NAR REach™ Program.