As a real estate agent, people probably talk about you. But do you know what they’re saying? Finding a way to monitor your reviews is crucial to staying on top of the wants and needs of your clients, and also to stay a step ahead of your competition. While we are awesome at maintaining our own online social presence, we also have to be conscious of how our clients are contributing to that. Have you read your reviews on Yelp lately? Have you ran a Google search of yourself? Other than the great testimonials on your website, what are people saying about you? AG Beat wrote a great article that demonstrates why online reviews are so important. With our busy schedules this can easily get overlooked, but here are a few reasons why it shouldn’t.
Google Talks: Where do most of your leads comes from? As real estate virtual assistants, many of our clients confide that 80% (or more) of their business comes from referrals. Referrals are what keeps an agent’s business going, but today it takes more than word of mouth to keep them coming. That is why positive online reviews are crucial. According to a recent study, over 70% of home buyers said they would Google an agent before deciding to work with them. When a person decides to buy or sell a home, there so many agents who already have great ratings that will jump at the opportunity to represent them. If an agent is lacking reviews, it can look like they aren’t worth the review or that they have something to hide. Either way – not good. Take a moment to Google yourself or your company and see what pops up. If you’re lacking positive feedback the simplest and quickest way to get the reviews is to ask.
Consumers Trust (Each Other): You know who consumers trust more than marketing? Each other. Many real estate companies have similar mission statements, similar specialties and promise the same results. The world of “work with me because I am the best” is over because consumers are becoming weary to anything that sounds too good to be true. So, where do they turn to find the truth? Online reviews. Just like you would consult Yelp to decide which restaurant to dine at, consumers are doing the same thing to decide who will sell their home or find them the home of their dreams. In all reality we can say whatever we want about the credibility and success of our company – but when it comes down it, nothing beats the positive reviews of existing or past clients.
Bad Reviews: For most of us, it’s inevitable that we will receive at least one negative review throughout our careers. After all, we can’t please everyone all the time. The good news is that consumers understand that. Nobody is perfect, and seeing a mix between good and bad reviews (with good outweighing the bad, of course) can actually be a good thing. Am I saying to go out and request a bad review or create a pseudo self and rate yourself negatively? Absolutely not! I am just letting you know one bad review isn’t the end of the world. One good thing about a negative review is you have the chance to make a response, that shows other consumers that you care enough about your reputation to set the record straight.
Be Seen as a Local Expert: Reviews from other locals distinguish you as an expert in your area – and local expertise is a huge factor in gaining respect and trust from existing and future clients. Whether you are a new agent or a seasoned agent, establishing yourself as a local expert can be tough, but generating those reviews from local people is a great way to start!
So how do you rank? Create yourself a reminder to check for new reviews every time you close a deal or finish a meeting with a new client. It will let you know what you need to work on (if anything) and also give you a confidence boost when the ratings are good. If you need someone to monitor your reviews and keep you in the loop, your real estate virtual assistant can definitely help with that. We’re also here for a wide spectrum of your other marketing, design and copywriting needs.
Have an awesome day!
Lauren Wille
Marketing & Copywriting Specialist
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