There’s no denying the power of online reviews and ratings, including those on social platforms like Facebook. Ratings and reviews are everywhere, from being alongside each of the over 12 million products listed on Amazon, and every other major eCommerce site, to seller ratings on eBay and real estate agent ratings on ratemyagent.com.
And if you need any more proof of the importance of online ratings and reviews, 88% of consumers trust online reviews according to CREA, and over half of Millennials trust online reviews more than the opinions of family and friends.
But perhaps more than any other online review and rating system, Facebook’s is underutilized as much as it is underestimated by real estate agents.
Don’t feel bad if you have reviews turned off on your Facebook Page, or if you didn’t even know that reviews and ratings were available on the Page. Facebook is relatively new to the review and ratings game, having only started their system in 2014.
Every real estate agent knows how important Facebook is for their overall marketing and lead generation. Homeowners and their connections, neighborhood associations and their members, and all kinds of other community groups exist on Facebook, full of potential leads.
So, when you combine the sheer number of targeted prospects on Facebook, with the power of ratings and reviews, it gives you an idea of their importance.
Ready to let the reviews roll in?
Again, you may not even know that Facebook has ratings and reviews, but there are a few other reasons why they are underused by real estate agents. Here are just a few of those reasons, and explanations of why those reasons shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the benefits.
1. You don’t Like Negative Reviews
This one is true for all online reviews and ratings, but because of the importance of Facebook, it might be more important to get over it there than anywhere. Believe it or not, if you have online ratings reviews anywhere, you actually need some bad ones. 30% of consumers assume reviews are fake if none are negative. And CREA points out that negative reviews can be more powerful than positive reviews “because they give you the opportunity to respond and showcase your customer service skills and willingness to work with and satisfy all of your clients.”
2. You just Want to be ‘Liked’
If I told you right now there are 1,000 free Facebook Likes waiting for you at the bottom of this blog post, ……. you wouldn’t be reading this. But the constant pursuit of Likes might not help your Facebook marketing.When you buy Likes, or get Likes by boosting a post, most of them won’t continue to interact with your Page. Genuine Likes are those who are more likely to interact, and they are those you can segment, target and turn into real leads. These are also the same inbound prospects who may be looking for and appreciate ratings and reviews, and who may be more likely to leave one.
3. Not Many Other Real Estate Agents Use Facebook Ratings and Reviews
Yes, that may be true. But it’s an opportunity for you to take the lead – and get leads.
4. You Get Two for One
This isn’t a reason against using Facebook ratings and reviews, but it’s a reason for using them that few real estate agents Google uses ratings and reviews from several other platforms, including Yelp, TripAdvisor and, yes, Facebook, as part of their own ratings system. It’s one of the reasons why you might have a different rating on Google than the average of your Google ratings.
Getting good ratings and reviews on Facebook means showering your followers and visitors with lots of top-quality content. If you need a boost in this department, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Social Stream. Once you have amazing content going out on a regular basis, every one of those interactions have the potential to become a lead and/or a referral. An integrated CRM, Email Marketing and Real Estate Website solution designed especially for real estate professionals can help nurture them all.
Start your FREE 5 week trial of IXACT Contact now.
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