SUMMARY: Getting more online reviews, and making the most of them.
The last time I shopped for a real estate agent, I looked for who in the area had the most and best reviews. I ended up not selling my house at the time ... but signed that Realtor up as my first agent client!
Good reviews are both a valuable sales tool, as well as meaningful content for your website, blogREVIE or social media.
REVIEWS AS A SALES TOOL
Well, I'm living proof of the truth of this just recently! I was on vacation with the family, and how did we decide where to eat? By reading the reviews on Yelp. Reviews have helped change how we choose those people with whom we want to do business.
In fact, if you have a website, your reviews are one of the most important pieces of information you can offer. Along with your listings, property search, and your contact info, it's part of your packaging that makes you seem worth considering.
It wasn't too long ago that the internet was not trusted as a reliable source of information, and those attitudes die hard. Being able to show the opinion of "regular folks" is more important than a long description from you about the great customer service you offer!
REVIEWS AS YOUR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
I like to link to new reviews for my agent clients in social media. Not only is it a chance to show off the good things people say about you, it's a chance for you to put yourself in a good light, too.
For a quick social media post, you can say something like, "I'm so proud that my team and I were able to bring both buyer and seller together, and find a wonderful new family for a great old house!"
If you're a blogger, you can go into more detail, even if you don't want to reveal the identity of who wrote it. Put up a link to the review, and tell a bit of the story of the successful sale. What did you do to help make it happen? Don't just tell me how responsive you are to people's needs; add a little detail to make it more believable.
HOW TO GET MORE REVIEWS
You'll get some good reviews just from doing a good job. But let's get you some more than that!
Of course, you can ask. At closing, or some other time your buyer or seller is feeling good about you, just tell them how important it is for you to get good reviews. I know more than a couple of successful Realtors who do just that.
Here's another idea, however. The hotel business is getting good about handing out cards that ask for the reviews, and even tell you where to go to enter them. You could hand out a card that says, "How Did I Do?" It could explain a bit of why reviews are important, and give the address of your Trulia or Zillow profile.
If you're in the habit of giving a little gift at closing, this could be something you give out at that time.
Unless people decide to stop getting into real estate, reviews are only going to grow in importance. They're a very believable way to separating the best from the rest. How are you using your reviews to help grow your business?
