Build Your Business With Online Reviews

Your online presence and social media reputation play a vital role in your real estate business — perhaps more than you may recognize. Nearly every homebuyer begins their search online and will look at reviews to see what people say about you. Endorsements carry weight among customers, with nearly 90% of consumers saying they trust online reviews as much as word-of-mouth recommendations. 

That said, glowing online reviews not only can help to enhance and build your online profile — they are likely one of the key factors in a potential buyer or seller’s decision to contact you or use your services. In fact, the National Association of Realtors’ Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers indicates that sellers value the reputation of an agent more than any other factor when selecting an agent to sell their home.

So, whether you’re trying to optimize reviews on your Yelp page, Facebook business page or Zillow profile, here are three must-remember tips for success:

#1. Let Clients Know About Your Online Profiles

There’s a fine line between making your clients uncomfortable by aggressively asking for reviews versus simply letting them know about your online profiles and their ability to leave a review. 

To ensure your clients know they can leave a review, consider adding your social profiles to your website and email signature. If you have a Yelp page, for example, you can add a Yelp button to your email signature, which can immediately take them to your profile. If you’re a broker, you may also consider displaying social media icons in your brokerage’s storefront. 

#2. Make Engagement a Priority

You’re probably running a drip email campaign to keep your contacts up to date on market conditions, new listings and events. Consider adding new testimonials to the footer of your email. This not only helps your testimonials and reviews be seen by a wider audience, but is also a nice way of showing your clients you appreciate that they took the time to review you.

#3. Show Your Thanks

Always send a quick note or thank-you card to clients who review your services. Even if the review was less than stellar, you should still reach out. This is a great opportunity to acknowledge the feedback and put steps into place to learn and grow from the experience. 

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

While 17 percent of consumers say they would write a review after a positive experience with a brand, many reported that they would be more likely to write a review after a bad experience. If you don’t regularly monitor and respond to your online reviews, you risk sending a potential client straight to one of your competitors. But it’s not just the review itself that’s important. How you respond to that review is often just as important, if not moreso, than the review you received.  

When you respond to an online review, here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Don’t let your ego or pride get in the way. 
  • Always keep your response professional — don’t be defensive or let your feelings get the best of you.  
  • Be empathetic and try to imagine things from your client’s point of view. Try thinking of the client as a friend or relative — respond to the review as if you were talking to someone you care about.  
  • Do your best to try to resolve any issues and help the client — offer them an easy way to contact you directly to get the problem taken care of.  

Build Your Online Reputation

The importance of online reviews and your social reputation grows with every click from a client. To learn more about finessing your online presence, try our AgentEDU® course, Yelp for Your Real Estate Business, today. 

Get unlimited access to every other 10-minute video course on AgentEDU when you subscribe for only $19.99 per month.

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AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth. For a seven-day free trial, sign up here.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

Education: A simple — but vital — investment in your career

Any real estate agent will tell you that licensing classes and continuing education courses don’t prepare brokers for the challenges of running a business.

Agents have three basic tasks they need to accomplish to be successful in 2021: working with buyers, working with sellers and working on their business.

Working with buyers and sellers is almost unavoidable, and with the often unpredictable pace of transactions these days due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s something that determines your schedule, rather than having to be worked into your routine.

On the other hand, building your business is often a task without a timeline, and it’s hard to feel the pressure building up behind it. If brokers don’t make time for it, this type of work often slips by the wayside when the market is busy.

For those who think of their day-to-day as a career, not just a job, turning to outside sources of learning and business workshopping is key. AgentEDU is a program that offers 10-minute video courses on a great number of topics vital to the idea of successfully running one’s business as a business.

You can get an idea of what AgentEDU has to offer by using the seven-day free trial available at AgentEDU.com. Whether you’re looking to ramp up your business or perhaps thinking about starting a team, there’s a course that will suit your needs. Here’s a quick look at a few classes that get down to the brass tacks of what it takes to build a real estate business that lasts:

Essentials

  • Learning Your Real Estate Market
  • Meeting Your First Buyer Client
  • Build Your Real Estate Business
  • Using Your Contacts
  • The Best Real Estate Company to Work For
  • Developing Your Professional
  • Real Estate Image
  • Creating a Business Plan
  • Real Estate Mortgage Basics

Advanced

  • Real Estate Leads
  • Converting Real Estate Leads
  • Real Estate Agent Advertising Basics
  • Yelp for Your Real Estate Business
  • How to Overcome the
  • Commission Objection
  • Advertising Rules Real Estate
  • Agents Need to Know

Master

  • How to Generate Leads With Open Houses
  • Understanding Real Estate Lead Conversion Rates
  • Are You Ready to Join or Start a Real Estate Team?
  • The First Addition to Your Real Estate Team
  • Real Estate Team Members’
  • Job Descriptions
  • How to Manage Your Real Estate Team
  • The Tech You Need to Manage a Real Estate Team
  • Are You Ready to Open Your Own Brokerage?
  • How to Use Real Estate Advertising
  • How to Determine Your Listing Ad Budget
  • How to Determine Your Target Market and Develop the Right Message
  • How to Measure Real Estate Advertising Effectiveness
  • Using In-House vs. an Outside Ad Agency