Realtors© Need More Reviews in 2022

Wade Webb on February 9, 2022

realtors more reviews 2022Google, Tripadvisor, Amazon, Expedia and on and on we see the massive use and impact in business and the importance of third party opinions of products and services around the world. 

Reviews are dominating consumer decisions. We are seeing that third party reviews, testimonials are having a huge impact on consumers ultimate decisions. We all want more reviews! But look around you. People are busy. They have jobs, and lives, and kids’ soccer practices, and hobbies, and favourite shows…Do you really think they want to take time out of their precious schedule to sit down and write a review about you?

That’s not a slam on you or your service. It’s the reality of people’s priorities. I’m sure they’d love to write you a glowing review, but chances are slim they’ll get around to it… IF left to their own devices. Here’s the key: You’ve gotta make it EASY!

So, how do you as a Realtor© get more reviews in 2022?

An example is how Tom Tool created a URL at ReviewToole.com that takes people directly to his Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) page so they can write a quick review. It’s brilliant and it’s simple.

A potentially one-up idea is to create a simple yet robust solution to make it easy for people to review you is to buy  a custom domain name and have a basic, no-frills web page created with a little bit of branding and direct links to your Google, Facebook, Zillow and Realtor.com pages.

The whole thing should cost under $200 to get it all set up and running. For that amount, you can buy the domain name/URL and have a page built and print a 100 high-quality postcards to send to your past clients to encourage them to use the new site. To make things even easier, you include  a QR code on the postcard that takes people directly to your custom page. (Lots of agents use Flowcode but there are many different QR code generators out there. Just Google it.)

The point today is simple…If you want to get more reviews, if you want more clients, if you want greater fulfillment, then you’ve got to go the extra mile to make things easy on people! Reduce the friction. Create that Amazon-like experience.

Ask yourself how you can your evolve in all aspects of your business. Both of these solutions are proof that innovation doesn’t need to be cutting edge or expensive. It just takes empathy and respect for people’s situation. Here’s to more reviews and more business in 2022!

Strength and courage,
Wade

What Is Your Online Real Estate Reputation?

Wade Webb on July 18, 2018

realtor online reputation managementRealtors© often ask me if as a real estate agent does their online reputation really matter? Stop and think about this scenario for a second… A homeowner smack dab in the middle of your market is considering selling her home. Once that idea is in her head, what’s the next step in her process? If she doesn’t already have an agent who is “top of mind”? Her next move is likely to go online and start reading reviews of agents in her area. Suddenly, without ever meeting you, this prospective client is making decisions about your quality, your character, your ability to deliver results. So when she lands on your name… What does she see?

•Tons of 5-Star reviews full of vivid detail? GREAT!

•A few mixed reviews? NOT AS GREAT!

•Nothing at all? UH OH!

What is your online real estate reputation?

Social proof is essential in today’s Review Economy.

2 Sites Where You Absolutely Must Have Reviews. There are many different places where people can review things online, but for your purposes, the two most critical are Google and Zillow. Zillow gets tons of traffic for people looking for all things real estate. And Google is, well, Google… People search on Google all the time, but there are more reasons beyond them being the search giant, which takes us to…

3 Reasons Why Google Reviews are Beneficial to Your Business

1. Social proof and credibility. Ninety percent of consumers today read online reviews before engaging with a business! Not only that, but 77% of consumers believe reviews older than 90 days are no longer relevant! You know what that means? If people can’t find reviews about you and your services, you’re eliminating yourself from consideration by 90 percent of homeowners! The second stat means even if you have reviews, you need a consistent flow of fresh reviews to make sure you are perceived as being relevant.

2. Google loves fresh content. You know me… I have no secrets, and when I learn something from our business, I want to share it with you. In January of 2018, we began a concerted push to increase our Google reviews. We’ve added 874 reviews since that time, and because of having those reviews, our organic website traffic has increased by 47 percent! Long story short, the more Google reviews you have, the higher Google will rank your site, and the more eyeballs your site will attract.

3. Google Ads cost per lead decreases. If you’re using Google Ads, having an abundance of Google reviews makes your quality score go up and Google will add your five-star review rating to all of your ads. In the process, your cost per lead will decrease.

5 Strategies to Generate More Reviews

1. Incorporate reviews into your dialogue. Every time you meet a client, you need to “seed” the idea of them writing a review at the end of the process. Tell them your goal is for them to provide you a five-star review.

2. Remind them during “Hero Moments”. Anytime you slay a dragon in a transaction, take that opportunity to point it out to your client and specifically mention it would be a great detail to include in their review. Not only does this remind them of your expectation of receiving a five-star review, but it adds detail that enriches the review for readers.

3. Add a “Review Me” link in email signature. By incorporating a link in your email signature to your Google or Zillow profile, you can generate more reviews in a low-pressure manner.

4. You gotta ask! You can’t sit around and hope people will write a review. Whether it’s in person, by phone, by email, by text… you’ve gotta ask! When you ask, remember these two keys:

•Remind them your focus is on receiving a five-star review

•Direct them to tell a specific story, ideally about how you solved their problem

5. If you’re new, focus on Google. If you’re a new agent wondering how you’ll compete with agents with many more reviews, focus on getting Google reviews from people who you’ve worked with – colleagues, previous employers, etc. who can write about you even if you haven’t helped them buy or sell a home.

I encourage you to use these techniques to build more online reviews!

Strength and courage,
Wade