How Online Reviews Help Property Agents
Malaysians love to complain, especially when it comes to where they spend their money. Since the beginning of the modern world people have complained about their bad experiences and some about good ones. Until recently, these conversations were all done in person, by word-of-mouth. Now, as more of our communication and interactions moves online, that same conversation is broadcast across the web, with the potential of reaching thousands or even millions of internet users. These digital conversations come in the form of website testimonials, internet forums, review sites, and of course, everyone’s favorite: Google reviews. Google has collected over 100 million reviews of local businesses and services. Of these 100 million, obviously most feedback aren’t all positive.
The real estate industry, and the properties that it represents and manages, has also embraced this digital trend. The frequency, diversity and strength of customer ratings can affect 15.4% or more of a real estate trustability score. But rather than fear the power of these online reviews / testimonials, real estate professionals need to leverage technology to manage its digital communications. Real estate agent online reviews, both good and bad are a fresh, digital age advertising tool. It’s the best way to understand and boost your reputation by monitoring conversations, engaging your prospects, promoting and encouraging positive reviews, and building upon associated social metrics. A bad review that is turned into a happy customer is a great display of customer service.
Imagine a digital channel where customers not only want to engage with you but are also active clients, who are promoting your unique value to the public. But they can’t do that, unless you are active on the proper digital channels. You must start by making sure your brand and reputation has owned profiles across agent review sites and social media, as well as on your real estate website. The millennials, who grew up in an internet world, almost likely go first to the internet when they are doing their research, if your real estate profile isn’t there, they wont acknowledge you. 95% of people aged 18-34 read reviews of local businesses before making any purchase decisions. Not only are people deciding whether to lease from you based on your online reviews, they’re also more likely to choose other property agents with strong reviews online.
You can’t fix your online reputation issue if you don’t even know about it. Monitoring and engaging in the conversation surrounding your online real estate profile can help identify problem areas and prevent damage to your personal brand reputation. Steps such as simply registering a google alert to email you when your name is mentioned online will safe-guard your ability to track and respond to online reviews. Responding quickly to online customer reviews builds rapport and trust for your personal brand, and it can also help save a client relationship or prevent a small issue from becoming a much larger one. A timely and empathetic response can turn a bad critic into a fan, and a fan into an evangelist. Ignore these reviews and your personal real estate brand will suffer.
According to YourAgentReview’s Consumer Review Survey, 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to online reviews. To combat worry of responding to critical reviews, YourAgentReview allows real estate agencies and negotiators to claim their online profiles, so they can easily respond to online reviews in real time
Online reviews directly impact how a property agent is viewed and the general impression of them. Property agents have a 31% higher chance to close , if a real estate negotiator has positive online reviews. Not only does digital technology allow for real-time collection and monitoring of review data, it also gives agents a chance to benchmark each other against the competition (view their star ratings and activity for your top competitors and keep an ongoing watch of how you compare), engage in proactive problem solving and take proactive steps toward improving your online real estate brand reputation.
Find & Claim your online real estate profile here: YourAgentReview Profile