How more online reviews help you gain new clients

Did you know 86 percent of people read online reviews for businesses?

And 78 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust their friends. So, how are your reviews as a Realtor®?

Whether your client is buying or selling, closing time is probably a stressful time for them. So, by the time your job is finished, they are in the midst of moving. It’s easy for them to forget to leave a review, even if they meant to. How can you gain more reviews without annoying your busy client?

“We know from consumer research that the consumer wants to do a review,” said realtor.com’s® Mark Allen. “Agents can set up profiles to automatically send a communication to their buyer and seller to leave a review, but I always caution agents. The client will get that contact after closing, when they’re busy,” he said. Allen suggests reaching out a week or two after the dust has settled to gently remind clients to leave a review.

“Some agents will make a follow-up call to see how the client is doing and remind them that ratings and reviews are really important to their business,” Allen said.

Realtor.com® has 60 million unique users every month, Allan added. “A large segment of your potential customers are there. The way they connect is by going to your profile. Every month, 5 million unique people use the ‘find a Realtor®’ function on the site, searching by name, area or specialty. They look at the reviews and ratings. Consumers want to see ratings and reviews to see what their peers think.”

According to research, consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business. Reach out to past clients today, asking them to leave reviews and help you gain new clients.