— by Rett Harmon
Article Featured In January 2018 Lab Coat Agents
It’s a new year, which means a new you, right? Nearly everyone sets a new year’s resolution. Whether that goal is going to the gym more often, eating healthier, watching less television, or anything in between, accomplishing that goal requires planning, effort, and dedication. As a real estate agent, why not make your goal for 2018 to improve your internet game? If you’re dedicated to it, then the planning is already done—just read and put into practice some of these tips below, and you’ll be off to a great start in the new year.
BE HUMAN
One of the hardest things to write about is ourselves, but, in real estate, it’s also one of the most important. Writing a good biography on our profile can be difficult because we may not feel that we are interesting enough or we may not want to brag. Writing about ourselves shouldn’t be such a challenging task, however. Think of all of your accomplishments—eagle scouts, volunteer work, sports, etc.—and incorporate those things into your profile. To you, these things might seem like insignificant accomplishments, but to potential clients they make you relatable. The important thing to remember is that you are more than a real estate agent, you are human. It is valuable to remind your clients of this as well. The more relatable you are, the more drawn to you as an agent potential clients will be.
BE EVERYWHERE
The internet is large, and the real estate business’ presence on the internet is just as sizable. There are dozens of MLS sites out there—so many, in fact, that you might not even know that some of them exist. Since MLS syndicates portals, you and your listings might end up on some of these very websites that you have never heard of. Don’t be a gray silhouette on these websites. Search your listings and find them, and when you find them on a website that is new to you, be sure to update your profile on that website. While a particular website might not be your favorite or may not be widely used in your market, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t being used elsewhere. Don’t lose a potential client because you were too lazy or too arrogant toward a particular website to take the time to update your profile. Appearing as a faceless profile on a listing website is a sure-fire way to lose good business.
BE TALKED ABOUT
Reviews. You might hate them, but clients love them. Consumers trust other consumers. So while you are building up your clients trust through the creation of a personable profile, allow other consumers to build up your clients’ trust for you through their valuable commentary. Make it a priority to allow for reviews wherever there is an option to do so. Good reviews will always play to your favor, and having none will always be bad for business. Although the idea of public feedback might seem daunting, always remember that as long as you are working your hardest and doing the best possible job you can as someone’s realtor, then there is nothing to fear.
BE TALKING
Professional real estate sites are not the only places that you should have your presence on the internet. Social media is booming in 2018. Therefore, it is the perfect place to make both your presence and your personality known. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—utilize all of it. Not only are these tools free and easy to use, it is also likely that they have far more reach than any professional real estate website that you are already using. According to Tech Crunch, an online media outlet dedicated to covering all technology related stories, Facebook currently has more than 2 billion monthly users. That is an astonishing number and an unlimited clientele list. While clearly not all of these users will be in your housing market, you never know when one of your social media posts might be shared or seen by one of the users who is.
BE INTERESTING
Continuing on the subject of social media, much like your personal biography on professional websites, your social media page should reflect a human, not simply a real estate robot. While you are great at your job and have excellent listings to share with the world, pictures of homes and videos of you walking through a property aren’t likely to get shared and certainly aren’t memorable. Your social media page is the place to prove to clients that your money is where your mouth is. Remember those accomplishments we talked about? Eagle scouts, volunteer work, sports, etc.—post about those accomplishments through your usage of social media. Show that you are engaged with your community through pictures, videos, and shared experiences that you have with people in your area. This isn’t to say that you can’t ever share pictures of some of your listings that you are very proud of, but it is to encourage you to show more of yourself than your work through social media. Your engaging personality and passion for the community that you live in will make you a more memorable real estate agent and will encourage people to come to you next time they are in the market for a home—and that is when you can show off your properties to them!
BE IN CONTROL
With the internet and social media as prevalent as they now are, you story is going to be told one way or another. Make sure that you are the one telling it. Yes, let clients help you tell the story through their reviews, but make sure that your voice is the loudest. Quiet the naysayers through your upbeat internet presence. Prove that you are knowledgeable and passionate about the area you live in and the people that you work for. And for the praise givers, prove that everything they are saying about you is true. Put in your top effort to be present on every professional website where your listings may pop up, and prove that you are confident in the work that you have done by allowing consumers to write reviews of your performance. If you stay in control of your image on the internet, then there is nothing to hold you back in 2018.