Reach for Those Stars

Leveraging online reviews to boost your business

By Alex Camelio

Reviews are available now for almost anything you want to research before using or purchasing: products, services, doctors and, yes, REALTORS®. So how do you leverage online reviews about you and your business? And how important is it for you to care about what people are saying in those reviews?

Your potential clients are very likely to look you up online before deciding to sign a contract with you. So, how do you make sure that what’s out there reflects favorably on you and your professional abilities?

Better yet, how can you use those reviews to actively generate business?

This five-part plan will help you generate more reviews, and use all the reviews you receive—positive or negative—to create more business.

1. Preview. Set your client and yourself up for success. Tell the client what to expect when they start working with you (ideally, in writing). Let them know that you’re going to ask for a review and possibly referrals after you’ve successfully provided the services they’ve hired you for.
2. Give. Make the process super easy. Give the client an easy way to review you and pick one site. Email them specific instructions about how and where to leave the review, including a link. If you use an automated email system, make it one of your standard after-transaction email messages.
3. Guide. Help clients understand review sites when it comes time. While consumers read reviews, don’t assume that everyone knows how to give them. There are certain types of people who leave reviews on their own, while others never even think about leaving them. But they might if you remind them and clearly show them how.
4. Ask. Want a review? You have to ask, sometimes repeatedly. It can require several emails to get someone to respond. If someone gave you a compliment during the transaction, ask them to leave a review! They’re already showing that they appreciate you, so a small nudge might yield great results.
5. Praise. When you get a review, make sure to thank your client and recognize them in your monthly newsletter or on social media. When others see this, they’ll be more likely to follow the reviewer’s example and work with you or refer business.

Monitor your online reviews

Once you have set up profiles on sites that pertain to your business, such as Zillow, Yelp, Angie’s List, Google Local and LinkedIn, check for any mentions of you on these sites. If you have a Google account, the alerts feature will ping you when something about you is posted online.

Make it a point to respond to every review, especially any that are negative. If you handle these professionally and positively, potential clients might overlook a negative review.

Leverage positive reviews by adding links to them in emails, on your website, on your business cards—everywhere. If you’re working with a business, give them a review; maybe they will respond in kind.

As CEO for Agent Inner Circle, a real estate agent community with over 50,000 members, Alex Camelio focuses on the growth of the community and the products managed by AIC. Within the real estate community, he has been recognized internationally as an expert in technology, marketing and entrepreneurship and has presented for various national organizations.