They say that word of mouth is the best advertising. In today’s increasingly connected world, those “word-of-mouth” recommendations have moved online. Clients turn to website testimonials to find information, seek out Realtors, and make real estate-related decisions.
As a real estate professional, you can’t afford not to have reviews and testimonials on your website.
Why Website Testimonials Matter
It’s human nature to trust the opinions of our peers. We turn to others when making important decisions, craving their advice, knowledge, and experience. When it’s time to buy or sell our homes, 
we don’t want to trust that responsibility to just anyone. Online reviews are the new word-of-mouth advertising, allowing consumers to make informed decisions.
Why do online reviews matter? Just as you might ask a trusted friend or family member for advice before making a decision, clients trust online reviews to give honest feedback about a business or service. Positive online reviews and website testimonials establish you as a trusted expert in your field.
Today, information is at our fingertips. Consumers often start researching online long before contacting a real estate agent. Some estimates indicate that 90% of people consult online reviews before making a financial or business decision. By adding more testimonials to your website and other online channels, you’ll be increasing your credibility and reach.
5 Ways to Get Website Testimonials
If you’re ready to add website testimonials to your real estate website or other channels, here are a few easy ways to get started:
1. Provide Exceptional Service
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning here. If you want excellent reviews, you need to provide excellent service. If you have a long line of satisfied clients, you can probably guess you’re already doing something right. But if you know there’s room for improvement, make a plan to step up your customer service game.
2. Ask Current and Past Clients for Reviews
The most effective way to get reviews is to ask for them. Make it a habit to ask clients for feedback at closing or soon after. Take to your social media channels and ask for feedback. Send out emails to all current and past clients and include a link to leave a review. If you make the process simple, you’re more likely to get the website testimonials your business needs.
3. Build a Network
Without a large client base, you can’t get client reviews. Build your professional network. Connecting with others from the real estate industry can help you develop relationships and create a wider pool of potential review-writers.
It’s perfectly acceptable to ask other professionals within your network to write reviews for you. Have you had success with a particular lender or title company? Ask them to write a review! Having variety in your website testimonials only increases your credibility.
4. Create a Bigger Online Presence
We’ve already mentioned that asking for reviews is critical. However, reaching past and current clients isn’t always easy. Sure, you might send out an email asking for feedback, but how many inboxes are flooded with dozens of messages every day?
Instead, take to your social media channels and other online networking sites to ask for reviews. The more people you can reach with your messaging, the more reviews you’re likely to receive.
5. Reuse Reviews
We’re all about recycling here, and reusing your past reviews can be a great way to add new life to your website testimonials.
Chances are, you have “reviews” from past clients that you didn’t even think to use as reviews. That is, a friendly email from a client thanking you for helping them find the home of their dreams. Or a comment on your social media post praising your team’s service. You can certainly use these as testimonials on your website! Don’t limit yourself to traditional reviews from sites like Google, Yelp, and others. Get creative and use feedback from any source you can.
Website testimonials are vital to a thriving business in today’s digital world. If you haven’t incorporated reviews into your website, now is the time.
Do you have testimonials on your website? We want to hear about your experience! Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. Then, please share this post with your colleagues so they can benefit, too.
Leave a Reply