By Christine George, President of Marketing and Business Development, RE/MAX Leading Edge

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, right? As a Real Estate professional or small business owner, what people see and say about you is critically important in today’s online world. Think about it, do you ever buy a new product on Amazon without reading the customer reviews? How often do you try a new restaurant without checking out what people are saying about the food, the service, and the atmosphere? Customer reviews are trusted data points that influence the way consumers behave. Building your on-line reputation is not only a cost-effective way to build your business, it’s also critical in today’s technology driven world.

Agents are constantly asking me how much (or how little) they should be investing in on-line advertising. The facts are this; in 2015, over 85% of our Agent’s business came from their sphere of influence, repeat customers or referrals. In fact, the industry average close rate for on-line leads is 1-5%. The answer seems simple to me, by nurturing your SOI and providing the best service possible, you’re apt to realize a greater ROI than if you invest thousands of dollars in on-line advertising. That’s not to say you shouldn’t invest in on-line advertising. It is an important part of the overall marketing mix but there are more efficient ways to promote yourself on-line without having to spend a ton of money.

Here are the necessary steps to maximize your online reputation:

1. Don’t be a needle in a haystack! None of this matters unless your visible and easy to find. This means your profiles should be up-to-date and visible on all the major Real Estate search sites; Zillow/Trulia, realtor.com, remax.com, leadingedgeagents.com and your personal website. This does NOT mean you need to be on every social media site. Choose the ones that resonate with you. Maybe it’s Facebook and Linkedin or maybe you’ve become addicted to Pinterest and you’re trying Periscope. Ensuring you are visible is half the battle.
2. Update your photo! Don’t surprise your customers by looking different, outdated or older than what they see online or on your sign. When you look exactly like what they expect, you impress them and build trust.
3. Increase your on-line reviews. Just like your photos, on-line reviews create trust. In fact, 92 percent of consumers regularly or occasionally read online reviews and 80 percent trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to a recent article from Inman. The article also advises Agents to focus efforts on these top 4 sites, Google, Zillow, Facebook and Yelp as these are the four most used review sites. While the article dubs Google as their #1 recommendation, Zillow, in my opinion, would take the #1 spot simply because it is the largest real estate search site and you’ll be attracting people when their search is top of mind. Make sure you’re asking for a review and providing a link to the site in which you'd like to be reviewed.  Do this after each closed transaction.
4. Finally, Nurture your sphere! One of the biggest mistakes I see Agents make is not keeping in touch. Social Media can be a huge vehicle for staying top of mind with your past clients and for gaining referrals.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow you to create lists so you can easily stay on top of what’s happening with past clients. Use the opportunity to engage with them. While it's easy to like or comment on a promotion, new baby or graduation, just imagine the impact you could make if you sent a personal note of congratulations or even a baby gift. These are small, inexpensive tactics that can have a big impact with your clients and make you stand out from the crowd.

It may take years to build your reputation and seconds to destroy it so I’d advise you to take the time to audit your own digital footprint. What do you look like online? What are you saying about yourself and what are others saying about you? If the answer is unclear or worse, you don’t exist online then it’s time to invest in ensuring you’re visible, up-to-date and that you’re building your reputation through client testimonials. It may be the best advertising investment you’ll ever make.