One of the most essential parts of your real estate website is the testimonials section. Positive reviews are a goldmine for any business let alone one that requires investment such as real estate. Testimonials show potential clients that your company is not only legitimate but also an excellent business partner.
For real estate, using testimonials to earn the trust of potential clients it has become part of business etiquette. Authentic, believable testimonials help set you apart from your competition.
Not only it increases the chances to get more deals, in some cases a great testimony is all it takes for someone to work with you and sign the contract.
The thing is that if you can’t build a list of testimonials, you might seem untrustworthy.
Home sellers want to work with a real estate agent they can trust as they may go through stressful situations. Likewise, home buyers are making a serious investment, and they are right in avoiding shady agents.
But how do you get authentic, credible testimonials?
And we have arrived at the big issue. One of the best ways to sign new business is through past customers.
Personal recommendation is the most credible source, so you need to connect prospects with people you did business with in the past.
First, prepare the right questions before asking for feedback
The answers provided by previous customers should help you build the testimonials. Of course, diversity is key.
The unique information each customer gives becomes the focal point of each testimonial.
You need proof of your professionalism, experience, personality and first-hand client experience that your visitors will strongly relate to.
Ask your clients if they will recommend your real estate service to friends, family and most importantly why.
You can ask them what qualities recommend you as their agent of choice.
Also, focus on your problem-solving ability and ask if they encounter any difficulties in their buying/selling process and what is your participation in helping clients overcome them.
Take into account the format of the testimonial for each client: written review, a video or in a Q&A form.
To some people, it may be easier to take a short survey while others will happily appear on a video.
Secondly, choose the tools that best fit your customers
Select suitable apps and sites that help you gather testimonials. These are tools that will make it easy for customers to answer your questions without taking much of their time and effort.
For surveys that you can send by phone, share on a website or social media use SurveyMonkey a free question form platform that allows you to add custom logos for a personal touch.
You can also choose Typeform to create customized surveys with unique templates. Typeform offers a free trial, and you can unleash your creativity: add a thank you or call to action in your survey and a link to your website.
Clients that would instead talk about you then write should be encouraged to download Boast mobile app and record their opinion in a short video. You can next embed the Boast feedback form to your website.
Yelp is a popular review platform, the place where people share their opinions on any service or product. Customers leave a written review and rate businesses using a 5-star system.
Yelp is also integrated into WpResidence, WpEstate and WpRentals theme allowing to show different points of interest nearby listing location, with their Yelp Reviews Star attached.
Create a profile and show off those great reviews, which you can link back to on your website.
Social Media is another excellent source of positive reviews.
Ask your customers to leave feedback on Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn and then embed them on your testimonials page.
Consider including those customers that are willing to state their opinion in more traditional ways, in a scheduled phone interview or a more casual setting.
In this case, you should ask for their consent to use the information on your website.
Thirdly, motivate clients to leave their feedback
We have to put it honestly here; people will not come running to write reviews for you.
Now and then you might receive an online survey without asking, but in most cases, you have to reach out to your past clients.
Everyone loves a freebie or a reward so motivating them shouldn’t be too hard for a creative real estate entrepreneur.
For first-time house owners consider gifting them a housewarming basket or offer fun and free activities such as a professional family shoot.
For more sophisticated clients invite them to a fancy dinner or offer a gift card at a local business.
Once you have your list of testimonials you should consider wrapping them up in an engaging package
Select the essential information and use design editors to present testimonies in a noticeable format.
Keep in mind that you can’t change the words of the review and only select how much of the info to use in the testimonial.
Check here all the shortcode types WP Residence offers for Testimonials which you can use on the homepage.
For real estate, using testimonials to earn the trust of potential clients it has become part of business etiquette. Authentic, believable testimonials help set you apart from your competition.
The purpose of the testimonial is to enhance brand reputation, and capture leads hence it should be succinct, with a focus on valuable info (problem-solving) and leave a positive feeling.
For great testimonial layouts, you can use online design platforms (such as Canva), or you can create a page that fits with the rest of your website.
Make them appealing by keeping the text short and structured, easily readable with bullet points, one or two fonts and effects (bold or italics).
Also, remember to add pictures or a video to give credibility.
Share your customer testimonials with the targeted audience
Build a dedicated page on your website to include all client testimonials along with their photo and, additionally, with the picture of the property sold/bought.
Further on sharing the page on your social media every time you receive a new review.
Post on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, the quote from the happy customer, write creative, engaging headlines and include the URL to your testimonial page.
Testimonials have a significant role in improving your website SEO score.
Google rewards the presence of customer reviews with a high rank in top search results.
As time is money, use your client connections and start building your online reputation now!