propertyadguru.com welcomes this guest post from Oliver Hesketh of Australian real estate agent directory and rating website propertyscope.com.au.
It has never been more important to be aware of and manage your online reputation. Whether you’re wet behind the ears or a seasoned professional, if you keep your clients happy you should use the Internet to make sure everyone knows about it. If you don’t keep your clients happy, people will know that as well.
“I don’t need to manage my online reputation because the only ones who will see it are my teenage kids.”
This is the classic “head in the sand” approach, and a dangerous one at that. A staggering 86 percent of Australian Internet users look online to see what other people think about a product, service or brand. And it’s not just the under-25s that are watching you online – nearly every one of your target markets is looking for you on the Internet. Half of Internet users aged 50-64 now use social networking sites, and usage amongst the over-65s has doubled over the last year.
You should think about managing your online reputation the same way you would a sales call. If it goes well, it’s an opportunity to impress - a potential revenue earner. A sloppy job, on the other hand, will do your business no favours whatsoever.
What is the Internet saying about you and your business?
There is no real need to use specialist search services to find out how sharp your online reputation is. I’d suggest doing exactly what your potential clients are doing, and putting your name into Google. Otherwise known as “egosurfing,” Googling yourself is common practice and you need to be dong it.
It’s preferable to use quotation marks around your name (eg “Sam Smith”) to limit the matches to those that are really relevant, and if you have a common name, try searching [“Sam Smith” AND “real estate”] to really narrow the search results down.
This should give you a summary of what people are saying about you on blogs and review sites. It’s not going to reveal every single piece of information (you might also try running similar searches on Twitter), but it’s more than enough to start with. Next, you could set up a daily Google Alerts email matching this search.
Negative image
If your newly discovered online reputation doesn’t do you justice, take action. If there are negative comments written about you on a blog or review site, try responding to the criticism. The public knows you can’t keep everyone happy all the time and will be impressed if you respond in a factual and considered way.
Remember: vendors are looking for a safe pair of hands to handle the sale of their home. How you deal with negative feedback in a public forum is an opportunity to set yourself apart from another agent who may engage in an emotional mud-slinging match. Of course, you should also try to offset any negative comments by encouraging satisfied customers to write about their experience online.
Too big to ignore
Managing your online reputation is a clear opportunity for your business. The only question remaining is whether you or your competitors do it better.
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