What is user-generated content (UGC)? It’s social media posts, YouTube videos, blog comments, testimonials, and reviews on e-commerce sites – anything created by customers, users or consumers of a service. Think of it as an online billboard.
For a REALTOR®, this kind of content most often comes in the form of client testimonials and can be an invaluable asset that can boost business.
This article refers to UGC created by a client who does not have a material connection with the REALTOR®. If a client has a material connection with the REALTOR® (such as a family relationship, or the client received payment, gifts, or discounts, etc.), please refer to the Ad Standards Disclosure Document for information about how to properly disclose.
Enhances trust and credibility
“In today’s real estate landscape, the consumer is turning more and more to the web for assistance with their home search, as well as their search for a REALTOR®,” said Asif Khan, a REALTOR® and broker at RE/MAX Prime Properties in Toronto, Ontario. “No different than with any consumer product or service, reviews play a large role in establishing credibility and trust when ‘shopping’ online. Positive reviews can help demonstrate your expertise, professionalism and track record of satisfied clients.”
The more positive user-generated content you can build, the more you grow a community around your brand. Satisfied clients are apt to return in the future, as well as refer your services to other people.
“The power of user-generated content is very valuable in my career,” says Arisza Hunt, a salesperson and REALTOR® with Royal LePage Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “I love to post my client reviews and testimonials because it allows potential clients and people visiting my social media to see real reviews from real people who have actually worked with me.
After a client and I have successfully closed a purchase or sale, I like to send them a thank you email and at the bottom kindly request they leave an honest review on my social media. I add a user-friendly link that they can follow,” Hunt says. “Once I see they have supplied their review, I often create a visually appealing graphic with the review on it and post it to my social media for others to see. I tend to use my own branding in these graphics so users can associate my branding with positive reviews.”
Be sure to obtain permission from your clients before sharing a client’s name or identifying particulars in marketing materials. Alternatively, you may anonymize names by using a first name and last initial, or something similar.
SEO benefits of UGC
The online world is vast, and it can be a battle to get placed at the top of organic results on search engines. Online reviews and other forms of user-generated content enhance online visibility and search engine optimization (SEO), since that content often contains keywords or phrases that potential clients use when they go online and do a search of local real estate services.
User-generated content doesn’t cost you anything to produce. The more that’s generated, the more it shows search engines your website is active and relevant, and that’s an SEO boost, as well.
Provides you with valuable feedback
User-generated content provides insights into your operation, shining a spotlight on areas where you can improve. Better understanding client experiences can help you tailor your services to better meet client needs.
Cailey Heaps, a REALTOR®, and CEO of Heaps Estrin in Toronto, Ontario says it’s all about constant self-improvement.
“What really matters is if clients feel the agent delivered on their promises – and the best way to find out is by speaking to other clients,” she says.
Did you know? You can add testimonials to your REALTOR.ca profile to demonstrate your expertise to prospective clients.
Supports your marketing efforts
Testimonials and client reviews are wonderful add-ons to marketing materials such as social media posts, websites, brochures and email marketing campaigns.
Keep in mind that a client might also share their review on their own social media, increasing your reach, perhaps bringing in future business via those other channels.
Offers an emotional connection that creates authenticity
The best social media posts are ones that convey authenticity. Property images and video are good, but client testimonials that include personal stories about dealing with you can resonate more on an emotional level with potential clients, which can help build trust.
Those potential clients watching the client videos or reading the review might see themselves in those posts, giving them more confidence that you’ll help them meet their needs in a real estate transaction.
When’s the best time to ask for a review?
The best time to ask the client for a testimonial is at the point of transaction when there’s excitement.
According to Rob Rudell, a REALTOR® and broker with Keller Williams Lifestyles in London, Ontario, a good example of this would be the night or day after a seller gets an offer and accepts, or at the time a buyer is signing off on their conditions to firm up a sale on their dream home.
“The better the service, the better the review,” says Rudell.
Lukas Krznaric, a salesperson and REALTOR® with RE/MAX Noblecorp Real Estate in Vaughan, Ontario, says he will send surveys or emails post-sale to gather feedback.
“Make sure you engage with reviewers by thanking them and addressing any feedback,” he says.
Rudell says a good place to use testimonials and reviews is on feature sheets or other marketing materials that are handed to potential clients at open houses, in email signatures, and in pre-consultation materials sent out or presentation manuals when meeting potential new clients for the first time.
One caveat, adds Jacqui Rostek Holder, a REALTOR® and associate broker for Platinum Group at Royal LePage Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is to not rely on them alone.
“I think [reviews and testimonials] are fantastic when coming from clients,” she says. “I would never say they aren’t important, but just a piece of an overall picture.”
Want to hear more about the role testimonials play in our decision making? Check out the discussion about building and maintaining your online reputation on CREA’s REAL TIME Podcast.
