Have you ever checked yourself out online?
Done a quick google search of your name to see what comes up?
If yes, you’re not the only one searching for your name.
If not, it’s time you start checking your digital footprint.
It’s never been more important to make sure your online presence brands you for the listings that you want to land.
Why? Because 72% of buyers and sellers spend time researching agents online and offline.
(Source The Meaningful Agent, realestate.com.au)
Meaning there is a HUGE portion of people who are researching who you are online before they engage with you and become a potential customer.
While your active presentation of yourself in listing presentations, at open homes and in your daily business is important, potential buyers and sellers can now explore your background more proactively through social media, especially if you are sharing every facet of your life publicly (aware or unaware!)
If you are currently not in control of your digital profile, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and conduct a digital analyse and implement any changes so that you are putting your best foot forward in all spaces.
Where do you start?
Firstly, put together a list of profiles that you know that you currently have.
It’s a good idea to build out a form with all the links to each profile so when you conduct your annual audit, you’re not starting from scratch each time.
You can start with:
Your agency profile on the corporate website
Your realestate.com.au profile
Your domain.com.au profile
Your RateMyAgent profile
Your social media channels – both personal and business – Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
So if you do a complete digital analysis, it’s a great idea to review your weekly email newsletters and digital profiles here as well.
And before we start analysing each platform, it’s always good to do a google search of your name with various search terms. Think your name alone and combined with the agency or any past workplaces you’ve worked at.
Running a regular google search will give you a ‘vendor/buyers’ view of what shows up when they search your name.
Now it’s time to collate all the above information and work through it all.
Check:
Are your profiles on your agency website and the portals up today? Is your bio correct? Would someone from the public be able to recognise you from your online photograph when meeting you? Is your profile complete? Does it share your achievements, results, and samples of how you market your listings? Are there any ways you can add to your profiles or upgrade your profile, so they stand out from the pack?
How many social media profiles do you have? Are your personal pages private? If you share information or parts of your life on your personal profiles, it needs to keep to the high standard of your brand. If you’d like to keep some parts of your family life private, then make sure it’s locked down.
Do you have social media profiles that you no longer use or are blank? If so, it’s time to either start actively using them or shut them down. A blank business profile looks like an empty storefront to someone who is just starting out their research!
Check out your newsletters and e-brochures. Do they need updating? Is all your information correct? Is the visual design on brand?
Lastly, if your google search has shown up some information that you need to address make sure that you are.
Overall, it’s important to ensure your online footprint reflects the best version of you.
Tidy up photos and content and adjust privacy settings if need be.
To succeed as a real estate agent, you must establish trust and credibility with buyers and sellers, and you need to start with addressing how they view you online!