Using social proof to amplify your real estate marketing strategy

5 Ways to Use Social Proof for Your Real Estate Company

Social proof, which is the tendency to see an action as more desirable when others are doing it, can be incredibly powerful when making big decisions. Read on to learn how you can leverage as a marketing strategy for your real estate company.

What Is Social Proof?

Social proof centers on the idea that people will adapt their behavior based on what other people are doing. In other words, if a lot of people are using or saying good things about a product or service, it’s easier for people to have confidence in doing the same. Some good examples of social proof include:

• Reviews and ratings: This would include customer feedback posted on Yelp, Google Ratings, Zillow Reviews and Facebook Recommendations.
• Social media: If you are active on social media, you can get people talking and create more social proof.
• Actual results: This refers to real-world proof of your capabilities and accomplishments, including your experience, your position as a local real estate expert, the number of properties you’ve sold, etc.
• Authority content: Does your name show up on hyperlocal area pages, real estate education blogs, podcasts and interviews? If so, you can include this on your website and print marketing materials to generate more social proof of your skills, experience and expertise.

Using Social Proof in Real Estate

Although word-of-mouth advertising can help you generate more leads, it’s not quite as effective in today’s digital world. On the other hand, social proof can help you turn leads into clients. Some good ways to leverage social proof on your website include:

Encourage clients to leave reviews. These days, consumers value online reviews as much as personal recommendations. If you aren’t already providing easy avenues for your clients to review your services, this is a critical first step to building more social proof into your marketing strategy. Google, Trustpilot and Facebook all offer easy ways for you to collect reviews from clients. Since the reviews are public, you can easily use them to support the authenticity of your brand.

Collect testimonials. Hopefully, you have a decent list of past clients who feel great about the services you provided. If so, you can use client testimonials to attract more business and instill confidence in new leads. There are a number of strategies you can use to get more client testimonials. The most important thing is to make it as painless and easy as possible so clients will be more willing to help you out.

Highlight awards. If you’ve earned recognition or awards, you should prominently display this on your website. You can also leverage trust badges when possible. For instance, many businesses include the badge of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to enhance trust among prospective customers. If you are a member of a real estate association, consider using their logo as a trust badge on your website.

Leverage media. Pictures and videos have an emotional impact on people in search of their dream homes. Consider putting photos of happy families in front of their new home and pairing them with a brief positive client quote. If you have had some special past clients who really raved about your work, broach the possibility of creating video testimonials, which are much more compelling and engaging than traditional text reviews.

Fall back on your business credentials. If you haven’t been in business long enough to earn a lot of social proof, you should try leveraging your business credentials. While user testimonials can help add value to a service, business credentials can increase trust. You can promote how many customers you have, how many houses you’ve sold, your education or degree. All of this should be positioned in a prominent way that gives customers confidence in your ability to help them sell their home or find the home of their dreams.

2-10 HBW offers comprehensive Systems and Appliances Home Warranties to help protect your clients from unexpected repair and replacement costs. Contact us to learn more.