Why Consumers Prefer to Connect With Agents on Zillow and Trulia

The ability to jump online and find out nearly anything about anyone at any time can be a recipe for information overload. But when buyers and sellers search online for a compatible real estate professional, agents have the opportunity to engage consumers in the way they prefer: with information they can read on their own time, at their own pace.

Here’s why sites like Zillow and Trulia — with their comprehensive agent profile pages — make it easier for consumers to connect with you so that can make a memorable digital first impression.

Reviews are the new word of mouth…

Reviews play a critical part in who consumers select when looking for real estate professionals. A recent study from Bright Logic found that 92 percent of consumers regularly or occasionally read online reviews when searching for local businesses. Sixty percent of respondents said that the number one factor they use to judge a local business is its overall star rating; 44 percent ranked the number of reviews received as the second-most important factor.

…and consumers hate fake ones

Thirty-one percent of the Bright Logic survey respondents said they would trust a review if they think it’s authentic. Believe it or not, there is an actual industry for writing and submitting fake reviews. Many consumers are wary of a business without a single “bad” review or those whose volume of reviews seems disproportionate to the number of clients they have.

There are more than one million reviews on agents, lenders and other real estate professionals on Zillow. Zillow is vigilant about ensuring every single review is high quality and credible; submitted reviews are subject to strict guidelines to prevent spam and inappropriate language or comments, and they must comply with Zillow’s Good Neighbor Policy.

A good bio can go miles

A well-written bio, where you focus on serving clients rather than talking about yourself, helps consumers get to know you before they meet you. Buyers and sellers want to know where your passions lie, what makes you different and how you help clients through their journey.

You can make a deeper connection

Consumers read the most recent reviews first, and 88 percent of them form their opinion before reading 10 reviews. Reviews are one of the best tools for showing leads what it’s like to work with you. Replying to all reviews — even negative ones — helps you reveal your character, humanity and professionalism.

It’s easy to use the Internet to keep people at arm’s length, but real estate agents who want to succeed will use technology to attract and engage leads. Buyers and sellers are online doing more research than ever before — including finding out what you’re all about and what you bring to the table. When you reach out to leads in a way that aligns with when, where and how they want to communicate, you make it easy for them to choose you as their real estate agent.