Is this something you already consider? Do you work to establish trust with your estate agency customers?
A recent study undertaken by the home buying platform Yes Homebuyers found that just 1% of people think that estate agents are trustworthy as a profession.
The survey of 1174 individuals found that, when it comes to trust, estate agents are ranked lower than lawyers and traffic wardens.
But what is it about estate agencies that breeds this mistrust? Research carried out by CV-Library back in 2019 found that estate agents are one of the least trusted professions due to their perceived lack of morals (66.4%), greed for money (62.1%), unreliability (56.5%) and irritating nature (26.6%)!
Charming, hey.
So, how do you change this and create a trustworthy reputation?
While the statistics above may seem disheartening to say the least, it’s wise to remember that, trust them or not, buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants still usually need to engage the services of an estate agent.
How can you make sure that you are their first choice when they do?
1. Don’t only show up when prospects are selling
One of the biggest mistakes many estate agents make is to only be in front of their ideal audience when they have already decided to sell. Think social media channels packed only with properties for sale and calls to action to book a valuation.
Instead, create and distribute content that helps your customers get to know you and understand more about what makes your agency different. Both before they sell and whilst they are selling. Consider showing some of your personality on your social media channels. Go behind the scenes and let your customers know more about your staff. Get involved with local Facebook groups and provide advice.
Being visible to all in the area you serve allows you to grow your reputation as an agency that provides more than just a sales service. Rather, you are part of the community.
2. Provide added value to your audience
We all know buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make in their lifetime. Therefore, reassuring them that they are making the right decisions along the way is important.
Add value for your purchasers and vendors by providing guides and information that helps them to best understand specific parts of the sales process. This also allows you to manage expectations so consider including content on things like typical timescales for searches in your area or how the tenant referencing process works.
The more transparent and helpful your content, the more harmonious your relationship with your customers is likely to be.
3. Encourage and promote case studies from happy customers
How often have you received a card, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine from a happy vendor? A lovely gesture, but what if those gestures could better help you to secure future business? Instead of a shelf brimming with thank you cards, you could have a suite of case studies, quotes and reviews on your website that you can promote to your next potential vendor.
60% of marketers identify case studies as one of the most trusted content pieces by audiences. Unlike reviews or quotes, case studies show your customer’s journey, their problems, and how they were solved.
So consider asking happy customers for case studies (or even reviews if they’re a little shy) that you can then share on your website, in your email marketing and on your social channels.
How BriefYourMarket helps you to win trust
BriefYourMarket allows you to quickly and easily send marketing campaigns – across various channels, including email, SMS and direct mail – AND TO YOUR ENTIRE DATABASE. This will enable you to disseminate your trust-building content to potential customers across a variety of platforms.
You can create nurturing content that leads a prospect through specific email campaigns designed to build trust and win new instructions.
And with our Communications Managed service, WE can send expert content that helps to keep your potential clients connected with your brand across email, social media and other digital channels FOR YOU.
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