{"id":67507,"date":"2020-05-27T13:40:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T13:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=67507"},"modified":"2020-05-27T13:40:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T13:40:20","slug":"your-profiles-matter-take-time-to-perfect-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/?p=67507","title":{"rendered":"Your profiles matter! Take time to perfect them"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"heading share-section\">\n<header class=\"entry-header\">\n<div class=\"entry-subtitle\">Now is the time to give your web presence a second look. Follow these steps to create a profile potential buyers will gravitate toward<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"featured-img\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/webassets.inman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Untitled-design-2020-05-26T152225.763-1400x787.jpg\" alt=\"Your profiles matter! Take time to perfect them\" width=\"452\" height=\"254\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Jose Luis Pelaez Inc \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<p><em>Jay Thompson is a former brokerage owner who spent six years working for Zillow Group. He retired in August 2018 but can\u2019t seem to leave the real estate industry behind.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Your real estate agent profiles \u2014 those pages scattered about the internet that invariably include your photo, an \u201cabout me\u201d section, and maybe areas to display your listings and past sales \u2014 are often the first places potential buyers or sellers will find you as they begin the process of deciding which agent to hire.<\/p>\n<p>Given that reality,\u00a0real estate agent profiles\u00a0should be crafted with care and consideration. After all, you\u2019re marketing yourself, so you want to put your best foot forward anywhere you have the opportunity to connect with a potential client.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the web is filled with \u2014 let\u2019s be honest \u2014 some pretty bad profile pages. You know the type:\u00a0fuzzy images, outdated copy, sales speak. The list of grievances is almost endless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"trending-block\" class=\"content-block\">\n<div class=\"block-inner clearing\">\n<p>Why are some profiles disasters while others are marketing masterpieces?<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know. Maybe some real estate agents aren\u2019t sure why profiles matter or don\u2019t understand how to make them consumer-friendly. Crafting a good one probably seems overwhelming. Often, people quickly build a profile page and never look at it again.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the reasons for subpar online profiles, now is the time to give your web presence a second look. Start pulling up your profile pages, and ask yourself a few questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is there a high-quality photo?<\/li>\n<li>Are my\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inman.com\/2019\/04\/08\/wanna-sharpen-your-skills-try-these-classes-and-certifications\/\">education credentials<\/a>\u00a0meaningful and up to date?<\/li>\n<li>Do I communicate my\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inman.com\/2018\/05\/21\/how-to-stand-out-from-the-competition\/\">unique selling proposition<\/a>\u00a0well?<\/li>\n<li>Is there \u201cagent speak\u201d (terms consumers might not understand) in my profile?<\/li>\n<li>Am I trying too hard to sell?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look at each of these focal points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"read_next-block\" class=\"content-block\">\n<div class=\"block-inner clearing\">\n<h2>Pick the right photo<\/h2>\n<p>Have you ever seen marketing material from a real estate agent and said to yourself, \u201cWow, I wonder how old that picture is?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You know you have.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be the person in that photo! You don\u2019t need to\u00a0update your headshot\u00a0every six months, but if you\u2019re using an image that looks more like your high school yearbook photo than something taken in the past couple of years, it\u2019s time to make a change. \u201cGlamour Shots\u201d were a thing \u2014 30 years ago. Today, not so much.<\/p>\n<p>Avoid the \u201cheadshots\u201d that are simply logos. People want to connect with you, not a\u00a0logo. Ditto with your dog, your cell phone, a \u201cJust sold!\u201d rider or any other prop. Get a professional headshot, cropped so your smiling face is the focus of the photo. Don\u2019t clutter it up with stuff that doesn\u2019t matter. Just you and your face.<\/p>\n<h2>Clarify your education credentials<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"rest-block\" class=\"content-block\">\n<div class=\"block-inner clearing\">\n<p><em><strong>Jay Thompson \u2014 MBA, ePro, ABR, CRS, CRE, CIPS, GRI, CPM, SRS<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Impressive?<\/p>\n<p>Not really. Don\u2019t get me wrong, education is important \u2014 crucial, even. But how many consumers \u2014 you know, the folks looking at your profile and deciding whether or not to hire you \u2014 know what any of those abbreviations after your name mean?<\/p>\n<p>The answer to that rapidly approaches zero.<\/p>\n<p>So, spell it out, but not just by saying, \u201cI am an accredited buyer\u2019s representative!\u201d That still doesn\u2019t mean much. Try something like this:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe in continuing education. It helps me to be a better agent for you. I\u2019ve spent 200 hours in the past two years training, learning and refining my craft \u2014 so that I can better serve you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you really want to get into the details of your credentials, consider linking to pages that explain what you learned in those designation classes.<\/p>\n<h2>Define your USP<\/h2>\n<p>Your USP \u2014\u00a0unique selling proposition\u00a0\u2014 is what sets you apart in the sea of sameness. Odds are pretty good that there are a lot of real estate agents in your market, all competing for limited buyers and sellers. What makes you different from all of them?<\/p>\n<p>It is not an easy thing to define, but a good USP, if it\u2019s communicated well, will really help a consumer understand what you can do for them. And remember, it\u2019s all about them, not you.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inman.com\/2018\/05\/21\/how-to-stand-out-from-the-competition\/\">Here is a good article on building a USP<\/a>. Give it a run-through (be sure to watch the video, too), and get that brain thinking about what makes you stand out from the pack.<\/p>\n<h2>Watch the agent-speak<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI closed 43 sides last year \u2014 I can sell your home too!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As real estate sales professionals, we know exactly what that sentence means. But what about that potential homebuyer? The guy who hasn\u2019t bought real estate since he grabbed a cheap condo nine years ago sees \u201csides\u201d and thinks \u201cbaked potato or fries?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s very easy to include words and terms that you see and use every day. Take a step back, and look at your real estate agent profile from the perspective of a consumer. Spell out abbreviations. Define industry-specific terms \u2014 or better yet, just avoid them.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t force potential customers to try and translate your agent-speak into terms they understand. The simple fact is they won\u2019t translate; they will move on to the next profile.<\/p>\n<h2>Stop the hard sell<\/h2>\n<p>Your real estate profile is your biography. It\u2019s a place for someone to learn about you, how you work, and what you can do for them. Although you use it to market yourself, it\u2019s not an overt advertisement. Hard selling on your profile might cast you as \u201cone of those agents\u201d who seems to only care about their next commission check.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll say it again: It\u2019s about them, not you. Your profile is a place for potential clients to get to know you. Real estate is still a very personal,\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0business, and your profile may well be your first chance to impress. Don\u2019t make that impression be of a pushy salesperson. Make it reflect the professional, helpful and caring real estate agent that you are.<\/p>\n<p>Profiles are important. They are often the first thing your potential clients will see, and\u00a0first impressions\u00a0count. Many people will use profiles almost exclusively to determine which agent to reach out to.\u00a0I did, and I am far from alone.<\/p>\n<p>You should have an optimized profile on every available site. Zillow (your Zillow profile is automatically ported to Trulia), realtor.com, your brokerage website, your website,\u00a0Google My Business. Check your MLS and local association, they might offer profiles pages, especially if they have a public-facing website.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re in Texas, the Houston Association of Realtors provides\u00a0profile pages for any agent in Texas. See if your chamber of commerce offers a business directory.<\/p>\n<p>Most sites charge nothing to build a profile. Some, like a local chamber, might require you to be a member before you can build a profile. The time you spend building \u2014 and updating \u2014 profiles is time well-spent, and the return can be significant.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"by\">By<\/span> Jay Thompson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now is the time to give your web presence a second look. Follow these steps to create a profile potential buyers will gravitate toward Jose Luis Pelaez Inc \/ Getty Images Jay Thompson is a former brokerage owner who spent six years working for Zillow Group. He retired in August 2018 but can\u2019t seem to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"saved","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67507"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67507"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67512,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67507\/revisions\/67512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.myewm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}