Last month REALTOR® Magazine published a fascinating article on the crucial impact your ‘About Me’ page holds when marketing yourself online.  The entire way you present yourself online can have an effect on whether or not someone will chose to work with you; maybe even more so that just a first impression or standard advertising!

If you pose with your dog, does that make you look unprofessional?

If your personal Facebook profile is open to the public, does that make you look unpolished?

REALTOR® Magazine set out to quantify the study of how seriously an online Bio can affect your persona by conducting a paneled study with consumers.  The consumers looked at profiles compared to their own wants and needs when looking for an agent, then explained the parts of the profiles that were less captivating or more captivating.  Here’s what they found…

1. Sharp  Photos

Just like listing a house, when marketing yourself you need to have the best photos showing you off.  However, unless you’re trying to directly target an audience with your photo, it’s best to avoid anything too casual.  You can still think outside the box if you want to differentiate yourself, though!

Although there’s no right answer, panelists unanimously favored agents who used professional photos across online platforms and cautioned against using any image that appears too casual. – Graham Wood, REALTOR Magazine

For example: Agents who specialize in rural areas or cabins could consider a professional (or at least high quality) photo of himself/herself in nature.  Or, an Agent who deals in luxury listings mostly could have a professional shot with a high end setting or back-ground.  This non-verbally shows that the agent truly understands a specific niche.

Use photos that depict how you look today—with a similar hair style and color. “It’s about being honest about who you are,” said June Wood, 67. Photo discrepancies can make you seem disconnected from the up-to-the-minute nature of online information today, she added. – From the article

It may be time to consider a new photo, especially if you’ve changed your hairstyle (or if it’s been a decade since your last one).  People can be turned off if they see too much of a discrepancy between photos on your professional accounts online, or when they meet you in person. You should also consider a new shot if your photo is a low resolution.  High definition photos are much more widely accepted. But even worse?  Having a profile with no picture…

Worse yet is not bothering to upload a profile photo and allowing the ubiquitous gray silhouette to stand next to your name. That sends the message you’re too lazy or time-crunched, or don’t have the technical know-how, to upload an image. – From the article

And you don’t have to spend too much on professional looking photos.  Rector Hayden’s in-house photographer, John Bell, will be happy to take some shots of you right here in the Beaumont Office.  We have professional lighting and developing so you can easily have a clean, sharp professional photo.

2. Clear and Concise

Does your About section have a point?  Don’t get caught rambling on about things the general public has no knowledge of.

Panelists said one realtor.com® profile had a statement: “God isn’t making any more real estate! Therefore, I’ve learned that buyers buy and sellers sell at any time,” while true, didn’t give offer them a reason to work with that agent.  Panelist Matt Bell, 30, said general statements provide little value.

Instead, talk about yourself and your experience.  What makes you the best choice for this consumer?  You should add a little bit of personal info – it humanizes you (which is crucial when communicating through digital media).  However, don’t get too deep.  “You can share personal details—it humanizes you—but don’t belabor the point. Remember that clients are seeking a pro with business skills first,” the article emphasizes.  Also, try to list hobbies that coincide with your business (photography on the side? landscaping? interior design?).  Hobbies that seem completely unrelated may turn a consumer away.

But the most important part about what your write in your profile – is to make certain to PROOF-READ!  Panelists in this study were very quick to spot spelling and grammar errors – and immediately wrote that agent off as unprofessional.

3. Can You Back Yourself Up?

Don’t state strengths or promises that you do not have the data to prove.  Saying you can close transactions quickly means nothing to the consumer if you don’t have the experience to prove it.

Support your claims with stats that illustrate results. The panelists said they wanted to see more profiles that included information such as how many properties you’ve sold, how close your sales are to list price, the typical price range of your listings, and how long you’ve been working in real estate. –From the Article

Some consumers won’t even read your bio that you’ve carefully written.  They’ll look immediately for stats – and move right along if there are none.  For new agents this can always be tricky – but at Rector Hayden we’d be happy to present you with company-wide statistics that support you as one of our agents.

4. Get Social

Consumers also immediately notice if you’ve been neglecting your profiles. If you made the effort to post content but then let it go for a few – consumers notice and may think that you aren’t up-to-speed with current trends (even if the reason you neglected your page was that you were selling selling selling!).

Even if you’re regularly posting on your personal page, are you keeping up that business page? When the panel convened in January, Werner-Pettinari had not updated the status of her Facebook business page for two months, while Lubin’s had been silent since November 2013. Big gaps like that make you look inactive, said panelist Maya Bird-Murphy, 22. “I want someone who’s constantly working and knows what’s going on right now,” she said.

In our social media / integrated marketing classes, agents are encouraged to try to post at least once a week.  This benefits their followers without bombarding them, increases their SEO potential, and helps ease agents into utilizing social networking tools more often with their marketing strategies.

Takeaway (Summary)

If our consumer panel made one thing clear, it’s this: Take care with your online persona. Craft accurate, error-free online bios and social media profiles, and write them with consumers’ interests in mind. Keep your photos up-to-date and consistent. And use your social postings as a way to bring your personality and your value as a real estate professional to life. These steps communicate the essence of you and your business, so don’t think of them as tiresome chores. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. and in the Internet-connected world, you’re projecting your image 24/7. What will be consumers’ first impression of you?

See the entire article and study here: http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales-and-marketing/feature/article/2015/03/what-your-online-about-me-says-about-you