In today’s digital age, gaining the trust of your prospects and customers isn’t always easy. Complicating matters is the fact that nameless, faceless individuals have the ability to influence others – people they don’t know and have never met – simply by posting about their experiences online. What this means for your property management company is that you have the opportunity to leverage the positive nature of this so-called “social proof” to spark relationships and nurture leads. Here’s how.

Get more online reviews.

You can’t please everyone all the time, but you can improve your image online by gathering more positive reviews about your property management services. Not only do these comments help prospective clients get to know and begin to trust you, but they’re also great for SEO purposes, which means the more reviews you get, the easier it will be for your brand to be found online.

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Showcase testimonials.

Like reviews, testimonials are meant to share actual experiences that existing customers have had with your company. Testimonials, however, take this concept a step further, going beyond a simple comment or synopsis and delving into greater detail about how your brand truly solved someone’s problem or need. Think about your most loyal, engaged and satisfied customers and ask them if they’d be willing to share their story with others.

Leverage social media.

One of the easiest ways to harness the power of social proof is to incorporate your social media feeds right into your property management website. This way you’ll have a steady flow of fresh content streaming that will be available whenever any prospect visits your site, without them having to head over to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn pages. There are also multiple options available to customize the info you want to share (i.e. “best of” vs. most recent posts).

Use trust badges.

The goal of social proof is to gain the trust of your prospects and clients, and what better way to do so than through the use of actual trust badges? These are basically icons that you display on your website to demonstrate your brand’s credentials and experience. For instance, you might include a badge that links to your company’s Better Business Bureau profile. This effectively tells new leads that you’re a brand they can trust right off the bat.

Harness the power of user generated content.

We saved this one for last because when it comes to leveraging user-generated content, the possibilities are virtually endless. You already have satisfied customers, right? Why not tap into this resource and essentially have them sell the benefits of your property management services for you? There are a variety of ways you can do this, such as asking clients to submit video reviews or using a unique hashtag when tweeting about your brand. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative and have some fun. Doing so will endear your brand to your existing customer base and also attract more leads at the same time.

Related Post: 5 Reasons You Need to Start Leveraging Influencer Marketing

At last check, online reviews were 12 times more effective than sales copy. Furthermore, 70% of today’s consumers say they trust the recommendation of a stranger online. There’s no doubt about it. Social proof is an incredibly powerful thing. The five suggestions above should help you begin to leverage this effective marketing tool to develop that all-important trust factor that will help your property management firm stand out amongst the competition and win more business.

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