K
ey Takeaways
Digital first impressions shape client decisions before face‑to‑face meetings.
Common marketing blunders—outdated headshots, cluttered email signatures, abandoned websites, unfiltered social media, generic bios, stale reviews—signal unprofessionalism.
Fixes are simple: professional photos, clean signatures, regular site audits, thoughtful social posts, concise bios, and active review management.
A polished online presence gives you a competitive edge and signals competence.
Why Digital Matters
Clients encounter your brand through photos, websites, email signatures, and social feeds before they meet you.
If these touchpoints look sloppy, clients assume your service is sloppy.
If they’re outdated, clients think your expertise is outdated.
A chaotic digital footprint suggests a chaotic business.
Marketing need not be perfect, but it must not be a liability.
Headshots: The First Trust Signal
No one expects a luxury ad, but a professional headshot should look current, not like a 2006 flip‑phone selfie.
Common offenders: steering‑wheel selfies, cropped wedding photos, cluttered backgrounds, heavy filters, and “duck lips.”
An outdated photo signals old‑school practices.
Fix: Hire a professional photographer if possible. If not, use natural light, a clean backdrop, and a contemporary look. Avoid sunglasses, dashboards, and glamour shots. Aim for approachable, confident, and up‑to‑date.
Email Signatures: The Most Read Marketing Piece
Clients read your emails longer than any other material.
A chaotic signature—multiple fonts, colors, generic quotes, too many social icons, non‑clickable phone numbers, long legal text—creates doubt about your marketing quality.
Fix: Keep it simple. Include name, title, phone (clickable), email, website, and one logo. Compress images. If you add a quote, make it authentic.
Websites: The Front Door
Many agent sites feel abandoned: no recent blog posts, outdated team pages, broken links, and AI‑generated bios.
A neglected site signals a neglected service.
Fix: Conduct a quarterly audit, starting with mobile. Verify every link, form, and image. Update bios, remove former agents, delete stale blog posts, and ensure contact forms work.
Social Media: The Silent Deal Killer
Clients scan your social feeds before calling.
Political rants, trend‑chasing TikToks, spelling errors, buyer/seller tirades, and oversharing personal updates erode trust.
This isn’t about censoring personality; it’s about judgment.
Fix: Post only what you’d say in a listing presentation. Move personal content behind privacy settings if needed.
Bios: Avoid the Generic Trap
Bios often fall into two categories: autobiographies that lack a hiring reason, or buzzword‑heavy statements that add no differentiation.
Clients need a clear, concise bio that explains who you serve, where you work, what you excel at, why it matters, and what makes you memorable.
Skip clichés and fluff.
Reviews: The New Word of Mouth
Many agents leave review pages with mismatched contact info or outdated testimonials that read like early‑AI.
Clients ask, “If you’re not updating reviews, are you closing deals?”
Fix: Choose one primary review platform and maintain it. Recent, authentic, consistent reviews matter more than quantity.
Digital Listing Appointment: The First Real Impression
Agents focus on listing appointments, but the real first impression occurs when a prospect Googles you or clicks through your social media.
Quarterly routine:
1. Google yourself (including images).
2. Test your website on mobile, review headshot, bio, and all links (including email signature).
3. Scan the last 30 days of social posts, verify links.
4. Read reviews as a client would.
Marketing is Competency Signaling
Your digital presence is your handshake, elevator pitch, storefront, and brand promise.
Agents who tidy up their digital footprint stand out instantly.
In a world where consumers judge first and hire later, you can’t out‑work bad marketing—you can fix it.
Jay Thompson, former agent, broker‑owner, and industry consultant, shares these insights. The views expressed are solely his.
