Boost Your Online Presence

When your new leads and clients look online to learn about international real estate, will they be able to find you? What kind of an impression will your online presence give? A strong online profile that clearly states your education in international real estate can have a profound impact on your future success.

1. Consistent Name & Titles

Keep your name consistent across all platforms. Be sure to include your titles”REALTOR®”1 and “Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS)” right after your name. Including these terms will help you show up in search engines when clients are interested in international property transactions.

2. A Great Headshot

Select a good quality headshot and use the same photo consistently across all of your online profiles. A great real estate headshot will have a background thoughtfully selected to give a nod to your target audience. Be sure your photo is current and looks like you now (not you 10 years ago) so you can instantly build trust with clients you meet.

3. Expertise

The small biographical blurb on your profile is a great place to highlight your expertise, credentials, and value to future customers. Showcase  any global education, knowledge, or designations you have earned. Prove to customers that you have specialized knowledge worthy of their confidence and business. Consider highlighting regions and countries of focus, any languages you speak, and the main benefits available to your client by working with a CIPS designee. As you incorporate these keywords into your bio, your clients will more easily find you.

4. Testimonials and Social Proof

Make sure to include testimonials from past clients and sales statistics (number of global transactions closed, number of clients helped that year, etc) that helps build your credibility. Potential clients rely heavily on ratings and testimonials so be sure they stand out visually on your page.

5. Client-Focused Writing

As you write your profile bios, remember to keep it client-focused. As you zero in on a  focused audience, you will have more success marketing yourself. Only include information that will be relevant and easily understood by this target market. A great bio goes beyond sharing information about you but rather uses language that conveys you understand your client’s problems, their desires, and their hesitations in the process. For example: speak to your transparency and desire to always keep them informed along the way, your transparency, your dedication to making sure they get what they want.

6. Edit

Before hitting “publish” on any online profile, proofread to ensure there are no formatting or grammatical errors.


1Always ensure that your use of the REALTOR® mark in online profiles is consistent with the Membership Marks Manual.

Did You Update ALL of Your Profiles?

You likely have multiple online profiles on different platforms. Be sure they are all updated and consistently support your global business strategy. Here are some profile locations to update:

  • The “About Page” of your website
  • Real Estate Industry Sites
    • Your CIPS directory profile
    • Your listing on realtor.com®
    • Other industry directories
  • Social Media platforms
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

Boost your Social Media with our CIPS social media templates!

In the Global Marketing Center, you can download directly and upload to your preferred social media channels to use to market yourself online. Customizable CIPS templates can be found in Photofy, a professional content creation platform. These templates are customizable and easy for you to use to post on your various social media channels and market yourself as a global agent. In Photofy, choose a template you like, open the templates to edit, include your contact information and post to your preferred social media sites. As part of your NAR membership, access to Photofy is free. Download your social media templates from the Global Marketing Center. Or, access the customizable version in Photofy: signup.photofy.com/nar.

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About Global Perspectives

Global Perspectives in Real Estate is a resource for global professionals, aimed at helping them globalize their local markets. Produced bi-monthly, this newsletter serves as a how-to guide and is full of useful and actionable tips. A free subscription is given to all Certified International Property Specialists (CIPS) designees.

Learn more about earning the CIPS designation