As our first blog post covering Twitter, we’ll keep it basic. We’ll add more advanced Twitter tips, tricks, and real estate marketing ideas in the coming weeks. But, for now, let’s start at the beginning.
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Twitter, and might have even signed up for an account that you rarely use… so, how you can use it to promote your business? Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media platforms with over one million users and thousands more joining every day. And, if you are at all interested in marketing your real estate services to the savvy 40 and under crowd, I’d recommend getting involved. Communicating via Twitter with your clients will show you’re on the cutting edge when it comes to communication and embracing new technology. It’s also a fantastic way to keep up with information that’s relevant to your business. So here is a brief explanation of exactly what Twitter is and how you can utilize Twitter to improve your business.
What can you say in 140 characters or less?
Twitter is a social networking platform that allows you to communicate with other people online, but using just 140 characters or less in each tweet (post). This makes each tweet easy to read from a phone or other mobile device. You can also follow and comment on other people’s tweets or posts, and vice-versa. It’s very similar to the threads that are created on Facebook when friends comment on other people’s posts… but, you’re just limited to 140 characters and there are not as many pictures or annoying games. Twitter is known as micro blogging, as it serves as a platform to post timely and informative updates without having to create a website. In the past years, several news stories first broke through Twitter before ever hitting major news outlets… if you were following the Casey Anthony trial (it’s okay to admit it!) you would have known the verdict through Twitter first. I did!
Setting Up Your Twitter Account Is Easy!
Setting up a Twitter account is simple. Just visit Twitter.com and choose a username and password to get started. You’ll want to choose a user ID that is professional and describes your business. You may want to use your business or team name and include a reference to the area you service for example ‘YourNewYorkRealtor’. Next, you’ll setup a profile. Include a photo of yourself. This will show up next to all of your tweets. Be sure to include a link to your website/blog and a brief bio about yourself.
Who Should I Follow?
You’re probably more interested in how you can gather more followers, but the more people you follow, the more people will follow you. So, start by finding all your contacts in Twitter and begin by following them. Send them a hello, and a quick note. You’ll also want to begin following related groups and local business/services. Don’t just blindly start following everyone though, because your timeline can quickly fill up with meaningless chatter. You’ll want to follow those who are relevant to your business. Start checking to see if any real estate related organizations like the zoning and planning commission, your local Realtor association or other related businesses or groups have a Twitter account. You may even decide to set up separate Twitter accounts so you can keep personal interests separate from your business interests. You should also follow any individuals you are interested in networking with such as lenders, architects, builders and investors.
What Should I Tweet?
Creating relevant Tweets is the next thing you should consider and is arguably the most important aspect of Twitter when it comes to your real estate marketing efforts. Creating quality tweets that are interesting and relevant will help you will find new followers and help you hang onto your existing followers. Commenting on relevant blogs or press releases, and posting a link to the article is common, and a good way to drum up conversation with your network. I highly recommend also posting your own blog entries which will help provide more traffic for your website/blog. Posting your new listings, price reductions, open house announcements and information about upcoming events are also great tweets.
How Do I Gather More Followers?
In order to gain more followers you’ll want to advertise your Twitter address as much as possible. There are quite a few ways to do this. You can connect your Twitter account to your blog, Facebook and Linkedin account. You can also include your Twitter address in your emails and on other marketing materials like your business cards or mailers. Be sure to also communicate with past clients via Twitter whenever possible to improve your visibility and pick up more referrals. There are even companies like TweetUp, SponsoredTweets and BeTweeted that allow you to advertise your Twitter account to other Twitter users for a fee.
You may be thinking that this sounds like a lot to do in the way of social media marketing. But once you get everything set up, it will only take a few minutes every couple of days to keep your account updated. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results, these things take time. Just keep at it, and the benefits will creep up before you know it.
