A relatively recent addition to the social networking sphere is Twitter, a place where you have only 140 characters to write something about your day, ask a question, or link to an article or website of interest. Some consider Twitter to be a place where users "micro-blog," while others see it as more of a chat room with thousands of users 'chatting' all at once.
The original premise of Twitter was to provide a venue for people to post short, simple status updates; to answer the question: "What are you doing?". Users share stories about their pets, upcoming appointments, their moods, and much more. You can follow the adventures of other users, and accumulate followers of your own. You can direct questions and answers to specific people, or send out calls to everyone all at once.
The appeal of this type of technology baffles many real estate agents who've never used the service, but those who have stuck with Twitter see the benefits of this new type of networking.
Rather than trying to see Twitter as a revenue producer, it's important to understand that Twitter is first and foremost a networking tool. Don't be overtly promotional in your posts (known as "tweets"). If self promotion is your primary M.O., you'll quickly lose followers. Users aren't interested in being bombarded with spammy posts, so if you want to use the site to advertise your services, be very subtle and make sure that your personal posts far outnumbers the more professional ones.
While it may seem counterproductive to be laid back when you're trying to promote your real estate business, you have to keep in mind the intention of social networking sites. They are meant for people to connect with others who share similar interests, or who live in the same community. The mood is casual and definitely more personal than your business website. Grammar and spelling rules are relaxed, and you can talk about the pizza you ate last night or the rotten movie you just watched. People following you will find your posts interesting because you're being authentic.
The more people that get to know you and like you, the more opportunity you have to gain clients in the future. It's the same as expanding your circle of contacts in the real world, and it can be invaluable for your business in the long run.
The idea of social networking being effective over the long term is critical to understand. Unless you are very lucky, you probably won't gain any new clients right away, but you're building a solid foundation of online friendships that may develop into business relationships.
In addition to being a vehicle for finding potential clients, Twitter is also a great venue for networking with other agents. You can share tips, ask questions, and refer clients to agents outside of your service area. Other agents will do the same for you. Building relationships with other real estate agents can be educational and emotionally satisfying, as they can relate to the stresses you encounter on a daily basis.
Twitter is free and it only takes a moment to create an account. Search your area for people with accounts, or see if anyone you already know has an account. You can start to follow their tweets and engage people in conversation. Soon you'll have followers too, and you'll begin to appreciate the possibilities that this kind of networking can offer. Be open-minded and creative, and soon you'll see how you can make Twitter work for you and your realty business.
