MyTitleGuy twitter
Twitter is a micro-blogging site that started in 2007. Twitter is emerging as a deceptively powerful business tool, especially for professions like Real Estate where you live and die by your network. While you may have heard of it before, Twitter actually exploded in popularity during the Iran elections. You may remember that the Government of Iran did everything possible to stop information from escaping to the West but they couldn’t stop Twitter!
New York has the most Twitter users followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco,Boston, San Diego, Houston, Detroit and Vancouver. Before you say “well Phoenix isn’t on that list yet” let me ask you: Do people move to Arizona from any of the cities above? They certainly do. Phoenix is growing fast by the way.
Tech Crunchies estimates there are 5,000-10,000 new twitter users every day.
The number of users on Twitter just keeps growing by the day. A new study predicts that the number of Twitter users from USA will cross the 25 million mark by the end of 2010. Here are the numbers:
2008 : 6 million (3.8% of all adult Internet users)
2009 : 18 million (11.1%)
2010 : 26 million (15.5%)
Most Realtors that I meet think that Twitter is all about “What You Are Doing”. While that is part of it, it certainly is not all that twitter is about. O.K., before we get into the value of Twitter in your Real Estate business, lets first address some common objections I hear as to why you are not on Twitter. (Feel free to let me know others)
- Twitter takes way too much time.
- Twitter takes you away from productive work.
- Without a social media strategy, it’s just a hobby.
- There are other ways to do this (texting).
- Twitter is just for nerds and kids.
- Compared to Facebook, Twitter’s only has a few million people. (only)
- Twitter doesn’t replace direct email marketing.
- Twitter is Dumb (My personal Favorite). LOL
Now lets discuss some of the benefits:
There are many benefits of Twitter for your Real Estate business:
1) Information sharing: Twitter has proven to be a phenomenal way to get information out to the masses. Got a new listing? Tweet it! Studies I have seen indicate that most of the successful Tweeters share links. And that’s another power of Twitter…..
2) Links. Links allow you to drive followers to your website, blog, FB page etc… easily. HUGE!!!!
3) Search: A third power of Twitter is Search. If “Green” was the word of the year for 2009, “Search” could be the word for 2010. There is a war going on right now in regards to search. For as long as I have been using the Internet, Google has always been where I go to “Search”,now there is Twitter Search and FB Search, the Search possibilities go on and on. Google and Bing even index Tweets now for easier “Real Time Search”.
4) Acquisition and connection: A fourth power of Twitter is the opportunity to identify buyers and get this…..connect with those buyers on a deeper level. Dell gets it, Best Buy gets it, these are 2 companies that actually have a staff of people that do nothing but Tweet about their products and services and build stronger relationships with their customers. I have not been much of a Best Buy fan in the past, (they didn’t do anything wrong) but since I have been following them on Twitter, I have a whole new experience with them. I say “them” because Best-Buy doesn’t seem like an “it” anymore, and its because of Twitter.
5) Apps. If “There is an App For That” on the iphone you can bet there will be one for Twitter. Developers are working overtime to design programs like TweetBeep, FutureTweets, Hootsuite, Seesmic etc… all for the millions of Tweet-aholics.
6) Service. If you are one that expects great service, (like I do,) get ready for an increase in great customer service. I mean disgustingly great service. Not only in restaurants but at large corporations and mom & pop stores too. Programs like Tweetbeep that allow you to monitor keywords will also allow business’ to be able to respond immediately to customer complaints. Soon you will be able to Tweet about a poor experience and get an immediate response from the headquarters of that particular company (that scares the heck out of that 15 year old hostess at your favorite restaurant and it will show when she tells you 15 times “your table is almost ready”.
7) News. Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often.
8) Business Development. Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online. Yours are. (87% of buyers start their home search online)
9) Online Brand Management - information on Twitter travels at light speed. The death of Michael Jackson on June 25th, was one example of this, Elections in Iran another. Realtors and Lenders can use Twitter to monitor what is being said about their brand in real-time. If someone had a negative experience with you or your brand, they may tweet about it. Knowing about these potential challenges will allow you to address the issues and communicate the fact that you are doing so.
10) SEO – if you have great content on your website or blog, ($8000 tax credit, changes at HUD etc.) you want to drive traffic to it. Tweeting the URL can help drive additional traffic to a preferred landing page on your site to help start the conversion on your site.
11) Ask Questions and get Answers. While you and I know that today is a fantastic time to buy a house, some people may not. Using Twitter you can ask questions to measure the public’s perception. “Is now a good time to buy a home?” A YES could lead to a new client, a NO could lead to a great opportunity to educate and show your expertise.
12) Search Engines: As of November 2009, Google and Bing have been indexing tweets. Called “Latest Search Results” Google has set aside a section of the front page to showcase tweets. This allows you to cherry-pick potential home buyers. Give it a try.
There are many more ways to use Twitter in your Real Estate business. If you are Realtor or Lender in the Phoenix Metro area, contact me for a one-on-one demonstration. @MyTitleGuy
MyTitleGuy
