Entrepreneurs, marketing experts and professionals from all types of business know that in order to succeed they must advertise. More and more real estate professionals are making a point to use social media sites like Twitter. Social networking sites allow a wider reach for your marketing than any other means of advertising.
Several large corporations say Twitter keeps them in touch with their customer base. They not only advertise special daily offers, they also focus on customer care via social networking. As a real estate professional, you could focus on every aspect of your business via social media.
Acquire More Followers
A greater number of followers means your message reaches more people. There are several options available to increase the number of followers or friends on your list. Use Twitter’s Suggested Users function. This brings up a list of Twitter users that are relevant to your profile. Relevant users will be following others you may like to follow; browse their following list.
Use a Photo in Your Profile
Make the most of your profile. Use a photo of yourself and be sure to list your city and state. Be as detailed as possible in your profile so people can find you more easily.
Quality Tweets
Tweets are the 140 character microblogs you post on Twitter. When written properly, “tweets” create curiosity in readers and drive traffic to sites. More traffic means more sales, but don’t treat your followers like mindless drones.
Engage in conversation with them and answer their questions. Remember, you are a real estate professional. You hold the key to more than their potential home; you provide valuable information for potential buyers.
Twitter opens the doors for you to dazzle potential clients with your charm and wit. Don’t let another Realtor beat you to the punch. Answer questions in a short amount of time to let your followers know that you’re paying attention. Applications for mobile phones make keeping in touch with clients much easier than ever before.
Use Hash Tags
Hash tags help tag specific words to make them more easily searchable. Some applications search every tweet for the keywords you search. Using a hash tag, shift-3, groups the specified word into a more easily searchable newsgroup.
Reply to Tweets and Direct Messages
Following several hundred people has its advantages and disadvantages. If those you follow are chatty, you may miss the occasional message. Encourage your followers to use direct messages or the “at” reply command so you’re less likely to miss their message. Each of these message types are delivered to specific parts of your Twitter account so you don’t miss them.
Encourage Tweet “At” Replies and Direct Messages
“At” replies and Direct Messages go to their own categories on your Twitter home page. They’re much more easily tracked than normal tweets. “At” replies are created by using the e-mail “at” sign, shift-2. Everyone on the sender’s follow list can see “at” messages. Direct Messages or DMs are messages that only you and the sender see. You may visit someone’s Twitter page to send them a direct message or send it directly from your follow list.
Social Media and Sales
Every real estate professional understands that lead generation is one of the most difficult parts of being a Realtor. Social media makes it so much easier. People looking to buy real estate in a specific area look for Realtors in that area to add to their friends list or follow. This opens up the door for you to introduce yourself and offer assistance. Provide them with links of homes in your area and invite them to open houses if they currently live close enough to attend.
Social networking offers a unique opportunity to be yourself and watch the leads find you. When a lead contacts you, they do not look at your messages or links as spam. Don’t take advantage of that opportunity and drive them away by overwhelming them with too much at once. Be your courteous, helpful self and watch your sales skyrocket.
Kevin Curtis is a licensed agent with RE/MAX Advantage Plus and The Minnesota Real Estate Team. The #1 Re/Max team in MN For 06, 07 & 08. Search for Minnesota and
Minneapolis Real Estate and get ongoing insights into the Minnesota Real Estate market at MinnesotaPropertiesOnline.com. You can follow Kevin Curtis on Twitter
[tags]real estate professional, Realtor, Twitter, social media, social networking[/tags]
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