(Published in the SIOR Professional Report)
Tweet! I can’t think of a more irritating description for the phenomenally popular 140 character “mini-blog” found on Twitter.com.
What is Twitter and why Tweet?
You’d have to have your head buried in the “cyber-sand” not to have noticed the impact Twitter is making on the world of social networking, and possibly the world in general. This was evidenced by the Twitter traffic in Iran during the recent violent uprising and the current campaign by www.barackobama.com to “tweet your senator in support of health insurance reform”. Not to be outdone, the conservatives have many tweeple (people who tweet) that keep their tweeps (followers) posted on the enemies on the left. One good example is RedState, http://twitter.com/RedState which provides conservative news and community information. Strange, but as I write this, a tornado is ravaging the area and a local record store is currently tweeting storm damage updates to their tweeple! Time Magazine recently reported that there are 32 million Twitter accounts.
That said, I thought it necessary to link this popular web-based communication tool to the business of Commercial Real Estate, by presenting real world examples, techniques and applications that will likely have you adding Twitter to your arsenal, as you navigate a most difficult marketplace.
Twitter 101 and 201
This is a link to a short 2:23 video that does a great job of describing what Twitter is and how to get started. I would recommend every “newbie” take a look. (www.commoncraft.com/twitter)
Basically, think of Twitter as another form of electronic communications that allows you to post (and read) very short messages in plain text or often provide links to Websites, articles, photos, videos and or audio files found on the Internet. You cannot attach files, photos, etc. to a Tweet, but you can link to just about anything you can normally send by email or find on the Web.
I was asked not to make this article a “how-to”, but want to emphasize the ease of setting up a Twitter account, and why you should do that ASAP. According to Nielsen, Twitter is growing exponentially 1,382% from February 2008-2009! This means the best Twitter account names are being snapped up much like domain names were in the late 90’s. Since Twitter accounts and their names are free, I would get one before someone gets the name you desire (including yours!) It takes less than five minutes to get started, but I’d suggest you set up a complete profile, which will take a little longer.
A Twitter account allows you to tweet (or post) a message to anyone who decides they want to follow you. This is similar to Facebook in that you see all posts from your “friends” when logged into Facebook, on Twitter you will see all of the tweets from those you elect to follow.
The big difference is as: with Facebook, you have the opportunity to confirm a “friendship” and allow or not allow access to your posts. With Twitter, you can be as open as you want in allowing access by “followers”. You can approve or block them, but you are usually found by like-minded people who are interested in what you have to say. They aren’t really called “friends” as in Facebook, because you might not know them at all. This may be one of the key benefits for a business or real estate practitioner. Just think of the possibilities.
Search
Twitter has a powerful search engine that allows you to search for key words or people throughout the entire platform. This means you can search and find people, businesses, jobs, posts, articles, videos, photos, etc. using a simple key word search with results in the account information, the account holder descriptions and tweets or posts by the 32 million current Twitter users. Again, think of the possibilities.
Real Estate Twitter Ideas
Linking: Twitter allows you to post one link to a Website of your choice. This is a very powerful feature, as it lets you link back to a myriad of market making or service oriented sites. You can link to:
• A company or personal Website
• Your blog
• Your LinkedIn profile
• Your Facebook page
• Your listing
• Your Charity
• An article you authored or were featured in
• A real estate organization (SIOR, CCIM, Colliers, etc.)
• Your community
• A development project
I’m sure you can think of many more, but you get the picture.
Email/Messaging:
Twitter accounts are linked to an email address. This allows you to get responses and direct messages, track followers and/or manage follower requests. Again, think how cool it would be to get an email from a Tenant, User, Investor, Seller, Landlord, Applicant, Employer, etc. who liked what they see on your Twitter page and contact you out of the blue for an opportunity. The reverse is also true. Twitter users expect followers that they do not know to track their tweets and get to “know” them. You could reach out to the aforementioned with a direct message which could be text, links, photos, etc., since the message is, and acts, exactly like a tweet. Can you see some applications yet?
Branding:
Twitter allows you to personalize or modify your Twitter account site. This allows you to add links, information, marketing, phrases, logos, photos, colors and contacts that can be viewed by anyone who visits your Twitter site. There are so many marketing and business applications to this feature that I’ll leave it to your imagination. Your Twitter account site is like a miniature one-page Website that showcases your tweets alongside your brand.
Biography
Twitter allows you to include a 160 character biography or description of you, your organization, company, development, property, charity, etc. This list is endless. One thing I’ve noticed is Google loves Twitter! Soon after setting up my Twitter account(s) I found that Google indexed the accounts almost immediately and when I searched for my company or my name, my Twitter accounts were ranked ahead of my previous Web placements, even if the prior result was on the Internet for many years and had had significantly higher ranking. I am not an expert on Search Engine optimization (SEO) but if Google finds Twitter extremely relevant, who am I to argue? Factoid: Google had 76.8 Billion searches in July, 2009. They command 67.5% of the market. I’d suggest you write a description that encompasses key words or phrases that best and succinctly describes whatever your Twitter account or site is trying to accomplish. This is a very powerful feature and it is free!
Tweets for Real Estate
I think you should consider setting up two (or more) Twitter accounts. One for business and one for fun. Why? Your business Twitter account can (and should) be an extension of your business. I don’t think you need to shut down the personal side of your life on Twitter, but think you will have a separate set of followers for your personal life, which can be much different than those who follow your business tweets. Do you really think your business followers care to know your daily habits and thoughts on issues not normally part of the business world? There is nothing worse than reading a tweet like “I’m eating a ham and cheese sandwich”. All tweets ought to assume that followers will read it and they give a rip.
Some business tweet ideas include:
• Post a new listing
• Ask for advice
• Find or seek an employee or a job
• Provide a link to your blog
• Announce a closing
• Herald a success
• Provide a link to an article
• Link to a pertinent Web Site
• Promote a new …
• Praise a client or colleague
If you are consistent in tweeting this type of content, mixed with a smidgen of your real or private life, I guarantee you will accumulate followers that in turn can generate business opportunities.
Brand/Reputation Tracking
Twitter is used by many companies, organizations, politicians, celebrities and ordinary people to track what is being said about them in the “Twittersphere” (another irritating word). In today’s litigious society it is always a good idea to keep track of what people are saying about you. Additionally, awareness of your brand is a key component of your overall marketing strategy. Why not leverage the power of Twitter to enhance your brand awareness, at no charge?!
Twitter Applications, Add-ons and Tools
Early on, Twitter, like Apple’s iPhone, opened up their API (Application Programming Interface) to developers and third parties to allow for better and easier usability of Twitter. This has produced a seemingly never ending list of applications, add-ons and tools that can enhance your Twitter experience. Here is a list of six tried and true Twitter applications along with brief descriptions.
HootSuite: (www.hootsuite.com)
A twitter client that manages multiple
Twitter accounts or profiles, schedules tweets and measures your Twitter effectiveness. Hootsuite links to Facebook.
TweetDeck: (www.tweetdeck.com)
A Twitter client that allows you to organize, update and react to all of the tweets, direct messages, retweets, etc. that you get over multiple accounts. Tweetdeck also interfaces with Facebook and offers a free iPhone application.
twitpic: (www.twitpic.com) A photo interface to share photos on your Twitter accounts.
Back up my tweets: (www.backupmytweets.com)
Hackers, bad guys, viruses oh my! Yes even Twitter can be taken down. You might need one of (or all of) your tweets for future reference. This free service will back up multiple Twitter accounts, just in case.
GroupTweet: (www.grouptweet.com)
Broadcast messaging to your private group of "tweeps". This handy application can be used for a company, organization, brokerage team, office building, etc.
TweetLister: (www.tweetlister.com)
This is a Real Estate listing service that allows you to post properties for sale or lease, complete with forms that are similar to those used on other Web based listing services. Did I mention that it was free?
There are many tools to enhance your Twitter experience, but you’ll have to try them for yourself. I have added a long list in the footnotes of this article.
Is Twitter a Fad?
There are many who think Twitter is a complete waste of time and possible a fad. They may be right! If Twitter is used only as a way for friends to keep in touch and let each other know what they are eating, I think it will end up getting crushed by Facebook. Facebook has over 250 Million users and is consistently enhancing its’ website to compete with Twitter and MySpace. This competition will cause Twitter to either step up and provide better service, more enhancements, quality add-ons and most importantly, a clear way to bring in revenues. If not, we’ll add it to a long list of once powerful entities of the digital world. Do you remember? Compaq, Netscape, Prodigy, Wang, Commodore 64, InfoSpace, WebCrawler, Inktomi, MapBlast, Visio, Sperry Corp., Burroughs Corp., and on and on and on...
Final Thoughts
As with any tool, you need to use it to get any value from it. Twitter is an amazing application tool that can be used to expand your digital footprint and potentially your business, network, opportunities and ultimately your revenues. Oh, did I say it is free?
List of 11 Good Twitter Tools and Add-ons:
•Mr. Tweet: http://mrtweet.com/?v=20 Helps you find people relevant to your interests.
•add a tweet: http://www.addatweet.com/ A plug-in that allows you to Tweet a remark about any web page you are viewing.
•tweetbook.in: http://tweetbook.in/index.php You can create instant .PDF “e-books” of your or your favorite tweets.
•Tweepler: http://www.tweepler.com/ Allows you to add groups of followers quickly.
•monitter: http://monitter.com/ Keep track of what is being tweeted about your business within 100 miles.
•bubbletweet: http://www.bubbletweet.com/ Add a small video “bubble” that pops up on your Twitter Site.
•twitter gallery: http://twittergallery.com/index.html/ Choose from a ton of sweet twitter backgrounds.
•Future Tweets: http://futuretweets.com/ Tweet and set for future scheduled delivery.
•trackthis: http://www.usetrackthis.com/ get tweets updating you of package movement status from UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL etc.
•twibs: http://www.twibs.com/about.php Allows Twitter users a place to find businesses on Twitter.
•1,000 Twitter Apps and Resources: http://botw.org/articles/twitter-apps-and-services.html
