Twitter : Tool for Building
Credibility and Attracting New
Clients
Think of Twitter as a way to blog
to a targeted audience without all
the heavy lifting. In geek speak:
Twitter is really what’s known as a
micro-blog, because it lets you send
short messages to your network of
“followers.” Followers are earned
by posting pithy, informative and
relevant “tweets” that engage fellow
members on a specific subject,
such as politics, music or real estate.
When someone likes your tweet,
they give it a “like,” which means
more people will read it.
It’s easy and free to sign-up for
Twitter and the whole point of
doing so for a real estate agent is
to share some of your local listings
and insights about real estate to
potential clients, who will find you
because they are searching the
Internet looking for properties in
your area.
Avoid Being Labeled a
Spammer
However, it’s really important to
mention that some new members
of Twitter kill their chances
of developing a following by
immediately posting every property
they have listed. If you do this, you
risk turning off potential followers
and being classified as a spammer.
The penalty for this is that your
tweets are ignored. Also, you
shouldn’t use Twitter to constantly
toot your own horn or beg for
referrals. This will ensure that
members won’t want to follow you
and those who do will stop.
To avoid this from happening,
pick and choose what you post.
Tweeting about a true real estate
bargain is good, just as tweeting
about some local real estate
statistics will be well received.
Facebook: Informal
Networking with Friends,
Relatives and Clients
Since 2004, Facebook has been
a universal online community
that allows more than a billion
human beings to share personal
information with their friends,
relatives and people they haven’t yet
met. It is a must for any real estate
agent, but it’s a less formal venue
where you can relax a little, but
always remember to do so without
putting your professional standing in
jeopardy. It’s a great place to keep in
contact with your past, present and
potential clients – and it’s free.
Again, it is an ideal place to promote
your best properties and to obtain
referrals as long as you don’t begin
spamming. If you do, expect to lose
friends. Case in point, I had a friend
on Facebook that began sending
me emails every day about different
shows he was promoting. Needless
to say, I soon blocked him and his
messages.
Follow this rule of thumb and
you’ll never have a problem on any
social media network: Only tweet
and post the kind of items that
you would want read if you were
searching for a property.
17