To Tweet or not To Tweet….

… is it a question?

Many people are just now learning about Twitter, so it comes as no surprise that there are a relative few who truly understand it. Especially in the Real Estate community, people are asking what the point of it all is. They want to know: Should I be on Twitter? Can I make money using Twitter? Does anyone care if I Tweet?

The answer to all of these questions is a very resounding “Yes”.

[I will] explain why.

On the map of Social Media Land, Twitter falls under the “microblogging” category. At its core, it’s very simple: say something in 140 characters or less, publish it, and you’re done!

Unfortunately, many people are at a loss when it comes to finding the utility in such a program. Some have said to me, “I got on Twitter, but now all I see is how my niece is eating a hamburger for dinner, how she’ s about to brush her teeth, how she’s about to shower, and how she’s about to go to sleep… I DON’T GET IT!!”

What I have to say is this: forget about your niece. The confusion over her constant tweets is worth enduring if you can, because Twitter offers yet another invaluable tool in the realm of Passive Marketing.

Twitter allows you to give constant updates to a group of people who have elected to “Follow” you, that is, they think what you have to say is worth hearing. Use that opportunity to establish yourself as an expert not only within the industry, but within your local marketplace as well. Do you think you know more about Downtown Brooklyn than the average Joe? Prove it! Follow this plan to effectively utilize Twitter for your Real Estate career:

1. It’s important not to be obnoxious with your Tweets, as people will generally come to disregard them. Think about it; have you ever met someone who always says they’re working on “something big”, but you’ve yet to see what it is? Constant Tweets follow that same mode of thought. Provide valuable insight to the Real Estate market via thoughts, observations, and links.

2. Start following people. You’ll never reach a large audience to influence if you’re not following anyone. Sometimes, people will follow you just because you’re following them. Also, there are plenty of national experts and organizations that use Twitter- this is an opportunity to hear what they have to say. Remember, your goal is to gather a large following. There are several ways to do this, all of which I’ll discuss in an upcoming article.

3. Tweet your open houses. Do this only after you’ve followed the first two steps! If you come out of the gate with a deluge of listing information, people are going to think you’re just another Realtor trying to advertise their listings. Remember: Twitter is effective in it’s ability to passively market. Involve yourself with the twitter community you belong to, follow people you find interesting, and gain the interest of others. Nobody wants to follow an Agent who does nothing but tweet their listings. After you’ve established a reputation for providing quality information, people will want to hear about your inventory.

**This is a repost of an article I wrote on my company’s blog**