From Katie Lance:
Twitter is about AMPLIFICATION. Used properly, it amplifies your message, your reputation and your visibility. The question is: what does ‘used properly’ mean?
It means, first, connecting with the right people. If you are in real estate, that’s a pretty localized business. How do you connect with local people?
- Sign into your Twitter account
Go to search.twitter.com
Click on ‘Advanced Search’
Next to ‘Places’ put your town or target market name
Experiment with the other search parameters
As you scan through your results, identify people who interest you (Persons Of Interest?) or who might be interested in what you might share. FOLLOW THEM. You’ll find that many will reciprocate by following you. And, oh, by the way, why not start following everyone who follows you?
So, you’re building your network on Twitter, creating a long list of people, mostly in your local market who will receive your tweets. What’s next?
Tweet Value. By that I mean make certain your tweets are short, relevant, interesting. Don’t overtweet and don’t constantly tweet. Tweet Value.
Maybe the best way to communicate what ‘Tweet Value’ means is by reproducing Katie’s list of Twitter ‘Don’ts’:
- Irrelevant and stupid content
Tweeting listings
Constant self promotion
Spam
Automatic responder messages (turn it off)
Not responding to messages
Now, let’s talk about your Twitter Profile. You have exactly 140 characters in your Profile to describe who you are and what you do. Spend a little time on this. You want the people who view your profile to see you as someone who will ‘Tweet Value’, not junk. Something like:
‘Selling the Downtown San Diego Lifestyle for 17 years. Cyclist, Kayak-er and Dad to my kids. My wife rocks!’
That’s an active guy who loves his family and has a depth of experience in my geography. Probably worth following.
Finally: Twitter can be chaotic. Heck with ‘can’ – it IS chaotic. It screams for organization. Check out:
Hootsuite.com or Tweetdeck.com
Either of these apps can help you organize your Twitter experience into something manageable.