6 Ways to Start Using Twitter

(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure.)

As a real estate professional, creating a strong social media presence is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. Not only does it create visibility, it can also lend credibility and authenticity to your business, thus positioning you as a local expert. As the number of buyers and sellers turning to social media sites for information increases, it is important to identify and understand how to best use social networking tools like Twitter to your advantage. Unfortunately, for many real estate professionals, connecting the dots on how to effectively use Twitter can be a challenge. This is why Twitter marketing for real estate agents is important for every real estate professional.

So where to start and how you can get started with Twitter marketing quickly and easily?

The following 6 ways can help you start using this underrated and underutilized tool in your real estate business today after setting up your Twitter business account!

6 Ways to Start Using Twitter Marketing for Real Estate Agents

1. Search for your brand

Yours your online brand should echo the brand you’ve created offline. Allow the look and feel to blend seamlessly between your traditional and online marketing by using the same profile picture, design and color scheme. As a real estate professional, your photography is often the defining mark of your brand. This makes it especially important to transfer the same photo that has graced everything from your business card to your listings presentation to your Twitter profile.

Your online marketing efforts should also match your style. For example, if you’re conservative and reserved, stick with a professional or more traditional business photo.

If you have a passion or hobby that defines your life outside of your business, be sure to include it in your profile picture, bio, or both. People want to know the you that exists outside of your real estate career.

Whatever qualities or characteristics make up your personality let them shine!

2. Select your Twitter Tools

Between scheduling appointments and shows, juggling your day and assignments is no easy task. To make the most of your time on Twitter, try using tools that allow you to listen, respond, and interact with your followers.

Some of my favorites are:

• Sprout Social A social media management tool designed to help businesses find new customers and grow their social media presence.
• Buffer Automatically analyze and schedule your tweets to post at the best possible time.
• Social Oomph Schedule tweets, track keywords, welcome new followers
• TweetLevel Monitor, analyze and calculate your influence and that of your competitors

[Admin Note: While not a tool per se, check out our hack on how to send a tweet with a clickable image!]

3. Set your goals

Before you start marketing your business with Twitter, set your goals. Whether you’re interested in gaining the attention of buyers, sellers, or top recruiters within your area, defining your specific goals will provide the clarity you need to properly market your business on Twitter.

To get started, answer each of these questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• What problem can you solve or what need can you fulfill?
• What unique perspective can you share that positions your business as a thought leader within your local market?
• Will you manage your social media or outsource it? If so, how much time can you set aside on a weekly basis?
• What end results do we hope to achieve? Be specific about what outcome you hope for, whether it’s generating new business or gaining new recruits.

4. Define your audience

I see very often Real estate professionals make the same Twitter marketing mistakes. They decide that it is easier to become a “one stop shop”, instead of determining whether the consumer or the real estate professional is their target audience.

Here’s what it might look like.

Amy is a managing broker who wears many hats. She finds that in her Internet marketing efforts, she is torn between her sales-oriented, business-generating tasks and her managerial, recruiting tasks. Unfortunately, instead of choosing one group to focus on, Amy decides to serve both. On a daily basis, Amy creates and curates content that is for the real estate professional, home buyer, and seller. Due to the excess content, Amy struggles to find her voice and an audience. In the end she decides that Twitter just doesn’t work and gives up on Twitter marketing.

If this scenario sounds familiar, don’t worry. You still have the opportunity to define your audience and create a community that wants your content.

Before diving back into Twitter marketing, take some time to determine who your target audience is and what content they’re eager to consume. Now work to provide it in a fun and engaging way every day.

5. Engage and inspire your followers

While running from the listing meeting to the show can keep you connected all day, it can’t be an excuse to pop in and out of Twitter on an inconsistent basis.

Create a strategy that includes relevant and valuable content along with inspirational and motivational tweets that inspire your followers to engage in conversation. You want too create share-worthy content that spreads your message, and your brand, across the Twittersphere. This could include invitations to your next open house or a link to your latest video that explains the top mistakes home buyers make.

Remember, it’s important to keep it cool and mix it up. When creating a content strategywork to integrate entertainment and topicality with the relevant and timely.

Your tweets should consist of:

• Linking to your own blog or website content 20%
• Linking to other people’s content 20%
• Talk business or share your marketing material 20%
• The remaining 40% should consist of personal interaction, small talk, feedback and networking

6. Monitor your activities

There’s nothing worse than sending a tweet only to find it fell on deaf ears. The best way to avoid this situation is to monitor how your tweets are performing. This includes identifying when your audience is actually online.

There are several tools to help with this including SocialBro and Tweriod. Each will analyze your account and then determine your optimal time to tweet based on the maximum number of followers online at any given time.

Once this is achieved, schedule your tweets accordingly.

Get started on Twitter Marketing for Real Estate Agents TODAY!

The idea behind social media is to create an online presence and make local connections through similar interests. Promoting your real estate business through Twitter can open the door to opportunities that weren’t there before, so get out there and start creating those moments today!

Need help with your overall social media strategy? Check out my Social Media Starter Pack for Real Estate Professionals!

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Twitter Marketing FAQ for Real Estate Agents