Tip Tuesday: 5 Things Agents Must Do to Generate Leads Online – Farming Using Twitter
Lead generation using social media and other ‘non-traditional’ sources continues to be a hot topic among agents and brokers. There is a HUGE opportunity for Realtors to start ‘Farming’ online.
If I was an agent, there are a few things I would do ASAP to kick-start my lead generation using Twitter:
1. Take your Twitter campaign seriously. If you were to start a direct mail farming campaign today – how long would it take you to see results? 1 year? 2 years? The same is true for social media. You must be committed to the process to see results. Still not convinced Twitter can make you money? Check out what Dell has done!
2. Search for the type of clients you want to work with! Check out DemandStop – this web site helps agents farm Twitter for local leads. Find locals based on location and keyword relevancy (house hunting, apartments, rent, condos, etc.). You can search your location and connect with real people looking for real estate in real time. Another option is to check out the Advanced Search function on Twitter. Search key words, hashtags, specific words – all within a certain geographic area.
3. Put energy into conversations.
- Re-tweet comments of interest. Why? The obvious reason is that you like the info and feel it is worth repeating. The not-so-obvious reason is that when you re-tweet it shows people you reciprocate! Others will start to re-tweet your posts. The re-tweet is PARAMOUNT to your success on Twitter. When you post something – it goes to your couple hundred followers. What if 5 of those people re-tweeted it? And then another 10 re-tweeted it again? Your audience and potential leads grows exponentially.
- Respond to all mentions and messages. See who has mentioned you and thank them – every day! Respond to DM’s. Send a quick ‘thank you’ DM to anyone who follows you (but do not send them a slimy spam message!)
- Share your lifestyle - be personal, be real. People want to connect with real PEOPLE!
4. Treat Twitter like drip marketing. Tweet about what you are working on: working with new clients, building your referral network, interesting industry info, local market stats that link back to your site or blog (Altos Research is a great option for this.) Plan your tweets out – just like drip marketing using SocialOomph or Hootsuite.
5. Add your Twitter handle to everything with your name on it. Wherever you have your phone number, add your Twitter handle: email signatures, Facebook page, website, blog, listing materials, business cards, and more!
Looking for more info? Check out Tom Ferry’s video from Connect NYC talking about this very subject at Connect. You do have to be a premium member to watch, but this video alone is worth the price!
Have you started generating leads on Twitter? What is working for you? Share your tips and comments below!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
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11 Comment(s)
2 Trackback(s)
- From Real Estate New Ticker: TheClozing.com | Feb 9, 2010
- From REtechToday - The best articles in real estate tech for Feb 11, 2010 — REtechSource | Feb 11, 2010
jf.sellsius | Feb 9, 2010 | Reply
Great post Katie. As you mention Search Twitter, you can subscribe to particular search inquiries– such as “anyone know a realtor”.
http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/twitter/how-to-find-clients-on-twitter-the-aks-method/2009/02/21/
Max Jackson | Feb 9, 2010 | Reply
Not sure how much longer twitter will be such a driving force though. Many people only use Facebook status updates and never even touch Twitter. Is it really just a fun fad that will eventually die out? Only time will tell, but if it can help now, why not right?
Boulder Homes for Sale
Warren McNeil | Feb 9, 2010 | Reply
This is a very interesting post. I am pretty new to Twitter and still learning how to use it for my business. I am doing some of what was mentioned in this post. I haven’t retweeted yet. Re/Max always suggests that we retweet their tweets. I might start doing that.. I am also wondering the same thing that Max said in the previous comment.
Thanks
Warren
Anton | Feb 10, 2010 | Reply
Great posts Katie, thanks so much.
Any chance doing a top 5 things for Linkedin?
Katie Lance | Feb 10, 2010 | Reply
Thanks everyone – I really appreciate your comments and feedback.
Max – I agree, only time will tell. I do think a lot of people are EITHER on FB or Twitter so I really recommend Realtors being on both so you won’t miss anyone. Plus I do think they are different audiences.
Warren – That is a GREAT place to start, re-tweeting your brokerage’s posts. You should incorporate that into part of your daily tweet plan.
Anton – great idea! Let me see what I can do – maybe in the next couple weeks!
Overland Park Homes for Sale | Feb 11, 2010 | Reply
To comment on the FB VS. Twitter comment…Facebook is for networking with people you know, Twitter if for networking with people you don’t know. On Twitter you can find people with common interests in your area and become their point of contact anytime the have a need for real estate. It’s networking, getting your name out there, subliminal adverting.
Warren: In my opinion RMX’s suggestion to retweet everything they post is not an effective way to build a loyal following that you can turn into clients. IMO your Tweet timeline needs to be you, needs to be person, needs to be real… it can’t be all about R.E. if you expect to get loyal followers. It’s not about the number of followers you can gain either, it’s about building relationships with local people that want to genuinely see you succeed. Let them see you, the personal side of you, and they will eventually become advocates for your success… without you ever needing to tweet one word about Real Estate.
Here is a comment I posted before about my opinions on Twitter if anyone is interested:
I think as a Realtor on Twitter your number one goal is to network with like minded people in your area. Make it more about them, then you. Spend more time responding to their tweets then worrying about saying what is happening in your world. Sure, tweet… I’m not saying that, but look at what other people are talking about and engage those people! Don’t try to use your stream as the source for all things Real Estate because in all likelihood no one cares and no one wants to follow someone talking about new listings or subdivisions. I see a lot of ‘Twitter Real Estate Gurus’ (self proclaimed) who tweet random real estate BS and have 1,000 of other followers who only tweet random R.E. BS as well. I make my living in real estate and don’t follow these other agents because it clutters my stream with listings and R.E. advertising junk. For someone like Joel it is different because of the line of work he is in, he should want to attract Real Estate practitioners instead of everyday Joe & Susies… but for a local Agent, you are not going to be able to set up a network with many people outside of the real estate world by tweeting listings and R.E. info. If you were invited to a party and all you did was pass out information sheets on your listings and asked people if they wanted to buy or sell a house, do you think you would be invited back? Hell no, well…that is what twitter is, someone is inviting you to their party because they find you interesting, don’t screw it up by being a tool. More then likely if all you Tweet about is Real Estate then the only followers you will get are other Realtors who are clueless about actually CREATING business (not just followers) from Twitter… and of course, your mom. If that is your goal then great, maybe all you want to do is try to get referrals from other markets… but for me, the key is building relationships with people of similar interests in my area. I would have never found those people by tweeting about real estate. All my followers know I’m in real estate and now come to me for real estate needs because they know me, like me, and trust me.
Jesse Friedman | Feb 11, 2010 | Reply
Here is a great little article I wrote on building leads through twitter on my new blog. http://netjew.com/business/lead-generation/gain-leads-business-using-twitter/
Ryan Ward | Feb 12, 2010 | Reply
If Dell can only earn 3 million dollars as an international company that markets across many different mediums and can sell anywhere, we don’t stand a very good chance of earning a decent living from Twitter selling to my next door neighbor or even around my city. That could very well be the best example I’ve seen to NOT spend much time there!
Look, we need to be on social media sites, but, to compare Twitter to a real farm is just not realistic. Ask any agent who successfully farms a neighborhood and then compare there average sales to the average sales of a Twitter farmer. Seriously.
Bruce Dietz | Feb 12, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for all the great information. I have been dabbling on FaceBook, but have neglected Twitter. Given this information, this is an area I need to investigate further.
Round Rock Realtors | Feb 13, 2010 | Reply
Ryan is right. I used to spent quite a bit of time on twitter but it shows very little results. I use a bunch of other social networks.
Realestate Marketing | Feb 16, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for the update!!! Wow, awesome real estate blog.