Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Facebook is far and away the dominant platform for real estate marketing. In all truth, Twitter is often an afterthought. Inman quotes the harsh words of an anonymous realtor, “There is barely an ROI with social as it is, and Twitter has none.”
However, this is a bit unfair. Ivanhoe can do wonders with a lance. Robin Hood can make magic happen with a bow and arrow. Yet non-soldiers can do nothing with these old-fashioned weapons. Perhaps Gary Vaynerchuk said it best, “For me, the ROI of a piano is 0%. But for Elton John, it’s astronomical.” Realtors should apply the same logic to Twitter. Here’s how realtors can sell homes, 280 characters at a time.
As Ricky Nelson famously said in his hit 1972 song Garden Party, “But it’s all right. I’ve learned my lesson well. You see, you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.” These words of wisdom apply 46 years later. The first step, perhaps the most critical step, to making from Twitter is to pick a niche.
Trying to make it as America’s realtor is like trying to climb Mount Everest. You need to narrow down based on location. That doesn’t always have to be one city. If you live in a very small city, then you may pick the tri-city area. If you live in a large city, like Los Angeles, then you may pick West Los Angeles. You can always say West Los Angeles and beyond, but pick one area as your geographic hotspot.
The next tip is to differentiate yourself in another way. For instance, your agency may have Vietnamese speakers, which would allow you to better serve that community. Or you could go the old Avis route, “We’re number 2, so we try harder.” Maybe you primarily serve first-time buyers, or you specialize in commercial transactions. Conversely, you could be the largest realtor in your area, and you emphasize your trusted brand name. Carve out a niche, and seek to serve it via Twitter. That’s the key to success.
Carving out a brand is vital, but what are the next practical steps you can take? One boon to Twitter marketers is Twitter’s search feature. This allows you to connect with prospects. For instance, imagine your clients are in Tokyo. You could type in a variety of phrases that would turn up fresh prospects: Tokyo condo, Tokyo house, Tokyo real estate, moving to Tokyo, etc. Once you find these prospects, you have several options. If they’re asking a question, then offer them help. You can also follow them; they might follow you back.
Naturally, this kind of prospecting will also turn up other realtors. This is a golden opportunity to use software that will allow you to find your rivals' top tweets. You can also take this kind of research farther with a paid tool like Buzzsumo. This software allows you to discover what content works best for your competitors- particularly your local rivals. If they’re doing something great, then you can imitate them and even improve on the formula.
Twitter is often considered second fiddle to Facebook in real estate marketing. Still, the platform oozes with upside. Had any positive or negative experiences with Twitter? Share your thoughts on Twitter for realtors in the comments.
