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Using Twitter For Your Business: Getting Followers

Twitter is a lot like Active Rain and other blogging communities in the fact that it becomes more beneficial and useful to you when you give value to others through your posts. One great way to get started on Twitter and to establish a strong following is to put some value into your tweets, just like you do your blogs. And just like with blogging, people will start to follow you IF you provide them with something meaningful and insightful on a topic that interests them.

As with blogging, tweeting is an investment and it may take awhile for followers to trickle in. As you continue to provide useful tweets, you can also use the various tools out there to find people that you know, people that you are interested in knowing, users with similar interests, or businesses and organizations that you would like to follow. Once you find people with like interests, check out their tweets and decide if you want to follow them.

14 Tools For Finding People on Twitter:

Twitter People Search: First find out if anyone you know is on Twitter. Twitter People Search is a good place to start your search for friends. After you have signed into Twitter, simply click on “Find People” at the top of the page. From there you have four choices; you can “Browse Suggestions” of people to follow by your category of interest, “Find Friends” from your email address book who are Twitter users, “Invite By Email” anyone that you cannot find on Twitter, or “Find On Twitter” anyone you know by simply typing in their name. This also works for finding organizations and companies.
Monitter: “A Twitter Monitor” or a real-time tracking tool for finding new people to follow. You can type three keywords into separate search boxes and watch the relevant tweets stream in on one page. You can narrow it down to tweets within a certain distance of a zip code as well. I like the simple easy to read format.
Tweepz: Another Twitter search engine to find people based on a certain search word. Search results are in an easy-to-read format.
TweepS earch:
Type in a name or keyword to find Twitter users.
TwitteRel:
Find Twitter users with the same interests. Easy to use, simply type in a keyword and find twitters who “tweeped” about this keyword. You can also follow twitters while in twitteRel.
Twubble:
Easy to use and useful Twitter extension that helps you find more friends from the followers that you have. “It searches your friend graph and picks out people who you may like to follow.”
Twellow:
“The Twitter Yellow Pages.” Search for someone on Twitter or browse through tweet categories. Super easy to use! Check out Twellowhood where you can narrow down to cities. I did my hometown of Litchfield Park, Arizona and got 75 matches. Now I’m going to go through and see if any have similar interests or interesting tweets and possibly follow them.
Just Tweet It:
“find other Twitter users just like you!” A directory for Twitter users. Makes it easier for tweeters to find other tweeters with similar interests.
Twitscoop:
Input a twitter username or keyword in the Twitscoop search box and track a conversation, topic or conference. You can send tweets, receive tweets and find new friends on Twitscoop.
Nearby Tweets:
Helps you find out who is tweeting close to your location.
twitSeeker:
An alternative search engine for finding Twitter users and browsing the results in one interface.
TwitDir:
“A Twitter Directory” that also allows you to see the Top 100 followed, Top 100 Updaters, Topp 100 followers and more…
Twitter Troll:
Use Twitter Troll to quickly search for Twitter posts about a certain topic and find new friends, all in real-time.
Geofollow: The original Geo location based Twitter Directory. Twitter users are listed by location, tags and interests.

If you have a favorite and effective way of finding twitters, please feel free to add it in the comment section, I'd love to hear your ideas!

Happy Tweeting :)

Cinda Rose
REALTOR ®, SFR, CSSN
The West Valley Home Team
at Welcome Home Realty
Phone: 623-252-9350
Fax: 623-505-9435
cinda.rose@thewestvalleyhometeam.com
www.TheWestValleyHomeTeam.com

Cinda Rose - Realtor
The West Valley Home Team
Ph: 623-252-9350
cinda@wvhometeam.com
thewestvalleyhometeam.com

Posted by Cinda Rose on 04/20/2010 01:48 PM

Comments (66)

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66 Comments on Using Twitter For Your Business: Getting Followers

APR

2010

Hi Cinda ~ I still haven't embraced Tweeting yet! What kind of benefits have you seen from Tweeting?

Great article Cinda, I'm just starting to Tweet, it's all new but I'm excited

Nancy

Hi Kerry and Nancy~Thank you for your comments! I am fairly new to Twitter as well. I have taken numerous social media classes and seminars and thought it was time to jump in with both feet and start implementing some of the things that I've learned! My hope is that with my blog posts about useful Twitter tools, that I will make it easier for more people to get started Tweeting!

As far as the benefits Kerry, I think it is pretty amazing that I can get in contact with local people that share the same interests as me. Right now I am using my tweets in hopes to direct people to my blog/website. Now that I am getting more and more into Twitter, I plan on using Twitter to enhance my business as well as my personal life.

Best of luck to you both!

Hi Cinda ~ Bookmarked to use when I try to start paying more attention to Twitter. It still doesn't quite click with me. People start following me inexplicably and I hesitate to follow too many - who has time? it will all be lost in the deluge of tweets.

Liz

Hi Liz ~ Thank you for your comment. I completely understand your hesitation, it took me awhile to get into Twitter. It just seemed so overwhelming and irrelevant to me in the beginning. One tool that really helped me was TweetDeck. Not sure if you have checked it out before, but it has everything right in front of you on an easy to read console. You can even send out Tweets and get your Facebook status updates. For me Tweetdeck is the tool that has made Twitter more manageable. In fact, I will be posting a blog about it tomorrow :) Check it out if you get a chance. Thanks again.

Cinda

APR

2010

Hi Cinda - Thanks for a great list of Twitter resources. I need to refocus my efforts on making more local connections and this will be a big help!

Hi Cinda, I am just getting started on Twitter so I will use this info in the future. Thanks.

Hi Cinda, Thanks for your post!

I too am starting to learn about Twitter and have done some research and learning through others. I like Hootsuite for my business as I can schedule my tweets. I can still search for others, make subject tabs and pretty much do all with one tool. It is also an SAAS app and so I can use it almost anywhere.

Twitter is a fantastic tool for Realtors. Most Realtors think its only about tweeting and therefor are hesitant to fully engage "noone cares what I am doing". The real value of twitter is Listening. I have been using Twitter for almost 2 years, I can show my clients how to identify people looking for real estate in their area. Twitter is also a great tool to drive traffic to a website or blog. And, lastly, most people dont know that each tweet is is own individual URL, that means that a well written tweet will be indexed in the search engines. Now that twitter is being monitized, you will start to really see it explode in popularity. I see you are in Phoenix, DM me @MyTitleGuy if you would like help with your twitter campaign. Check out Smurcle.com for more info about the "how" to use twitter

I also use HootSuite to manage my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn news streams. Other than better organization, I find the biggest benefit to be that I can schedule future posts. For folks that don't see value in Twitter, remember that a network becomes more valuable as more people us it and the value of the network to you is directly related to the value you add to it through your content. Good Twitter tools - will definitely bookmark.

Hi Cinda: This is great information. I just started using Twitter and was a little overwhelmed. I too have heard good things about Hootsuite. One more thing to look into!!!!! Thanks for the information.

Thanks for the list - I hadn't seem some of them.

Cinda, thanks for the valuable information. I'm trying to understand Twitter too, so this helps.

Thanks for the info. Although, I have a twitter account, I just haven't seen the benefit.

I land deals off of Twitter. It is a HUGE part of my day. Sent a request for a follow for you. ;-)

Great list of resources. But I find most of the people I follow thru following hashtags. For example, this week was Raincamp Chicago, and I would like to find other Chicago agents to follow. So by going to search.twitter.com and typing in #raincamp, I found others at the conference to follow.

Once you start getting followers, TweetDeck is the absolute best way to organize them.

Follow me at @sbonert

Thanks Cinda,

This will help me with some of the new twitter businesses I have recently started! I will also reblog to my readers.

Mike

I have a twitter account but thruthfully I haven't done anythinng with it. I hear people talking about it all the the time but between managing my practice, my family, my blogs I am trying to find a way to manage and squeeze in twitter, facebook and linkedin...I still don't see the value.

Frankly, one of the reasons that I haven't gotten going with Twitter is because there are so MANY choices of apps to use. I don't have the time to filter through them all.

Thanks for putting all of these useful programs in one posting...........................chris

Great post and information, I'll be implementing some of them today, thanks!!!

Good Info. Thanks for putting it all together.

Great post, I have been on Twitter awhile and enjoy it but have yet to take it to the next level. Thanks for providing this list of resources!

Cinda,

Well done. Well written and you have great tools listed in your blog.

It was so good I followed you on Twitter.

I would suggest you check out hootsuite over tweetdeck.

Hootsuite is online so it doesn't use your computer memory to run, you can check Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare and more.

You can schedule tweets, Yes you can tweet about your blog while you are showing houses.

It has a hootlet that allow you to tweet a website or blog with one click.

And it is free

I just tweeted this post and sent you a request to follow! HaVE A GREAT DAY!

I got a twitter account and forgot all about it. I guess I will have to get it going again, I don't want to be left behind. Thanks for the post and comments too, especially Stephen Garner's.

Hi Cinda - This is a great list of resources. As someone who could definitely be considered a "heavy user" of Twitter for the past couple of years, I was interested to go look at your profile and tweetstream. I was surprised to see that you have only tweeted 34 times since you started there in January. I also noticed that most of your current tweets were really just broadcasting information, rather than engaging with others.

I would highly recommend using Twitter as a conversation tool - that's where the magic happens. :) One of the first things I look at when I'm deciding whether or not to follow someone is their number of "@" messages, as this tells me that they are talking with others, not at them. I hope you accept my suggestions in the vain in which they are intended, as someone who sincerely wants to help. I've used Twitter to recruit several of my agents, and to start relationships that had led to some terrific opportunities.

Good list, some of the links were broken or did not work properly - not your fault as Twitter grows and takes over 3rd party apps you may see some less innovation, and some of these have had a hard time monetizing. The end user has had an easier time doing so. I love twitter and have made good money from it and track my success to it and from it.

@davewoodson

Dave Woodson

Good Morning Everyone and Thank You for Your Comments!

Several of you mentioned TweetDeck and HootSuite. I agree that these are great Twitter tools and in fact, my blog today includes both of them.

So glad to hear that so many of you are having success on Twitter! My Twitter usage is definitely a new work in progress and I plan on using it more and more...

Thanks Again!

Cinda

Cinda - great post...Thanks! It's good to see that many Realtors are understanding the value of Twitter. Too many people just brush it aside as a useless waste of time. As you said, we must add our own value to the Twitter stream, just as we do with our blog(s). Surely no one would read our blog if we only posted our daily lunch menu or that we are at Macy's. We engage readers when we provide valuable tips and information and when we engge our followers.

If you haven't already read them, my AR posts Are You Advertising Your Open House On Twitter? Why Not? and Are You Using Twitter To Advertise Your Listings give some tips on how to populate your Twitter stream with information that real estate consumers may find interesting.

Thanks again for the great list...I'll see you on Twitter.

John

Hi Cinda, thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the primer. I have not been able to focus on Twitter yet, but you seem to be the person to go to.

Cinda

Thank you for the tips, I am still learning Twitter!

Cinda - Thanks for the Twitter tips. I continue trying to find better ways to maximize my Twitter experience; your tips will help.

Really informative article. How do you use Twitter to advertise listings? I thought you can only use a set number of characters or words. Also, what do you talk about on Twitter, real estate-wise??

Thanks Cinda I am a bit of a techno geek and love using technology. I am on Twitter but I haven't really figured out the best way to leverage it ... Will save your post for future reference.

Charles Greco

A Reality Based Realtor

Lic. Real Estate Salesperson

516.705.4448

www.BuyMerrickHomes.com

mailto:charlie@charliegreco.com

Thanks for the information. I will use it..

Have bookmarked your post...very informative, and greatly appreciated.

How did you compile the list? which ones are your favorties above? Which steps have you taken to make money from Twitter? I am fascinated but for now it is a tech tool.

I will get tweeting now,thanks, Beth

I was on twitter for a brief period only to find most people twitting about mundane things that no one cares about...has it changed?

Yes, twitter is great!

I think that twitter has great potential... But I haven't really been able to harness it. I've been looking for a plan. Bookmarking this for further reference.

I'll look into it further....To be honest I haven't grasped Twitter and if it's beneficial to my business but after looking at this...I believe there's more.

I haven't totally gotten Twitter yet, but I also need to put more time and effort into it.

APR

2010

I'm excited to hear that so many people are at least curious about Twitter and how to use it. I'm also happy to hear that so many of you are already tweeting away, with a few already seeing results. Thanks for the tips and advice, I will definitely use it!

The power of Twitter is amazing, I do think that the huge number of apps availabe scare people away. Thanks for this great post.

John - Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Hope you find some locals to connect with :)

Pat - Good luck on Twitter. Thanks for the comment.

John Joseph - After reading your comment I went and checked out Hootsuite a little more. I definitely like that it is SAAS app, it makes it more convenient. I think I just need to play around with it a little more :) Thank you!

Stephen - I totally agree and as we all learn how to use Twitter effectively, it will only make it more valuable to all of us. I would love to hear about your twitter campaign strategies. I will send you a DM. Thanks so much for the comment.

Jeff - I just read your comment and realized it almost exactly what I said to Stephen :) Maybe if we all work together we can take Twitter by storm and make it more useful for real estate agents everywhere. Thanks for reading my blog and commenting.

Wendy - Twitter can be overwhelming! I'm just trying to take it step by step and learn how to use it to my advantage. Hope to see your tweets soon! Thanks for the comment.

Pam - Thanks for the comment, hope they help...

Tamara - Your welcome, thanks for commenting.

Integrity Mortgage Funding Guy - Wish your name showed up on your comment :) Sorry to hear Twitter hasn't worked out for you, maybe it just isn't for everyone. Thanks for the comment.

Clint - Awesome! Love to hear that someone is getting business from tweeting! Got your request. Thanks :)

Sara - Haven't tried the hashtags yet, but I am definitely going to give it a try. Thanks so much for the info!

Mike - Glad to be of help :) Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Lydia - Check out my recent blog about TweetDeck and Hootsuite. I think Hootsuite would be perfect for you. It helps you manage your updates and tweets. Using Twitter For Your Business: Three Essential Tools Worth Checking Out
Good luck and thanks for the comment!

Joetta - Your absolutely right! I've been setting aside some time everyday to go through apps that do specific things, like find followers. I plan to blog about all of the ones I have found and feel are worth passing along so drop by sometime in the future :) Thanks for your comment and good luck!

Christopher - Your welcome Christopher. Thanks for commenting :)

Daniel - Great! Thanks!

Austin Real Estate Scene - Your welcome and thanks for commenting.

Russel Lewis - Your welcome and good luck taking it to the next level! Thanks for the Twitter request :)

Scott - Thanks Scott, I really appreciate your comment. I actually posted a blog today that gives a brief description of Hootsuite. I spent a little more time on it today and I'm beginning to like it even more :) I just hadn't taken the time to actually use it! I always say that this Twitter thing is going to be a work in progress!! Thanks for stopping by, looks like I will be seeing you on Twitter :)

Donna - Thanks for the comment Donna, hope to see some of your tweets soon :)

Jason - Thank you so much for your comment Jason. Twitter has been such a mystery to me that I ended up not really pay much attention to it. I decided recently that if I was going to spend time tweeting, then I better educate myself more! Thanks for the recommendation, I will definitely start using Twitter as a conversational tool. Very good advice, thanks :)

John Alesi - I am definitely going to check out your AR posts. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment

Ron & Alexandra - You're welcome, thanks for commenting.

Gene - What a precious baby you have in your profile pic! Hope to see your tweets soon. Thanks for the comment.

Envelope Real Estate - You're welcome! Good luck! Thanks for commenting

John - You're welcome. Thanks for leaving a comment.

Jennie- Check out the blog I did today. Using Twitter For Your Business: Three Essential Tools Worth Checking Out
I briefly talked about TweetLister a tool that helps you advertise listings on Twitter. They automatically take your MLS listing and turn it into a tweet for you.

As far as what to tweet, I'm trying to broaden my horizons a little. So far I have only posted about community events and information. I plan on sending out more and more real estate specific tweets. It's on my To Do List! One thing to do to get you started, is search for real estate and read all of the tweets that other people are sending out.

Good luck and thanks for the comment!

Charles - Thank you for you comment. I'm starting to become a techo geek too because I love all the things that we can utilize to better our business. It really is amazing. Good luck on Twitter.

Pat - Thank you!

Sea to Sky Premier Properties - Thank you!

Cheryl - I compiled the list by doing a lot of googling and researching. I have a list of 100 + tools! I want to narrow down my list to only the tools I need. As far as which one is my favorite? I think that each one of these tools have something to offer, but I guess I would have to say Twellow because it is easy to use and I actually found people to follow! I also like TwitDir because of their Top 100 lists.
Thanks for reading and leaving your comment.

Beth - Thanks, hope to see your tweets!

Clifford - I agree! Thanks for commenting.

Ruthmarie - Hope it helps! Thanks for commenting and good luck with your plan!

Sally - Thanks for your comment!

Christine - Unfortunately it does take some time to get everything up and running, but I think that social media is worth the investment. Thanks for commenting Christine and good luck!

And last but certainly not least
Kate - Thank you and thanks for leaving a comment.

Cinda--Your post is a godsend to those of us who are just getting our feet wet in Twitter. I am still finding ActiveRain as the single best source of driving business to my law firm. I am also trying to imporve so I will try someof your hints as well.

Cinda- Hats off to you for posting this. I love Twitter, but I confess I have been "lurking" lately, and not pushing out good content. Just about everyone that I know thinks it's silly. And it can be, if you don't do it correctly. I have used some of the tools that you mentioned to find people in my geographic area, and have found that many people that are active on Twitter are not putting out content that is of value. Most are just commenting about traffic, the events of their day, running commentary on the TV show they are watching (my pet peeve).

My strategy was to follow local business people, businesses, restaurants, places of interest, chambers of commerce, etc. Once I did that, then I would go to their profile, and see who follows them, and who they follow, and find my "targets" there. My rule of thumb is that I generally follow people "Tweeps!" who have a good balance of followers/people they are following; I don't follow people that have less than 100 or so followers/following (I'm afraid that I will ONLY be seen as a marketer). I also generally don't follow people that have over 1500 or so followers, b/c those people generally fall into the internet marketer/PR person/guru category, and they probably won't follow you. The exception will be people that provide excellent content and resources that will be a benefit to me.

The key is providing content -- don't just tweet out about your new listings. Browse the Twitter stream and retweet event postings, links to valuable tools, etc. And be consistent (I have been slacking in this category alot lately). If you aren't going to plan on tweeting at least a couple times per business day, it probably isn't worth the effort.

This is truly valuable information for us Twitter users. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us!

I use AR, Facebook, and Linkedin and have been saying for the last couple of weeks that I need to go ahead an sign up on Twitter. This will be a big help. Thanks!

I am book marking this. I am still trying to get a hand on it and facebook.

Thanks for these great ideas! I've printed them out! You've answered a ton of questions I had about Twitter!

Very useful information. I'm on Twitter and didn't even realize they had these great tools!

Hope this works for everyone as I am too busy for tweets, facebook and all the internet gossip centers. A/R is proven business but the rest is....

If agents would make a call in place of tweeting. Spend as much time farming FSBOs as they do on FB, then they would be busy too.

Elliot - I love Active Rain and wouldn't trade it for Twitter anyday :) but I feel compelled to investigate and try Twitter more! Thanks for the comment.

Don - Thanks for your comment. I think you have the right idea on how to market yourself on Twitter and build relationships. It is hard to be diciplined on what to tweet on and when etc. etc. etc. Thanks for your input and good luck to you.

Patsy - Thanks!

Carey - Thanks for commenting. Hope you have success on Twitter.

Gene - Social Media can be overwhelming! My motto is one step at a time!

Kathy - Glad to help :) Thanks for the comment.

Jorge - Thanks!

Joyce - Thank you for your comment. I personally would never tweet someone when a phone call was in order so I agree with you. I don't think Twitter is meant to replace the ways we communicate just enhance it. Only time will tell if Twitter will be a good tool for REALTORS or not. I guess we make our own marketing plans and pick and choose what we want to participate it and manage our time accordingly. I think some good old fashioned farming is great to throw in every once in awhile as well. I'm also hoping social media continues to thrive. :) Best of luck to you~

APR

2010

Great information Cinda. Thank you. I have a hard time responding to others and as Jason said that is probably where a lot of the success with Twitter lies. It's just so hard to do it all sometimes!

APR

2010

Hi DeeDee - You're welcome :) I think the big question for a lot of people is how to be successful in all social media without spending all of your time tweeting, blogging and commenting! I'm still trying to figure it out! Thanks for reading and commenting.

MAY

2010

LOVE IT! I just finished setting up my tweetdeck and getting the Iphone AP. Thanks for sharing such great information!

MAY

2010

Cinda, Tweetdeck was the only thing that helped me make sense of Twitter. After that I could manage it. The posts to Facebook and seeing your wall of Facebook is perfect! Still, I know I don't spend enough time there. Still trying to figure out how to juggle all this...

MAY

2010

Great advice Cinda. I'm surprised by all the different types of followers I have on Twitter -- from those in the Real Estate industry to those with similar outdoor interests like mine.

JUN

2010

Cinda - I'm trying a Twitter Blog Experiment linked below. Tell me what you think and feel free to leave your Twitter Username in the comments section!

http://activerain.com/t/1709419

JUN

2010

Carey-You are welcome! Glad to hear you are set up on TweetDeck. Since Ive written this blog TweetDeck has added some helpful features. Good luck tweeting! And thank for your comment!

Sharon-I agree with trying to find the time. It isn't always easy! Good luck to you and thanks for commenting.

Gary-Thank you! It is amazing how many people you can connect with on Twitter that you probably never would in "the real world"! Thanks for you comment and happy tweeting!

Michael-Thanks for you comment. I am going to check out your experiment right now!

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Cinda Rose

Litchfield Park, AZ

More about me…

The West Valley Home Team at Welcome Home Realty

Address: 13020 W. Rancho Santa Fe Blvd, #102, Avondale, AZ , 85392

Office Phone: (623) 252-9350

Cell Phone: (623) 252-9350

Email Me

The West Valley Home Team at Welcome Home Realty specializes in Phoenix’s West Valley real estate market. I’ve lived in the West Valley for 34 years and absolutely love working where I live. The West Valley Home Team is here to serve all of your West Valley real estate needs whether you are buying or selling a home, looking to sell your home with a short sale or interested in purchasing a foreclosure in Litchfield Park, Goodyear, Avondale or Buckeye.

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