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Twitter? How Could That Possibly Help Me?

By
Real Estate Agent with 405home @ ERA Courtyard 148333

I actually thought this to myself SEVERAL times when I first set up my Twitter account.  In fact, I walked away from it a few times, just not really seeing any value or benefit.  It just seemed like a huge waste of time.

One day, though, something clicked, and I saw that relationships are being forged and strengthened through Twitter, so I decided to give it another try; except this time around, I put more effort into it.  Hmmm, you mean you get out of it what you put into it?  Sound familiar?

OK, so check this out.  I'm dealing with a time-sensitive situation today and need to find a local Edmond structural inspector that can get out and take a look at a home no later than tomorrow.  We all know how tough it can be to find an inspector on such short notice, right?  But this house is closing Thursday and we've just figured out that we're going to need to have the structure evaluated with closer scrutiny. 

So, what do I do?  Twitter?  No, I fall back on my habits and pick up the phone to start making calls.  No luck, I can't get a hold of my usual guy, so I start calling other agents to get recommendations on other structural inspectors.  Guess what... all I'm getting is voicemails.  Big surprise, right?  So, then it hits me... why not post up a tweet and see if anyone in my twitter network (352 local and not-so-local followers)?  Within 3 minutes (no, i'm not exaggerating) I get a reply from another local agent with a name and number of her guy.  Problem solved!

So there you have it.  Value proposition #1 to Twitter.  Don't miss out on the REACH that Twitter offers!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!
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Comments(21)

Jo Olson
HOMEFRONT Realty - Kettle Falls, WA
Retired - HOMEFRONT Realty @ LAKE Roosevelt

Ryan, I was having a computer melt down and some guy that follows me who I had no idea why saved my day!

Oct 28, 2008 05:24 AM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

Jason - you're right on the money... my tweets feed to my FB.  Both very useful tools.  You got yourself a new follower as well.

Jo - that's awesome! It's funny how total strangers follow you and end up being helpful.

I actually just got another referral of an inspector from another local agent as I typed this.  Great stuff!

Oct 28, 2008 05:28 AM
Frank Rubi
Frank Rubi Real Estate, LLC - Metairie, LA
FrankRubiRealEstate.com

Ryan, great use of Twitter. I just added you to my follow. You can follow me @frankrubi as well. Your use is interesting use of this technology.

Oct 28, 2008 05:37 AM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

Frank - thank you... following!  

Oct 28, 2008 05:54 AM
Jason Crouch
Austin Texas Homes, LLC - Austin, TX
Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653)

Ryan - I'm not sure if you saw my post from a few days ago or not, but you can also feed your AR blog directly to Facebook with the "Blogcast" application.  Just FYI - you can see my post if you are curious.

Oct 28, 2008 05:57 AM
Kristin Moran
Owner - RE/MAX Access - KristinMoran@Remax.net - San Antonio, TX
San Antonio,TX - Real Estate - 210-313-7397

Hi Ryan!  I'm back to comment :).  I too am finding that relationships are being formed & you will get what you put into it.  I a now a Ryan Follower on twitter.  KM

Oct 28, 2008 06:27 AM
Jon Wnoroski
America's 1st Choice RH Realty Co., Inc. - Green, OH
Summit County Realtor

I haven't used twitter but from your post it sounds like I should.  I like the results you got; and it was quick!

Oct 30, 2008 01:07 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Ryan - this is a great example of the power of social media, and especially Twitter. I have had similar experiences recently, and others have as well.

Jason's comment is well taken, if you are not already feeding your posts to Twitter.

Jeff

Oct 30, 2008 03:19 PM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

Jason - Thanks for the heads up.  I've debated with whether to use this feature, since I already feed my personal blog to twitter, but I'm going to give it a try.  I just want to be sure I don't abuse this feature and wear everyone out.

Kristin - Thanks for your comment.  Looking forward to reading more from you on Twitter!

Jon - Quick is nice, and you'd be amazed at the wealth of knowledge over there.  It's like an extension of AR's braintrust!

Jeff - Thanks for your comment.  It is certainly a powerful tool.

Oct 31, 2008 02:18 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

I still don't understand twitter?  I get what you are saying in your post, but how are you connected with 352+ followers in your network, and how do you send and receive messages?  Can you do it via cell phone, or do you have to be near a computer?

I guess I am starting to see the value, but don't know how to set it up and use it.

Oct 31, 2008 08:22 AM
Connie Harvey
Pilkerton Realtors - Brentwood, TN
Realtor - Nashville TN Real Estate

Ryan, I started on AR about 4 months ago. The first few weeks were brutal. I didn't know why I was here and couldn't see how it was going to benefit me. About the same time I set up profiles on twitter, facebook, linked in, myspace and plaxo. FYI I had hired a tech person to bring me into the current century. :)

Anyway, I've really started to get into AR and am tiptoeing around blogging. Twitter is harder for me. I have 265 followers and all I see are tweets that mean nothing to me. I read them for 2 or 3 minutes and I .... Help me. What should I be doing or looking for? BTW I'm following you now.

Oct 31, 2008 09:33 AM
Nancy Lancaster
Lyon Real Estate - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento, CA
Realtor - EcoBroker - Healthy Homes Program Coordinator

Wow...I can totally relate to your initial instincts!  I'll have to start Twittering more.  You showed us a good example.  Thanks for your insight.

Oct 31, 2008 11:59 AM
Jim Treanor
Treanor Real Estate - Southington, CT
CT RE Broker ABR CDPE CRS GRI

So far I am confused on how to use Twitter to its full potential.  It seems like networking site are poping up all over the place, its hard to get going on all of them.

Oct 31, 2008 12:05 PM
Thomas Tolbert
Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Legacy - Savannah, GA

Just started on Twitter myself and I'm starting to get it.....great story!

Nov 01, 2008 05:56 AM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

Troy - I have found various Twits that I've decided to follow, and in the reverse a few hundred people have found and followed me. You can search for people to follow and vice versa. You can send and receive tweets on your computer or your phone. Let me know if you need any help getting set up on Twitter. I'm happy to help.

Connie - Take it one step at a time or you'll get overwhelmed and none of it will work for you. As for twitter, if you're seeing meaningless tweets, you probably should unfollow some folks and add people you'll find interesting. Let me know if I can help, and thanks for the follow.

Nancy - You're welcome. Post a link to your twitter profile here so I can follow you.

Jim - I agree with you. There's no way anyone could keep up with all of them. The key is finding just a handful that work for YOU and maximize your potential on just those sites.

Thomas - Welcome to Twitter. Please post your profile here, so we can follow you.

Nov 08, 2008 07:08 AM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

There seems to be a lot of interest - as well as confusion - about Twitter these days, so I thought I'd share a great blog post here for those still on the fence about how to use it:

http://newmedialisa.com/index.php/get-more-twitter-followers/

Hope you all find it useful.

Nov 12, 2008 04:01 AM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

Hi Ryan - I think one of the reasons that relationships can be formed to quickly on Twitter is the 140 character limit on tweets. That allows a lot more back and forth without one person dominating the conversation and makes it easier to connect.

Nov 12, 2008 01:22 PM
Brenda Harmon
Century 21 Beal, Inc College Station, Texas - College Station, TX

I am signed up but I don't really understand it.

I am going to try to find that book, "Twittering for Dummies."

Nov 12, 2008 03:34 PM
Ryan Hukill - Edmond
405home @ ERA Courtyard - Edmond, OK
Realtor, Team Lead

John - I agree with you.  In addition, it's a place to give, rather than to take, which I think helps people warm up to you quicker.  Thanks for your input.

Brenda - are there any questions I can answer for you?  I'm more than happy to help.

Nov 12, 2008 03:46 PM
Julie Q. Fuelling
Keller Williams Katy @ Cinco Ranch - Katy, TX
Real Estate Consultant

Jason, How did you find other local Realtors to follow? Thanks! Julie, http:www.fuellingkaty.com

Dec 28, 2008 02:40 PM