All social-media sites are the same. Really. It’s your info, messages, and updates just wrapped in a different format. And, in that way, social-media is a lot like Mexican food. After all, most of the dishes on a typical Mexican menu are identical. The only thing that changes is the tortilla. The difference between a chimichanga and a burrito? One tortilla is fried, the other isn’t. A taco and a tostada? One’s folded, the other isn’t.
And so, when trying to determine how to properly use Facebook as opposed to Twitter or LinkedIn, don’t get overwhelmed trying to extract the unique purpose of each site. You’re using them all for the same thing: To connect, communicate, and create a larger audience for you, your business, and your services. It’s all a technologically advanced way of spreading word-of-mouth. The differences, like a Mexican menu, are only in the presentation.
Here are some tips on properly presenting yourself on Twitter …
Keep it Short: Obviously, the main difference between Twitter and any other social-media site is that you’re limited to 140 characters per tweet. That means, you have to have something quick, interesting, and understandable to share and you have to do it in very few words. This, while appearing easy, can be difficult. Start by linking up your blog or Facebook page to Twitter. Most sites offer the ability to automatically have your updates, posts, and messages sent to your other pages and profiles. This will make it easier to keep your sites updated without having to login to each. You can also update your Twitter account with relevant industry stats or quotes, re-tweet something interesting you’ve found, or call attention to others in your industry or region whose account you follow. In short, the more you mention others, re-tweet their messages, and follow their feeds, the more attention your account will receive in return. And, after all, attention is the idea in the first place.
Use The Hashtag: If you’ve heard the term but haven’t yet understood the concept, here you go … Hashtags identify the topic or subject of your tweet and make it easier for people to find through searches. For example, if you’re tweeting about real estate, follow your tweet with #realestate. That way, it’s more likely your tweet will be found by people searching for real estate on Twitter. But think it through, as a hashtag for something as general as real estate will likely be among thousands of others. The more specific your tag, however, the more unlikely it is to be someone’s search term. In other words, it takes some balance but incorporating hashtags into some of your tweets is a good way to gain more attention for your message.
Interact With The Twitterverse: Twitter is about communication. It’s meant to be conversational, which explains the character limitations. Ideally, you’d encourage a back-and-forth with your followers and those you follow, using your tweets to respond and reply to questions, concerns, and messages. Twitter allows for direct messages, which operate a lot like email. Respond to the messages you receive and to people who tweet about you or your business. A simple thank you may be enough. It may sound like a lot of work but, if done correctly, the benefit to your business will outweigh the time you invested building a following. Keep your expectations reasonable.
The Ibis Network / www.theibisnetwork.com
If you’ve taken to Twitter to attempt to “present” or grow your business, you might have bigger problems than finding appropriate hashtags. In real life, who goes to Twitter to search for real estate or real estate industry information? One (of many) big problems with the soME revolution (big emphasis on me) is that everyone thinks they are an expert, and I’m not sure I’m ready to get my daily fill of real estste news from @TheLatestRealEstateExpert just yet. Since they will probably just point me to someone else’s articles anyway.
Using Twitter or any other social media is about communication and expanding your reach, no different than any other medium. And if building your business requires people knowing you’re in business, than Twitter is a viable tool for spreading the word. Why limit the ways people can find out about you and your business? Social media isn’t a replacement for your marketing efforts but it can serve as a complement to them
I totally agree. There should be no limit to the way you communicate your business to people. If someone is contantly seeing update and information from you about real estate then that helps you to be in their top-of-mind that we all are striving for.
Very valid points, Josh and Denise. Exposure is key. But my personal opinion is that the vast majority people of people that utilize social networking to be social could be turned off by a constant barrage of “do business with me” or “remember me next time you buy or sell” or “referrals are my friend” correspondences via social media. If I want to buy or sell my house, I will go to a real estate site to do so. Not remember which of my Facebook or Twitter buds put the most bugs in my ear, specifically because I would have blocked the latter long ago. But again, that’s just me.
That’s true, which is why it’s always a good idea to have separate pages for professional and personal contacts. For example, using a Facebook fan page for your business rather than sending work-related updates through a personal profile. You’re correct that friends and family likely don’t want to be bombarded by real-estate info. However, if you were able to build an audience receptive to your professional updates, it wouldn’t be a nuisance and may strengthen your connection with clients, potential clients, and referral partners.
Once again, great points Josh. Unfortunately for the consumer though, they generally do not have their social network profiles broken up into personal profiles and “doing business” profiles so the onus is on the person selling their services to strike that delicate balance of remaining relevant (or in the top of the mind like Denise stated) without getting blocked. I can definitely see the worthiness of building an audience receptive to your professional updates but am curious how many people are actually able to do that to the point where there is an actual positive ROI on the time and effort you spend doing it???
Fortunately, though it may be difficult to guarantee a return on investment, in the case of social media the only investment is time. Which means, there’s little risk or downside. But you’re correct that it requires a balance. Which is why the most successful companies using social-media for business concentrate less on directly selling their services and more on offering valuable content, extras, and exclusive offers to their fans and followers. Thanks for the feedback.