Sharing local real estate statistics, data and informed insights on your local real estate market is something that can really set you apart as a true expert. Why not put together a group of several Realtors and form a group to hosts a weekly local online real estate chat? Called a RealEChat, and you can host it via twitter using the # of the same name. Select topics; market, geographical (ie communities within your larger city) or topical (ie restaurants, etc.) and set aside a fixed time every week to “chat”.
Plan the topic in advance so that you can prepare useful information, data and stats. While blatant self promotion is not the name of the game (and is frowned upon) showing your useful and deep knowledge of your target area is. A RealEChat is a very simple thing that can be set up with little effort. Ours has grown so well, we now have a monthly face to face tweetup!
If you’d like to host your own RealEChat, here are a few lessons learned:
- You may need to school each other on # best practices and use a room at tweetchat.com or what the hashtag.
- Set up a facebook fan page where each of you can send traffic and potential visitors (as well as keep everyone posted on past tweetchats and upcoming events and topics)
- Set up a transcription service for the Tweetchats and post them afterward, you will be surprised by how many people read them.
- Encourage your participants to use # when they mention their city/community (ie #MyCity) so that they can each gain more exposure for their community.
- Try to gather a group of agents as the core group who don’t overlap too much, although don’t worry too much about that, friendly yet courteous competition never hurt anyone .
- Don’t be surprised if there isn’t too much consumer participation, they are likely lurking and not joining in, but they are reading, we know this for sure based on the feedback we get from our clients (so be careful what you say).
- Try to spread the love around to highlight each community in your area.
- While you are just getting started, you will have to remind each participant beforehand, and promote it on twitter to gain momentum. Once established, people will be looking forward to it and you’ll find them waiting in the chatroom before you show up. I created a twitter list to help me keep track in the beginning and shot out DMs an hour or so before the tweetchat. Having the twitter list in-and-of itself helped promote participation week to week, people like to be included on lists.
- Welcome all newcomers and encourage their participation.
- Assign someone the moderator role for each tweetchat to steer and guide the conversation.
- Have fun!
We have really been surprised how well this concept has spread and how many times consumers will recall things they read in a tweetchat or a transcript. It’s a fun way to show your local market knowledge and network at the same time! If you do start one, please let us know, we’d love to hear about it!
Bruce Lemieux
August 26, 2010 at 10:36 am
I continue to struggle to understand/see-the-benefit/utilize twitter to make meaningful connections with potential buyers/sellers. This is a great tip, thanks Janie.
Janie Coffey
August 26, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hi Bruce, I have found that twitter, as with any social networking activity (on AND offline) can be a major time-suck if you don’t have a clear plan and defined focus. In addition to the purely social aspect of social media, I have implemented several different tactics to both stay in touch with my sphere as well as build it through targeted connections. Local small business owners who benefit from cross promotion, local bloggers, residents, etc. are great connections to foster/grow. I have made some of the best contacts I could have ever hoped for through twitter, contacts I would not have had access to in any other way, yet I did through Twitter. To me, twitter has been one of the biggest mind and connection expanding resources out there.