My Public Admission - I'm An Addict

Have I told you about Twitter?  No?  Well, allow me to introduce myself ... my name is Jeremy, and I'm a Twitteraholic.

Several months ago there was a buzz through the online real estate community about this new online communication tool.  "Have you heard about Twitter?"  "Are you on Twitter?"  I had no idea what Twitter was, but people kept saying things like "it's microblogging", it's "text messaging over the web".  When I looked it up, I saw no immediate use for it - post what you're doing online for people to see, ask questions that people can answer ... how is this any different than anything else out there?  A friend of mine - and new Twitter user - accurately described it as a group chat, and he's partially right.  I quickly found out that Twitter was so much more.

When I created an account, I was quickly "followed" by a user here in Blacksburg with the username @TMarkiewicz (I'm sure there's a reason why we have to have the @ symbol in our names, but I don't know what it is).  @TMarkiewicz saw that I was in the same area as he was, and he followed me ... so whenever I posted something to Twitter, he saw it and could respond.  As my community of people I followed - and those that followed me - grew, the conversations expanded - if @Tmarkiewicz wasn't following the same people I was, he wouldn't see the whole conversation, just a portion.  But it also introduced him to people in my social circles, and vice versa.  You can run applications on your computer, or your phone, that tell you when people you follow post something to Twitter, and you can choose various notification options as well.  It's all very ADD-ish, and while I don't pay attention to everything everyone posts, it fits my need to multi-task.

I still wasn't seeing a business-value to Twitter though.  I was learning a lot about people around the country that I followed, though - in particular, I started to learn about them through the posts they made online.  I learned about their real estate markets, I learned about their marketing strategies, I learned about them as professionals ... and suddenly I found that it was becoming a community.  I was becoming part of a community.  And it was affecting my business in a way that I hadn't expected - I was CONSTANTLY learning something new, that I could apply to my business here, and it was making me a better professional.  All of that education, for free!  The best kind ...

Then one day, it happened.  I got a message from @TMarkiewicz that said he and his wife were going to be leaving the area, and they wanted to talk with me about possibly listing their home.  WOW ... here was this guy I'd never met who was inviting me into his home to discuss being his representative, and solely because of the relationship I'd formed with him on Twitter.  I was floored.  We talked, we negotiated, and a few weeks later we listed his home.  Suddenly, it happened again.  Another message, this time from @stuboo (don't you just love some of these names?).  This message was a little different, it said "@NRVLiving, have you ever gotten a client from Twitter?".  When I responded yes, he wrote back "would you like another one?"

Amazing.  Two clients, a buyer and a seller, both acquired through relationships formed on Twitter.  I haven't even had the chance to meet @stuboo yet, but I know a lot about him, and he about me, and we're working on crafting a search that'll help him land a home here to serve his needs for the next few years.  Awesome.

So now I'm a Twitterholic.  I don't expect that everyone will receive business-related contacts from the service, but they certainly might.  The greater value may just be in connecting us with other individuals who share similar interests, or similar geographic locations, or maybe we just like talking with each other.  We may never meet in person, but I notice when they're not online anymore.  And when I close these pieces of business, I might just send Twitter a thank you card.  Who should I address that to?

A post on customer service is forthcoming, but here's an example of  how companies are using Twitter to actually SERVE their customers better.  If you join Twitter, look me up ...

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Comments

[Matthew Rathbun]

Hey, I know that I better off because of the people that I've met on Twitter and the friendships that have developed.

It makes my day when I see a quick note from you and others. It's a great tool!

[Jeremy Hart]

It IS a great tool, and I'm glad you guys pushed me into it. It's funny, the depth that some of the conversations Twitter has fostered, despite it's 140-character limit. It really forces you to say something concise and meaningful ...

But more than that, the relationships it's created. Think of when our Austin, TX friend went down - people were genuinely concerned when she was gone, and happy to see her back. That's something that email is hard-pressed to create.

[Tom Markiewicz]

Great post and thanks for sharing. I've found Twitter to be indispensable.

Regarding your question on using the @ symbol for users in tweets - it started as a way for users to identify they were replying to others and Twitter then built in the functionality after the fact to support this usage. Each tweet can be parsed for the @username to track the conversation.

[Jeremy Hart]

Thanks, Tom. Indispensable ... I think that's a good way to describe it.

[Ryan Stewart (aka stuboo)]

Twitter is a lot of things to me, Jeremy. In this instance, it proved to be a lot like a shopping experience. I knew I would need a Realtor in the NRV so I did a search on TweetScan for 'Blacksburg' and started following some folks.

Initially, I imagined that I would end up meeting someone who could recommend an agent. When I realized you were one, I followed quietly for a few days, learned that you were "my kind of people" and decided to pose the question you mentioned above.

It also didn't hurt that my wife used to be a Coldwell Banker agent. I look forward to meeting you soon!

[Jeremy Hart]

Thanks Ryan, for the comment. Interesting, I didn't give much though to the fact that you might be "listening" to what I was saying before you contacted me. Guess it really goes to show you can get a feel for a person just based on their online presence.

[Bucking the Real Estate Trend]

Twitter is quickly evolving and certainly is addicting. It's great to be able to keep up with things in 'now' time, and getting to know others in the RE industry. Will report my first Twitter client!

[Natalie Langford]

Jeremy, I couldn't agree more. Thanks to you, I now know all about Auz Bloc and more about green building. I'm sure I'll continue to learn from you and my other peers. The speed information passes is like wildfire. @TMarkiewicz and @stuboo made smart moves!

[Jeremy Hart]

Thanks, Natalie, that's awesome!

[Tim Ayres]

Hi Jeremy,

thanks for the insight on Twitter. Everyone here in the Sooke/Victoria real estate market thinks I'm a huge dork or has never heard of Twitter when they see me tweeting! I agree it's only a matter of time before it catches on a little more, and people turn to their twitter followees for advice. I also enjoy learning about other markets. All we hear up here in Canada about the U.S. market is that it's bad. It's nice to get the 'real' story on what's going on.

[Jeremy Hart]

Thanks Tim! The "real" story is what's happening on the ground, and it's different everywhere. That's one of the things that makes these connections we make so valuable, because it gives us the opportunity to learn firsthand what's happening in different markets. Keep doing it - it'll make you a better agent, no doubt!

[Cyndee Haydon]

Wow - what a great story! It's been great getting comfortable with being a part of the twitter world - thanks for sharing and inspiring us all.
P.S. I found this post via Twitter!!

[Brian Miller]

jeremy,
great post. i've been a twitter member for a while, but have not done anything to develop my network, use it, etc. I've heard snippets of how useful it can be, but your post is really full of real application. I'm going to take another look at my twitter efforts..

[Real estate rant]

Hi Jeremy, Thanks for such a valuable information. Twitter sounds very interesting, I will also try to join in the group.

[Jim Rake]

Jeremy - thanks for the input. Seems more "value added" tools turn up every day, and Twitter is one of the "keepers". Its success speaks for itself - another good resource for better service!

[Diane Zubrod]

Jeremy,

Thanks for your addictive efforts, all of which I relate to. I am new at Twitter and hope to build a community of like-kind trusted relationships. I've been penned a relationship broker and this gives me another avenue to expand what comes naturally.

[Handshake 2.0]

What I appreciate is that you have offered a specific, detailed example of the successful use of Twitter for business. Lots of PR and marketing folks pitch the use of Web 2.0 tools for business, but if their use doesn't result in ROI, they're just one more drain on a company's resources.

Very nice to know of a real example - and a local one. Thank you!