And if you're on the fence about getting involved in Twitter, this summary by Craig Rutman, may change your mind.
Twitter - Some Interesting Facts & Why You Should Be "Twittering"
While running around Cary and Apex, North Carolina with some very excited 1st time buyers today, I received an email from some company trying to sell me followers for my Twitter account. After hitting the delete button, and upon my return home, I decided to do a little research on Twitter...
First I went to Alexa.com, one of the best website ranking tools I've come across, to check out where Twitter ranks on the internet.
I discovered that Twitter is the 13th most visited website in the United States and 14th most visited site in the world. Over 600,000 web pages have a link to Twitter's home page, and there are approximately 17 million Twitter accounts!
But why Tweet? Is it worth it? Will it bring you any business?
At first I was reluctant to even join Twitter. My theory was that if a 12 year old can type in something like, "I made brownies today and they were delicious!", then it's probably not a very effective marketing tool. But I was wrong...
My thought process on the whole Twitter thing changed when some folks who read one of my Real Estate Tweets contacted me. I asked them what it was that caught their attention and they told me they were just searchingaround Twitter and one of my ActiveRain localism blogs drew them in! On ActiveRain they read some more of my posts and felt that I should be their Realtor.
In short, yes, Twitter can bring you business! If you don't have a Twitter account, get one. If you do have an account, Tweet daily. You just never know where your next client will come from! Twitter is an excellent way to drive traffic to your website through the networking connections you'll make. Its simplicity makes it easy to post messages to, and there are dozens of free applications available to enhance your Twitter experience.
Below is a chart I made depicting the average age of a Twitter user. Although the average is still quite young, this demographic uses Twitter as a means to connect. Why not give them the opportunity to connect with you? After all, they will be buying a home someday.
This next chart shows that less than 15% of Twitter users Tweet on a daily basis. Why not be among the 85% who do?
By the way, I'd love it if you followed me on Twitter...AND subscribed to my blog! For those of you who already follow me or are already subscribed to my blog...Thank you!
About The Author Craig Rutman is a North Carolina Residential Real Estate Specialist that can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in the Raleigh - Cary – Apex metro areas; or any place else in the country by connecting you with a relocation professional in your destination of choice.
To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.justnchomes.com
Call me TODAY at 919-349-9530 Email me with your Raleigh - Cary – Apex area questions ![]()












2. From the beginning my focus has been relationship building, not broadcast promotion. That's what works for me to sustain long term steady real estate business. My friends and associates become my clients or refer clients to me they know. Warm market is what works best for me. I even cultivate internet and other cold leads into "friends". Often I stay in touch with people for months or years before they do business with me or refer someone to me. I use Twitter the same way. Now my challenge as I have grown to following more than 400 people, that I nee some tool to manage that stream of tweets. I'm considering adding Tweetdeck or some other software. Any suggestions from those of you more experednced? I have a PC and Blackberry, not Mac and iPhone.
4. It's valuable to integrate your Social Media into your business plan. Initially in my learning stage I spent several hours a day connected to Twitter. In the beginning I tweeted several times a day; but have cut back to once or twice a day avaerage. I schedule a time for it just like phone messages, emails, etc. I use my blackberry and check tweets while I'm waiting in lines, etc. I try to balance social media with warm market prospecting and servicing present contracts and clients. I try to include interesting information in my Tweet stream with a variety of humor, real estate knowledge, my Active Rain blog posts, local area inoformation, etc. I try to get to know my followers. I don't necessarily post just for them but I do try to understand the kinds of information they like to read. I use Tweets and FaceBook as tools for those who want to know me better to learn a little more about me. Now I use links on my webpage to both my company Twitter account where I extract just the real estate information that others might find valuable plus a link to my personal account under "Meet Our Team". It's one more way to build a presence.
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Back in early August 2008 iPhone had a home app called 

The case studies given in this link will help you visualize where you want to go. Tablets allow signing on the screen and printing handwritten documents. It was self-contained and not internet dependent. If your interested in Tablet PC, join the Active Rain Group
Then with a mobile printer HP Deskjet 460, I had brochures ready to leave at the end of the listing presentation. This printer operates on battery and blue tooth so I can print in my car or in a clients home.

