11 Tips to get More (Quality) Twitter Followers

1. Share Quality Content

While this one should go without saying, it is always worth repeating. Quality content gives people a reason to share, comment and come back for more.

Are you a blogger? Re-purpose your content to give it an added boost. Turn a post or survey  into an Info-graphic or share a single quote or thought to elevate the conversation and begin to better brand your tweets. You can use websites like Hootsuite & Buffer to schedule Tweets. 

2. Know Your Niche

Understanding who your potential consumer is and what needs you can solve is vital when crafting content.

Consider this as well. While many say to avoid politics or religion, that might not be the right solution for your business, it just depends. Don't be so bland that people are bored and you never seem to have an opinion, but in our Real Estate business we like to keep out- our political affiliations & religious views. 

Although anything positive on the subject is welcome. Twitter offers a platform where being a little controversial might be a great way for you to start a dialog. The important component is to always put the needs of your followers first.

3. Be Honest

When asking for followers, do not trick them into following. Be straightforward in your intentions and make it clear what you like to talk about or what your opinions are.

Expectations up front will connect you with the right people and avoid frustration and eventually, a loss in followers who feel mislead.

4. Use Hashtags

Use hashtags to find people and topics centered around subjects you are interested in. Our favorites are #RealEstate #Homes #buyer #RollingHills #HomesForSale #REtips

5. Join Twitter Chats

Twitter chats are an excellent way to connect with like-minded individuals who are tweeting about the same content that excites you. Check the frequently updated Twitter Chat Schedule.

The largest chat on Twitter, #Blogchat is one I recently joined and truly enjoy. It is a weekly chat about topics helpful to anyone blogging personally or professionally. Hosted by Mack Collier, topics cater to newbies as well as advanced. This means you can connect with people that are talking about what interests you. Build deeper, more meaningful connections through Twitter chats! 

If your in Real Estate find a chat that revolves around the business or even better find a chat that is in your community. 

6. Brand Your Twitter Channel

Take advantage of the customization options Twitter options including a branded background, adding your professional head shot and filling out your bio.

Take your time to carefully write a bio that expresses who you are, how your business can help consumers (this is your answer to the “what’s in it for me” question) and above all else, be authentic. Take your offline personality and accurately convey that on Twitter.

7. Get Engaged

Get involved in the conversation and make it a point to stay actively engaged. It’s not enough to schedule a few tweets. You must begin to create conversation.

Ask questions and craft them in a way that they are worth replying to. People and content are moving rapidly. Give them a statement worth replying to. Reply in kind and open the lines of communication.

8. Don’t Haphazardly Follow

Be strategic in who you follow. What is your niche, passion, favorite pastime or hobby? Follow people that share information similar to what you find interesting.

A few Twitter tools to find people to follow:

• Twellow– A directory of public Twitter accounts, with hundreds of categories and search features to help you find people who matter to you.
• WeFollow – Get the most out of Twitter by finding the right people to share the conversation: find new, like-minded friends.
• JustTweetIt – A user directory for Twitter organized by genre to allow for users to easily find other Twitter users to connect with.

9. Be Helpful

If you are only using Twitter to push out your marketing message, you are missing a huge opportunity. Twitter allows you to offer great content that provides a benefit. Share helpful information that solves a problem or provides a solution.

What content do you have sitting on your website or blog that could be shared in bite-sized snippets? Take your frequently asked questions, company about or top tips and use them as helpful and meaningful tweets.

10. Cross Promote

Use your existing social media accounts like Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest to cross-promote your Twitter channel. It’s a good marketing practice to drive people back to other social properties.

Not everyone chooses to engage on each social network, make sure you remind people where you are and how you would like them to connect with you.

11. Extend Your Twitter Karma

Be sure to re-tweet, share and actively support your community. If you get a reply or retweet, be sure to promptly tweet back a quick thank you or "Favorite" the Tweet. The more you do so the more you will get in return. 

How To Master Social Media

Social media isn’t going anywhere. Oh wait, yes it is… it’s going everywhere! Social media is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to share your brand with a large audience. Data suggests that a rising number of real estate agents are leveraging the power of social media to connect with their clients and
expand their professional networks.

In fact, the California Association of REALTORS® found that agents cited the following reasons for using social media in an effort to grow their real estate businesses:
67 percent staying in touch with clients
54 percent be more accessible to myclients
50 percent respond to clients faster
44 percent market my business to a younger demographic
The study also found that while 66 percent of California REALTORS® consider social media an “integral tool in a marketing plan,” a full 62 percent of respondents deem themselves social media beginners. So let’s change that, shall we? Today we’ve rounded up a handful
of social media dos and don’ts for real estate that will have you socializing (and building
your brand) like a pro in no time at all.

DO

Pick Your Poison
Be wary of spreading yourself too thin. There are literally hundreds of social media
platforms out there. It’s better to be good at a few than to be bad at all, so choose one or
two places to start and focus on posting consistently. You can always expand your presence
later. Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn are great options for real estate because
they have a critical mass of users and a good mind share of the general public.
Stay Positive
No one wants to follow a Negative Nancy. We all have bad days and tricky clients from time
to time, but it’s important to project a positive image of yourself and your business. Instead
of sharing what’s going wrong for you, focus on what’s working in your favor. Share good
news, inspiring photos and helpful tips. And never miss an opportunity to publicly say ‘thank
you’ via social.
Interact
Interaction is key to creating a social media personality that attracts connections and
referrals. If someone tweets you, reply promptly. If you like a post, let the author know by
taking the time to share it or leave a thoughtful comment. What goes around comes around
in the world of social media. The more you reach out to others now, the more likely they are
to reach out to you in the future.

DON’T

Only Post Listings
Many agents see Twitter and Facebook as exciting new avenues for sharing listings – and
they’re right to a degree – but don’t forget the bigger picture. If you only post listings, you’re
not being social, you’re being a salesman, or even worse, a bulletin board. And, like all
other obvious advertising, it won’t be long before your intended audience tunes you out.
Overshare
On the other end of the social media spectrum is the agent who overshares – broadcasting
every moment of his or her day, whether it’s real estate related or not. Remember that you
are communicating with potential clients every time you post. The topics of your public
posts, and the language you use, should be similar to what you would say in the workplace.
Give Up
Even if you follow all of these pointers, if you’re charming and consistent and you share
useful content, you probably won’t gain thousands of followers in the first week. But don’t
quit! Slow and steady growth builds a strong and loyal network. Review your history to see
which posts on which platforms created the most engagement and tweak your future social
media actions accordingly.
Geneva Ives is the marketing writer for Point2

Things To Consider When Designing Your New Construction Home

t is very exciting to have a new home built.  But in all of that excitement there are things you should consider before finalizing your plans.  You will need to look to the future needs of your home and family then plan accordingly; rather than just thinking about your current lifestyle and how you want your home to perform for you now - in the present.

Here are a few things that you may not have thought about when starting the beginning phases of building your new home.

1.  When deciding whether to go with the large open spaces, less walls etc.  Think about your life now and in the future.  Currently you may have a toddler and need those wide open spaces to keep an eye on them.  However, remember that they don't stay toddlers for long.  Before you know it that toddler will be a teenager and you will then need as many separate rooms / spaces as you can get.  Because once you have some teenagers on your hands, you will quickly learn that everyone is going to want their own space.

2.  Don't downsize a room or a closet to make a space for a newborn or toddler.  Once again, they do not stay newborns for long and you will be left with little or no space.  Downsizing a room or eliminating a closet just doesn't make sense in the whole scheme of things.  Remember, your newborn is only going to be a newborn for a little while.  But you will more than likely live in your home much longer than that.

3.  Don't give up kitchen cabinet space for a pass through bar just so you can keep an eye on your kids.  Your small children will grow quicker than you can blink an eye but once your home is built your kitchen will have to stay that way forever.  And before long your children will be grown and you will no longer need that pass through bar but you sure could use that extra cabinet space.

4.  Consider a downstairs den that could be converted into a bedroom in the future as your family grows.

5.  Think about having your attic roughed-in with plumbing and electric for a future bedroom or living space.

6.  Perhaps adding a bathroom and kitchenette to your basement for possible future living quarters.  This will also add value to your home when it comes time to sell.

7.  Think ahead to when your toddler turns 16 and gets a car.  You will need more garage space.  So consider having a three car garage included with your home building plans.

8.  It is always a good idea to have grab bars installed in all of your bathrooms.  These are not just for seniors.  These are great for kids and for adults who have over extended themselves and need a little assistance getting in and out of the bathtub or shower.

It is hard to know exactly what you are going to need in the future.  But try a little forward thinking and build your house according to what you think you will need.

If you have built a house that is no longer suitable for you and your family.  Call your realtor and ask them to help you find a home that fits your new lifestyle.  Your realtor would be more than happy to assist you in any way they can.

Celebrating Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!
What does this mean for you and your household. It can simply mean turning off the lights when there not in use, or don't keep the water running when not being used. Today you can make the decision to go a little more green and save money along the way, here are some household tips to achieve that: 

Power off

• The screensaver on your computer uses the same amount of power as when it's on and being used. Switch your PC off if you're going to be away for a while.
• Turn down your water heater. By lowering the temperature on your water heater from 140 to 120 degrees will reduce your water heating costs by 6-10%
• 50-70% of a household energy costs come from heating & cooling according to the Department of Energy.
• Installing a programmable thermostat will save you approximetly $150 a year.
• Aim for 78 degrees of higher when you are at home while reducing your cooling loads 10-20%. When you are away from home make it 85 degrees, and save an additional 5-12%.
• In cold weather for every degree you lower the thermostat you will save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. 

Unplug

• Unplug unused chargers, plugged in cellphones, laptops or anything for that matter. Americans throw away about 8% of our annual electric bill from having objects just simply plugged in.

• The easiest way to save is to buy a surge protector that can plug in multiple units, that way you can turn off more than one charger in one switch.

Light Fixtures

• Install CFL's, the spiral-shaped bulbs known as compact fluorescents use less than a third of the energy regular bulbs use and last 10x longer. 
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just on regular bulb with a CFL, the amount of energy saved could light 2.5 million homes for a year.

Water Fixtures

• Buy low-flow toilets, they use less than a gallon of water, brands such as American Standard, Toto and Kohler. Toilets used to use about 5 gallons per flush, so if your toilet is outdated it may be time to make this change.
• Buy low-flow shower heads, which can decrease water usage by 50-70%. They only cost about $8
•  install low-flow faucets.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying.

Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances

• Look for the blue and white label which means the item uses at least 10-50% more efficient than standard models. more than 18,000 products have the Energy Star design.

Other

• Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. It will save you money & help you live a more green lifestyle.
• Bring a reusable water bottle, preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

By making these small changes you can save money & make for a cleaner earth one household at a time