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Twitter Decoded: Twitter Symbols for Rental Marketing

By Sarah Gabot on January 11, 2012 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

If you’re new to Twitter or just a beginner, you may find all of the symbols used in Tweets to be a foreign language to you. It can look very intimidating and confusing. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you what all of these symbols mean and how you can use these for rental marketing.

You’ll be Tweeting like a pro in no time.

@replies

When you use an ‘@’ symbol in your Tweet, you’re mentioning someone within your message. Use the ‘@’ symbol followed by the person’s username (Ex. @RentJuice).

Your Tweet will be shared with that user by being added to their timeline (the series of sequential Tweets you see on your homepage). Using @username in a Tweet will show up in your timeline for your followers to see and will also appear on the mentioned user’s personal timeline.

Use the @username when you want to communicate with a specific person with information that you wouldn’t mind being shared with everyone else. For example, “@cathysmith Thanks for stopping by at our open house! We’ll have another one next week.”

DM (Direct Message)

Send direct messages to prospective renters on Twitter.

Similar to Facebook’s messaging feature, direct messages are private messages between users. Your message will be sent from you to the other user, and won’t be viewed publicly. You can find this function when you click the person-silhouette on the user’s profile.

Use direct messages when you want to send private information to a potential renter. For example, if you want to send your personal contact information like your phone number, e-mail address or the address of your property listing. Send private information to prospective renters through direct messages. However, don’t send confidential information this way.

# (Hashtags)

Hashtags are a way for Tweets to be organized. Think of it as a label to a manila folder. If your folder says, “Renters Wanting to Move,” everything in that folder will be related to that topic. Hashtags work in a similar function.

When people post a “#” followed by a topic (which has no spaces), you can read all the topics written about it. For example, when people are at a conference, the organizers at the event will tell you to use a specific hashtag for any questions (InmanNews uses #AgentReboot for their one-day conference). To read all the Tweets about a specific hashtag, type it into the search up on the top of your Twitter screen.

There are hashtags out there that involve moving. For example, search hashtags like #needtomove or #wanttomove to find people who are itching to leave their current living situation. Use advanced Twitter search techniques to learn how to further filter these Tweets and get localized search results.

Improve E-mail Readability, Deliverability and Function for Rentals

By Sarah Gabot on December 12, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

E-mail marketing is one of the best methods for you to keep in contact with your prospective tenants. When you find an available unit that matches their preferences, it’s important for you to let them know right away.

Enhance and improve your e-mail’s readability, deliverability and function with these 3 e-mail marketing tips:

Tip #1: Make a plain-text version.

You may have a beautiful, elaborate e-mail template that looks amazing with pictures of your properties and company logo. However, not all e-mails are read in its HTML form. For example, some renters may read your e-mail on a mobile device, which may cause them to miss all your formatting. Your plain-text version needs to be just as compelling as your HTML version of your e-mail . Take the time to create a plain-text e-mail, otherwise, your message may be penalized by spam filters for only sending HTML.

When writing a plain-text version, use NotePad on Windows or TextWrangler for Mac to write an e-mail stripped of formatting. It’s crucial for renters to be able to click your links because they will direct them somewhere important like your website or your listings. In a plain-text version of your e-mail, they will not be able to click-through to another page. That means, less traffic to your website and your listings. To prevent this, include the full URL address for sites you want them to be redirected.

TIp #2: Avoid using “spammy” words and phrases.

Spam filters read e-mails before your prospective renter. It looks for words and phrases in the subject line and content for any indications that the e-mail is a spam message. Avoid using the words and phrases such as, “free,” “click here,” or “act now.”

Instead, be explicit about what you’re writing about in your subject line and content. A subject line such as, “2-bedroom available 3/1 in SOMA” is likely to miss the spam folder and grab the attention of a prospective renter.

TIp #3: Add your Facebook and Twitter to your signature.

If your prospective renter isn’t interested in your e-mail content, they may want to still keep tabs on your rental business through social media. Use your e-mail to increase your popularity on social media sites. Let them know you have a Twitter or Facebook by including it in your e-mail signature. Write a simple, call to action, directing them to you social media site such as, “Follow us on Twitter!”

Getting prospective renters to connect with you on social media sites will not only create a stronger bond, but can also help you increase your reach to more renters.

Be Found: Using Social Media to Increase Your Rental Business’s Visibility

By Sarah Gabot on November 16, 2011 in Marketing with Comments Off

Use social media to be found by prospective renters.

How do you spread word about your rental business? We’ve already taught you how to use SEO to get on top of a prospective renter’s search results. So, you know how important it is to get links pointing to your rental website for a dominant web presence. Use social media to spark interest in prospective renters and current clients to drive them to your website. Social media will give your company exposure at exponential rates.

As you increase your online visibility, you’ll may start to see increased traffic to your website and a stronger network of clients and prospective tenants.

Tip #1: Launch social media sites.

Start a business Twitter account and Facebook page. You can’t benefit much from social media if you don’t have accounts. Fill out the profile section and add a link to your company’s website.

Tip #2: Share what your renters want.

It’s easy to lose focus after launching your social media site. It’s your site, so it should be about you, right? Wrong. Posts just about you can be detrimental to your social media popularity. Renters want to engage with material that’s interesting to them.

That means, don’t go overboard posting your available listings on Facebook or Twitter. If people want to see available listings, they will likely already be searching through rental websites. You need to post things that prospective renters and current clients alike want to read. Post pictures of local landmarks, ask questions or link interesting articles on decorating tips, local news or quirky stories. Valuable stories to your renters give added value to you.

Tip #3: Connect with existing and new contacts.

Social media networks are meant to bring people together. They’re for maintaining existing relationships and creating new ones. Start adding your existing or past clients to your Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Add business partners and industry leaders. If they start following or “friending” you back, it’ll be published on their newsfeed, giving you instant exposure to a larger network of people.

Tip #4: Be helpful.

Social media is not a one-way street. It’s an ongoing dialog between you and your network. Not only should you be putting out valuable content, but you should also be engaging with your connections. For example, if your tenant or partner asks a question on Facebook, give an answer. If there’s an interesting article posted on Twitter, retweet the post. Your contributions to social media’s online community will help broadcast your accounts and keep you on everyone’s radar.

3 Advanced Twitter Tips To Connect You With Apartment Hunters

By Sarah Gabot on October 21, 2011 in Agent Tips, Marketing with Comments Off

Use Twitter's advanced search features to find prospective renters.

When you have a vacant unit, sometimes it’s hard to figure out where to start looking for tenants. Especially when you don’t have any leads. Twitter can be a great tool for you to start looking for renters to fill in your rental property.

We know we’ve talked about Twitter to find tenants before, but this article is different. We will be highlighting the strength of Twitter’s advanced search and how to use it.

You can enter basic searches in the search bar at the top of your Twitter homepage. Twitter search can be tricky, especially when there’s a bunch of search terms that an look like a foreign language at times. Fortunately, there’s Twitter’s advanced search that will narrow down your search for you. However, Twitter also offers a more advanced search that will help you tailor your search so that you can get more accurate results. You can find Twitter’s advanced search function here.

Tip #1: Match specific words

Under the “Words” headline, you can gear your search to match phrases or words. You can also type in keywords into the “All these words” search bar such as “apartment” or “move”. These are great terms to include in this search because there aren’t many other words people can use to describe their desire to look for a rental property.

Tip #2: Search common phrases

“This exact phrase” search is a way to find people that tweeted the exact words you specify. Twitter does not shuffle your words around and find variations of the phrase, so use this function carefully. For this search function, type in commonly used phrases like “looking for an apartment” to find people that tweeted those exact words, in that order.

Tip #3: Hone in on location

At the bottom of the Advanced Twitter Search screen is the “Places” section. This is the key to your success in finding local rental hunters. Type in the zip code in “Near this place”, and specify the radius of tweets you want receive relative to the zip code. This advanced search feature is extremely valuable because it will help you weed out all other tweets and keep your searches local and relevant.

Social Media Reaches More Prospective Renters

By Sarah Gabot on October 13, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

When you use social media, you can reach more rental hunters.

Did you know? RentJuice has widgets that allow you to simply copy and paste your rental listings onto websites. Interested applicants automatically get sent to you! Get more information here.

Prospective renters aren’t browsing the classifieds as much as they used to before the Internet. Online classifieds are a great way to post availabilities. But if you want an even faster way of drawing people in, you need to bring your listings to the rental hunters. Social media is one of the best strategies to gain exposure to prospective tenants.

What are people doing online nowadays?
They’re on social media sites, of course. Social media use is at an all-time high. According
to the New York Time’s Media Decoder Report, when prospective renters are online, they’re on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter about 22.5 percent of the time. People spend 7.6 percent of their time on their e-mail, a 0.7 percent drop from last year. To put that into perspective, a renters online for two hours will spend 27 minutes on social media and 9 minutes in their email.

Give the people what they’re looking for.
Social media is the latest and greatest way to broadcast information. Rather than letting your online listing sit idly on a classifieds site, you can use social media to publicize your available units. Twitter and Facebook are some of the best tools you have available for marketing your properties. Everything is in one spot: photos of your unit, private messages and a basic profile of your prospective renter, without leaving the site. You will bring the news to prospective renters, rather than having them find you.

Knock two birds with one stone, and link your status updates between your Twitter and Facebook accounts. That way, when you post, for example, a new available unit, Twitter will automatically update your Facebook status, also. This is a great function for busy rental brokers who don’t have time to fuss with two social media sites.

Exponentially increase your reach.
If you have a need for speed in closing rental deals, utilizing social media will certainly help with that. Ever click the “like” button or “re-tweeted” anything? These simple functions serve as an instant forwarding feature, where the prospective renter can broadcast your content to his or her online social community.

Update your Facebook status with what you’re doing or what available properties you have. For example, letting your network know that you’re going to be showing a 2-bedroom apartment in a high-demand area may spark interest in your network. Or, if one of your friends isn’t interested, they may know someone who is, and pass the information along.

Using Twitter to Find Prospective Renters

By Sarah Gabot on October 4, 2011 in Uncategorized with Comments Off

Yeah, we know you’ve been in this scenario many times as a rental broker – a tenant just cleared out and you have a unit you need to fill ASAP. It’s a pain and is stressful when you have no leads, especially in a tough economy. Real estate brokers are using Twitter to find tenant leads to fill units. The benefits of Twitter in the rental industry are that posts, a.k.a. “tweets”, are short and sweet, updated in real-time and are a great way to get some exposure to potential renters for free.

Are renters not finding you? Go find them

Twitter is a powerful search tool to find the tenants you need. People tweet about almost anything: wants/needs, questions, or thoughts. Use this to your advantage. Use Twitter’s advanced search function for common phrases like “need to move”, “need an apartment” or “apartment hunting”, and specify the location you’re searching for prospective tenants.

Twitter search or a third-party Twitter search tools

These tools generate a list of the most recent tweets based on your search specifications, giving you the most up-to-date information on what people are talking about. Save your specific keyword searches, to quickly get the latest tweets without retyping your search every time. Respond to interested customers directly to answer their questions, offer them help or figure out their needs by using their @TwitterAccountName in your tweet, giving them instantaneous assistance and a potential tenant for you.

Build and leverage your real estate rental network

Start “following” some of the major rental-related Twitter accounts for landlords such as @FindaProperty or @RightMove. These Twitter accounts are likely to have a large list of “followers.” “Following” rental-related Twitter accounts will not only get the latest news on your Twitter feed, but will get you some great exposure, because everyone will know you’re following the account.

Once you build a strong network, it’s easier for other people to help you broadcast your news through “Retweets”, a form of message forwarding. More people will see your tweets as your network evolves and increases.

The best part about Twitter is it’s free. If used correctly, you can be an efficient Tweeter and mine for tenant leads to fill your vacant units quickly.

The RentJuice Blog Weekly Roundup – January 13, 2012