The MOST misunderstood #CRE tool

Image Attribution: www.edudemic.com

Twitter is stupid! Twitter is much maligned. Twitter is misunderstood. I just don't get Twitter. I've heard ALL of these comments.

However, Twitter is the BEST social media platform for engagement.. And, as my buddy Bridget Willard notes...the REAL ROI of social media is the engagements that are affected...AKA, how many people you meet, get to know, converse with...and ultimately do business with.

If all of that is true, then how does the platform work and why is it misunderstood?  Indulge me a moment and I will expand my thought process.

As a disclaimer, I provide Location Advice to owners and occupants of industrial buildings in Southern California...AKA, I sell and lease commercial real estate for a living and have since 1984. I have also blogged and tweeted consistently for four years and have amassed a solid Twitter following (nothing like Duke, Coy, Linda Day Harrison, Bridget Willard, Carol Stephen, or Barbi Reuter)...but I am trying. ALL of this qualifies me as some sort of an expert if I can only remember why...

How Twitter works: If Facebook is a family reunion, LinkedIn is a job interview, Pinterest is bulletin board, Google Plus is the "up and comer", Instagram is...hmmm...not really sure...I like to think of Twitter this way...as the world's largest mixer! EVERYONE who is anyone is there! But, similar to attending the world's largest mixer, there are certain "rules of engagement" to consider.

Why Twitter is misunderstood: In all of the seriousness given to a Jon Stewart news report or a Cohen brother's movie and to increase your #CRE biz, make sure you follow...sorry...these guidelines to understand Twitter...to the max!

• Tweet your listings or client requirements...shamelessly...twelve to fifteen times a day
• Don't follow anyone who doesn't follow you back
• Take others content and brand it as your own...giving no attribution to the author
• NEVER thank anyone for a follow, a retweet, or a favorite...after all you DESERVED it!
• If someone follows you make sure you acknowledge their follow with a direct message asking them to like your Facebook page, read your blog, and give you the password to their Schwab account
• Modify tweets to fit your "spin"...after all you need to sell something
• Buy as many followers as you can afford...it is all about the numbers...forget about growing a following the right way...through engagement, meaningful content, and courtesy
• When someone follows you, send them an email thanking them for the follow and proceed to pitch them unmercifully until they say yes...they will buy your stuff
• Don't watch, listen and learn from the best in the #CRE industry...what do they know?

OK, you get the idea. My tongue was squarely in my cheek. Just do the opposite of the above and you will be fine.