How do I find more people in my area and in my industry on Twitter to follow & to follow me?

I get asked quite frequently by my coaching clients how to increase the number of “Tweeps” that they can follow and who can follow them, AND who are ACTUALLY in their area and industry. Most of us certainly, as soon as we join Twitter, begin following our friends, our business associates, and obviously those in our industry that are well connected and knowledgable about the real estate market. And that is, no doubt, a perfect place to start. To be listening to those who are on the cutting edge of what is transpiring in this most interesting market, and to be up to date on the most recent changes, adjustments, and trends is critical for your business. So, yes, begin there.

As you begin to engage in conversations with others, notice who they are following and mentioning. Quickly review the bio, and decide if that relationship would be beneficial to you, and you to them, should they follow you back. Remember, Twitter is all about sharing and building relationships so make your decisions based on that, even if what interests you is something personal – like they enjoy hiking, or punk rock music, or also hang glide. Naturally, others will follow you as well, once they see the value you begin to share. Also, key to remember: be you! Be authentic and transparent. Engage, engage, and engage with others as this is how we all learn, grow, and have fun.

Another way to find folks in your area or industry, or those that even have similar hobbies as you, is to use the Twitter Search Box.

- Log into Twitter.com

- On the right hand side of the page, there will be a white SEARCH box

- You can type in here whatever it is you would like to search for

For example, let’s say you would like to search those in Del Mar who have been tweeting about buying a home:

- In the SEARCH box, type: near 92014 within:10mi buy a house

- This search criteria asked for anyone who has tweeted using the words “buy a house” within 10 miles of Del Mar

- What will appear, is of course, the tweets that reflect this search

- Now you can scroll though and see if any tweets catch your interest, and then perhaps review the bio of the Tweeter for a match

As you can imagine, you can search anything! You can search a movie review, comments on a new product, your hobby, a news topic, your geographic farm, other realtors in your area, or anything you can come up with. Then you can reach out to them and see if you can be of service to them. Enjoy the process and you will be amazed at the people you get connected to.

You will notice, as well, as your followers begin to increase, that many of these fellow tweeps found you in just this way, either by key words in your bio, or by a recent tweet that you posted.

Reach out, create relationships, be of value to others, and have fun!