Estate Agents and Twitter - Do not write it off in 140 characters or less

Twitter for Estate Agents is like marmite - they either love it or hate it. The Estate Agents that fall in love with it find Twitter creeping into their personal lives, whereas Estate Agents that hate Twitter will throw away the social network with reasons that are under 140 characters or less (which is less than a single message or 'tweet' on Twitter). Such reasons can include:

• I don't understand it
• It is something for teenagers
• I can't see how it will help my Estate Agency
• It's used by celebrities to build on their image or massage their ego

Do not throw away Twitter without reading the vast array of material on the internet, including many websites dedicated to the use of Twitter for business. There are also books on how to use Twitter for business available across the internet.

The best way to think about Twitter is that it is just a tool for communication and any tool is only as good as the person that is using it. In general, it is too easy to misunderstand how any new technology can help Estate Agents run their business. Take Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for example, many people did not see its relevance because of a lack of knowledge. Now Estate Agents understand how search engines work and the amount of people that refer to them. Only through knowledge, experience and self-education can Estate Agents fully utilise a growing social network.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'The easiest way to access information on how to use Twitter for business is to type 'Twitter for businesses' into a search engine and read the vast wealth of knowledge that has accumulated since its launch in 2006.'