"I've got a great name for our kid."

It’s reported that Twitter gets 300,000 new users daily. Many join without understanding the basics of what makes a Twitter account successful. You don’t have to have thousands of followers on Twitter to be successful. In fact, only 74% of Twitter users have more than 10 followers. It’s really simple: When people want to follow you, reply (@) to your tweets, AND retweet (RT) your tweets; you’re successful!

Everyone is new at Twitter at some point. In case you’ve gotten started and feel a little stuck, here are 6 simple steps to being successful on Twitter:

1. A rose may be just as beautiful and smell as sweet if it weren’t named a “rose”, but your Twitter name might stink. I think everyone would agree that the worst Twitter accounts are the spammers. One of the fastest ways you can determine a spam account is the username. Many spammers add numbers to names, thinking that will fool the average user. Jackie1975236 is far less appealing than WackyJackie or even JackieSmith. On Twitter, we like to know that we’re talking to a human, and most human’s have names (unless you’re George).

2. Use a real picture of you or something unique that represents who you are. Early on, Twitter was made up of real people wanting to share information and have real conversations. Even in 2009, Twitter’s users preferred people to use pictures or avatars of themselves. The key is to follow the culture of the site you are using.

3. The Non-Bio hazard. Share a little information about yourself if you want other users to follow you on Twitter. You can put personal or professional information in this space, make a joke or share a poem. No matter what you do, it’s better than nothing! Wait, unless your bio talks about selling something like “Follow me to learn how to get rich on Twitter!”

4. Know who to follow. Twitter has developed an application within their online interface that will give you ideas about people you should follow. These suggestions are made by comparing the user profiles of people that you’re already connected too. Use Search Twitter to find people that share similar interests. If you’ve established a friendship with someone on Twitter, you can look at their friends on Twitter and follow a few.

5. Itty bitty Bit.ly. 140 characters isn’t much to convey your thought or share an idea. Remember to shorten hyperlinks when you tweet, it’s considered polite. By using a hyperlink shortener, you will be able to share more information with fewer characters. I choose to use bit.ly because I can track clicks and views of the urls I share. Tinyurl and Ow.ly are two other useful url shortening tools.

6. Be careful what you tweet. Unlike Vegas, what happens on Twitter is shared with the world. Twitter has made it possible to delete tweets but nothing prevents users from taking screenshots and reposting. In addition, Twitter has donated ALL tweets on their service to the Library of Congress for research and preservation. Who knew your tweets would be history in the making? What do you want to be remembered for? That chicken sandwich or that new study? Remember to be personable without being too personal.

That’s it! 6 simple steps to being successful on Twitter! Do you have any to add?

Related articles:

• 5 Secrets of Highly Effective Twitter Users (inc.com)
• 5 Simple but Important Tips to Make the Most out of Twitter (shoutmeloud.com)

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Using the hashtag #SweetestTweets, Macy’s is rockin’ Twitter using their own contest with over 1,500 tweets.

The question of the day is: How can you use Twitter during Valentine’s Day and other holidays?

First, list your goals. What are you expecting to achieve? More renewals, referrals, walk-in traffic? Are they reasonable?

Next, pick your prize! Determine what interests your residents and prospects. Do you know what your residents REALLY want? Here are a few ideas, please share your own in the comments section:

• Free Rent
• Renewal for their current rate
• Better parking
• Upgraded appliances

Then, pick your hashtag. If you don’t know what a hashtag is, check out my post #Hashtags: for Beginners. Choose something unique. Consider the holiday carefully, and pick a tag that represents the holiday, the prize, or your community.

Last, decide on the contest criteria and the marketing: how many and what types of prizes, submission deadlines, and marketing platforms (print, Facebook, signs).

I’m very curious to see what your business is doing. If you have ideas for contests, please share them!

If you’re new to Twitter, I’m sure you have seen that # sign. Some people call that a pound sign, and that’s okay. But on Twitter, # is a hashtag. In this post, I will explain what hashtags are, how to use them, and a few tips and tricks.

A hashtag is:

A hashtag is a keyword preceded by a # sign. We use these on Twitter to track conversations on specific topics. Some of my favorite topics are #socialmedia, #mfi, #AptChat, and #blogchat.

Hashtags are also a great way to determine trending topics on Twitter. You can view these trending topics on the right side of your screen when logged in to Twitter or just by visiting Twitter.com.

How to use a hashtag:

Searching with hashtags.

The whole point of using hashtags is to be able to communiate directly with others on a particular topic. We do this by searching for hashtags in use, then responding and including the hashtag within the response.

There are different ways to search with hashtags. Search.Twitter.com is excellent, or if you’re signed in to Twitter.com, search is made easy on the right side of your screen or simply click on the hashtag. There are also tools that can be used to track hashtags, and chats.

What’s a Tweet Chat?

A Tweet Chat is a scheduled event on Twitter where individuals determine a specific time and hashtag. Then they tweet related messages using the hashtag to identify their participation in the conversation. There are several tools you can use to follow along with a Tweet Chat.

Tweetdeck can be modified to include a Twitter search column for a specific keyword or hashtag. The downside to Tweetdeck is that there is a limit to how many tweets you can read within an hour.

TweetChat.com is very convenient for following along and tweeting in a conversation. The best part is that it automatically inserts the hashtag into the tweet so you don’t have to. The negative is that sometimes it moves too slowly to keep up with the conversation.

What the Hashtag is also great for looking up statistics on hashtags. Try it now: Click here and in the search box (upper left) type in AptChat. Note the description, related hashtags, the Twitter activity, and the most frequent users of the hashtag? You can also get a transcript of all public tweets including #AptChat, join in with a tweet of your own, and subscribe to an RSS feed of tweets that can be delivered into your email inbox for convenience.

A few more Tweet Chat tools include TweetGrid, Monitter, and Twitterfall.

Create a hashtag:

When possible, use hashtags you know already exist. If you need a to create a hashtag for your brand, it is acceptable to do so. For example, my friend Brent Williams with MultifamilyInsiders.com created the hashtag #mfi to label tweets to/from the community. There aren’t hashtag police, but please don’t get too ‘creative’! What I mean is, don’t over-complicate it. Use as few words as possible, unless you’re trying to be funny #imjustsayin and #dontIknowit!

Placement of a hashtag:

The biggest complaints I read about hashtags are that people use too many per tweet or that they place them at the beginning of the tweet. Too many hashtags within tweets can make tweets appear spammy. Pick 1 or 2, but no more than 3. Remember, the more hashtags in the tweet, the less room for the message.

Try to keep hashtags at the end of the tweet unless you are substituting words within the tweet with a hashtag. For example: I loved the article on #mfi today (link here). Otherwise, it would look like this: I loved this article (link here). #mfi

Avoiding hashtag spammers:

Hashtag spam is a growing problem on Twitter. Basically, a spammer will see a trending hashtag on Twitter, then use the hashtag to spread their spam in order to gain more click-thru’s. My advice  regarding spammers: Quickly block and report spammers to keep them from your tweet stream.

Another new solution that I’ve noticed recently is that some Tweet Chats are changing their hashtags weekly to decrease spam. Spam is particularly irritating when you have a limited number of tweets you can view (API limitations).

Tips for hashtags:

To break it all down:

• Use hashtags to communicate with others on a specific topic.
• Create hashtags that make sense.
• Place hashtags at the end of your tweets.
• Use only 1-2 hashtags per tweet.
• Don’t be a spammer, only use hashtags if they apply to your tweet.

Do you have any other advice to share regarding hashtags? Or any questions you need answered?

For more infomation on hashtags, Mashable has an informative post.

Photo Credit: Tony Gigov

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I just got off the phone with my friend Kim Cory. We were discussing last weeks #AptChat and the term ‘engagement’ as it relates to social media and our personal definitions of the term. But before I get into the various descriptions offered for the meaning of engagement, let’s see what Dictionary.com has to offer us:

en⋅gage: [en-geyj]

1. to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons): He engaged her in conversation.

3. to attract and hold fast: The novel engaged her attention and interest.

4. to attract or please: His good nature engages everyone.

and just for fun:

5. to bring (troops) into conflict; enter into conflict with: Our army engaged the enemy.

#5 happens when opposing views are shared!

Here are a few interesting thoughts on engagement shared during the chat on Friday:

What is ‘Engagement’ to me?

Those were some interesting thoughts from our #AptChat crew! I really liked Jonathan’s description “to me engagement has the tone of genuine interest in a subject”. When Kim Cory and I were speaking this afternoon, we agreed  that being engaged is about the quality of the conversation. It’s more than how many comments your blog post receives, or how many fans you have on your Facebook page. Engagement demonstrates you have a vested INTEREST in the conversation, you’re INVOLVED in the conversation, and you CARE about what is being said and who is saying it.

We all approach our online relationships differently. For example, my connections online usually begin with a professional outreach and I build on that relationship until it becomes personal. For property managers, I see this happening much the same way. At first you’re just connecting with everyone you can to begin establishing your relationships online, then you feed and water the relationship until it grows personal.

What does ‘Engagement’ mean to you?

Please share your thoughts below. Don’t be afraid to comment; there are no right or wrong answers, it’s all a matter of opinion!

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Be Unique, Make Your Ads Stand Out!

How do you appeal to renters without using rent concessions?

How are you writing your apartment community craigslist ad titles? Are you using rent concessions to drive traffic to your property? What if you don’t have any promotions? What content are you posting to your Facebook and Twitter pages? Are you just posting your rental rates and promotions? Did you know that more than half of American adults are attempting to save money?

A new Harris Poll shows interesting statistics regarding ways adults are trying to save money:

• 36% have switched to tap water and refillable bottles instead of bottled water.
• 21% have cancelled or cut back on their cable TV service.
• 20% have stopped buying coffee in the morning.
• 14% have been carpooling or using mass transit.

Let’s face it, not every community can compete with ever-increasing rent promotions and concessions. Sometimes, the rent cannot get ANY lower. How do you differentiate your ads and your content from competitors when the properties are so similar? Try this: if your community offers something of value, highlight that feature in your ads, in your Facebook Page content, and occasionally in your Twitter feed. Please understand: I don’t mean use a long list of amenities. Frankly, that’s boring and exactly what everyone else is doing. Use the statistics above to create ad titles/headlines that are unique for your community.

Below are a few examples of ways you can turn your apartment community features into a call-to-action.

Your community offers-

Free water and trash services.
“Save $50 a month with our FREE water and garbage service!”

Free cable.
“Thinking of canceling cable to save money? If you lived at “XXX Apartments” Cable would be FREE!”

Excellent location.
“There’s no need to carpool to work when you live a block away!”

Free morning coffee to residents.
“Why buy expensive coffee? Get yours free every morning before you head to work, just bring your own cup!”

Free theater room.
“Date nights are expensive! Book our FREE theater room for a cozy night out, just bring your own goodies!”

Fitness center.
“Cancel your expensive gym membership and workout for FREE in our community fitness center!”

Community room (magazines, movies, games, coffee)
“Magazine subscriptions are expensive! Save money and read your favorite magazines for free in our community center!”

Don’t forget to rotate your new headlines, I’m sure there are many other ideas just waiting for you to discover.

How have you used your community features to appeal to potential renters? Please share some of your examples with us!

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You never really know someone... especially online.

When I ‘meet’ someone on Twitter, the new relationship starts out with a certain level of trust. I am careful about those I ‘friend’ or ‘follow’ online and by the time I’ve returned a friend or follow request I have established that a person is trustworthy. By careful, I mean I spend some time in the profile before I automatically follow the person back.

These are 10 steps I take to protect my Twitter account:

1. View the friend:follower ratio – It has to be somewhat even, unless it’s @badbanana, @theonion or even Justin.

2. Read the Bio and the URL – Is it believable? Is this a real person or someone looking to ‘collect’ me like a stamp?

3. Look at the tweet count  - If the person has 1K + followers and only tweeted 100 times, there’s a problem.

4. Read the tweets – Are there any conversations (@replies) with people?

5. Take the time to glance over the following/follower lists – Does this person follow other spammers? Or does this person follow other people in my fields of interest?

6. Once I’ve decided to follow someone, I will unfollow immediately if I receive any kind of ‘click my junk’ DM. TIP: I’m not fond of ‘Thanks for following’ DM’s either.

7. I block scammers and spammers regularly. This is the reason my Twitter follow and follower counts are still fairly low.

8. On occasion I protect my updates and spend some time removing followers. This is less than a ‘block’… it’s just saying I’m really not interested in them following me.

9. I report scammers and spammers to @Spam often. We need to work together as a group to get rid of these people.

10. I’ve stopped clicking on links within DM’s. It’s not that I don’t trust my friends, it’s more about the lack of Twitter security. If you receive a tweet from me that says “please confirm this link is real by sending me an @reply”, please don’t be offended.

I hope these 10 Tricks will keep you safe while Tweeting! Do you have any tips or tricks to share?

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope it’s spooooky!

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Ready, Set, Go!

Are you in the race to use Twitter?

Everyone is using Twitter… at least that’s what you’ve heard. It’s all over T.V. and the Internet! Shouldn’t your property be using it too? With the new integrated search, why not get on Twitter? It’s EASY! All you have to do is create a profile, add a bio, upload any property picture you can find, and sit back to wait on the prospect calls!

But wait… nothing has happened. You posted all of your specials, and even put links to your site in your tweets. Still, no leads from Twitter.

–Does this sound familiar?

Why are you using Twitter?

The rush to get on Twitter (and Facebook too) is like a race to the finish line! Twitter is not a solution to your marketing problem, it is only a tool FOR the solution. Let me explain…

It all starts with Why. Grab a pen and paper and write down WHY you feel your company should be using Twitter. Here are some clues to get you started:

• Our residents are tweeting, we would like to connect with them.
• Our prospects are tweeting, we would like to use the tool to communicate.
• Our employees are tweeting, we can build an online community to share ideas.

Why is important because it allows you to focus on the best way(s) to use Twitter. If you know why you’re tweeting, deciding what to tweet becomes easier.

How should you use Twitter?

Is conversing online just a waste of time?  Not if you’re building relationships. How you tweet is almost as important as why you tweet. Here are a few examples of what to do, and what NOT to do:

• Do talk about your local or community events.
• DO NOT make every tweet about your rates.
• Do share information about what makes your property unique.
• DO NOT send auto DM’s with links to your website or ads.
• Do Tweet directly with people who reside locally (here’s a tool for finding people by location).
• DO NOT send DM invites for games (like Mafia Wars and Farmville).

Now that you have a few ideas about what is good (and what is bad), write down some ideas you have for tweeting. Make sure they ideas line up with your list of “Why you feel your company should be using Twitter.”

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Learning how to use Twitter takes time. First listen to determine what people are saying, then contribute to the conversation in a helpful way. In other words, just don’t be a nuisance.

I would love to have more DO & DO NOT’s! Please share some with us in the comments below.

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What's the Right Direction?

What is the “right” way for apartment communities to use Twitter?

There are so many “experts” in social media telling us what is right and wrong. I’m no “expert”, but I’ve picked up a few ideas I would like to share with you.

Below are 10 basic Twitter do’s & don’t's.

When Using Twitter, Do

… use a real picture of yourself or your staff instead of a picture of the pool.
… use a background that matches your property branding.
… remember to complete your bio, make it unique and include a phone number and a web address.
… tweet about events in your community or local area.
… make conversation. You can do this by sharing links to your most recent Facebook note or blog post. Additional content ideas are available by reading my post on content ideas for Facebook.

When Using Twitter, Don’t

… protect your updates.
… tweet only promotional updates.
… focus on residents or prospects independently. Create a strategy that appeals to both.
… tweet like this is your personal account. Be personable, not personal.
… forget to let your residents & prospects know you are on Twitter! Post links from your Facebook page, blog, website, and remind them when they call or come in the office.

Below are some good examples of accounts I’ve seen on Twitter.

• @3394PendleyRd
• @UrbaneLife
• @StrathmoreCourt
• @AMLI535

If you have a Twitter account you would like to share, please do!

So, check it out, I’ve been on Twitter for a couple of days now and have managed to find some pretty interesting people. I’ve learned some things I thought I would share with you about Twitter and leasing terms:

1. It really takes TIME to set up a good network of people. Don’t get discouraged, you actually have to hunt for people and information. Once you’ve got ‘em though, you’re in! Here’s some links for you to start with: twitterfeed.com; tweetlater.com; search.twitter.com.

2. I’m learning a lot about the industry I am in. For example and believe it or not, but apartment managers do not want you to pay a year’s lease in advance. As a consumer, I thought, “Sure thing!” As an apartment manager they are thinking “How will I get this person out if they pay in advance?” I wouldn’t have known this if I weren’t using Twitter.

3. There are several desktop applications you can use besides the web and SMS. I’m using 3 right now, see if any work for you:
~Tweetdeck (allows multiple groups, multiple searches and auto-updates)
~Twhirl (you can use multiple user accounts and get auto-updates but no groups and search results)
~Twitteriffic (install this on your iPhone and you can either view your favorites or everyone)

Stay tuned… I’ll keep sharing!

*thanks to @ltrosien and @guykawasaki for their tweet replies!

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