Homebuilders Turning to Twitter

Fascinating story on Builder Online, which I happened to find through Twitter:

Talk to builders and others about why they joined Twitter, an emerging social media site, and two themes quickly emerge: the developing power of online connections with customers and the appeal of saving money on marketing efforts.

But Twitter offers builders more than a platform for brief announcements. Users say the site enables companies to create deeper relationships with their customers by responding publicly or privately to “tweets.”  Just listen to Eric Brown, owner of Urbane Apartments in Troy, Mich. “I believe the way people are purchasing things is changing, and not very many people are paying attention to that,” says Brown.

It’s amazing to see such quick and wide adoption of this emerging marketing tool. In this case, large organizations such as Pulte are already connecting to existing and potential customers via Twitter, and I’ve read elsewhere of individual agents tweeting and following prospects. Companies and individuals of all stripe are flocking to it, embracing it and, most importantly, leveraging it. Are you?

(n.b.: Read this article closely. You might even see a plug for something called @identitypr.)