Category: Real Estate Marketing

The #1 Skill Your Real Estate Marketing Should Include Right Now
Your real estate marketing plan should be based on a powerful story – like the ones told by Windell Campbell, a great teacher, and puppeteer. Our trainings can help you learn how. Don’t worry, you don’t need to like kids or puppets… we do, but it’s not a requirement. ;) You’ve just gotta be willing to learn with us.

Does your real estate marketing tell a story, or are you just advertising?

After all, stories are the most powerful tool of communication, in business and in life.

Humans communicate best through stories. How good are your storytelling skills?

Besides reading this post, what are you doing to develop those skills?

If you’re like most of our members, you’re constantly learning and developing your skills. Most of our members joined because they knew we’d give ’em a website that converted way higher than the typical real estate investor website, but they didn’t really understand our highest value: teaching skills.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful skills you can possess.

You already know that marketing is an insanely valuable skill. Marketing brings leads, and leads bring revenue. That’s obvious.

But here’s the thing that most people don’t get about marketing: it’s all about telling a great story.

STOP! Before going further, take some time to listen to how Max Maxwell Leverages Online Real Estate Marketing and Inspirational Storytelling to Close 1 in 4 Leads

Behind every great brand is a powerful story that most consumers never see. Companies like Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola didn’t become household names because of their relentless pursuit of quality or their fantastic products – although those factors were certainly critical to their success.

Companies become known for their stories. A great brand story is behind every powerful piece of marketing you’ve ever seen. Every great ad, every flawless logo, every iconic image was all carefully planned to contribute to the way that consumers view that brand.

A powerful story actually creates the company’s identity, building up like thin coats of plaster, brushed on slowly, layer by layer to form a wall.

Think about how many times you’ve heard of Nike, Apple, or Coca-Cola – way too many to count, right?

Every time you heard that company’s name mentioned, it contributed to the story in your mind about that company.

Your brand’s story can be that powerful.

Sure, I know – you don’t have Coca-Cola’s marketing budget. But a powerful story travels, and it takes on a life of its own. A truly powerful story is one that can transform the lives of the people who hear it.

But think about it…
- Doesn’t it transform someone’s life to get rid of a property that has been plaguing them with problems?
- What’s it like for someone to finally get the burden of a pending foreclosure off of their back?
- What’s it like for someone to finally get through probate?
It’s a huge relief. It’s a life-changing experience. It is transformative.

Tell that story. Make your story connect people with your business.

Sure, we’ve done a lot of the hard work for you. When you launch one of our sites for Motivated Sellers, Cash Buyers and Private Lenders, or Rent to Own Tenants, you’re fully loaded with a ton of key components that help you tell visitors to your site a great story about your business.

But if you want to tell a truly powerful story, you’ve gotta get personal.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself when preparing to tell your most powerful story:
- What are the toughest problems facing people who are looking for help from my business?
- How can my business change people’s lives?
- How can my business impact my communities?
- Why am I the exact right person to help?
- What experience do I have that allows me to relate to the person I’m trying to reach?
Those are really tough questions, no doubt. We’ve wrestled with them ourselves while building this business.

There’s a whole lot of benefit to be had in crafting a true story-based content marketing strategy around your Carrot site.

We’re here to help you learn how to tell your best story. We have powerful tools and trainings that help you hone your skills and grow your business… like our weekly Live Coaching Call.

We weave in all kinds of powerful tricks, tips, and techniques into an interactive, lively discussion with some of the top real estate minds in the country.

Some of the top real estate investors in the country are Carrot members, too – they show up on those calls each week because they’re here with us to learn and improve – just like you.

Storytelling is the most important skill that you can learn with us. It’s one of those skills that is considered to be a “mastery” skill – like leadership, music, or golf. You never really “master” those skills – you just keep improving, practicing, and developing them.

Sports legends like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan (when he was still pro) never stopped working to improve their top skill. If you’re dead set on success in real estate, you need to tell great stories.

After all, every negotiation is kinda like a story, isn’t it?

Think about it… you’re trying to convince the person on the other side of the table to tip things in your favor, aren’t you?

You want to get the best possible price when you’re buying or selling, right?

That’s the story you’ve gotta know how to tell.

But that’s a little later in the process.

When someone is first visiting your website, they are trying to find reasons not to trust you.

You have to give them reasons to believe that you know what you’re doing, and that you can help them with their problem.

If they don’t see that you can solve their problem, they won’t turn into a lead. They’ll leave the page, and call your competitor.

Even if they are trying to solve the wrong problem, they have to see the solution they believe will work.

That’s the secret to our high conversion rates, folks… they establish credibility, and they build trust.

They tell a powerful story.

But if you want the best results out of your business, the skill you have to improve is your storytelling.

Use your Carrot real estate website as a platform to tell your most powerful story.

We’re here to help.

Join up on Wednesday for our weekly Live Coaching Call.

Or if you’re not already a member, get on board – join us now.
September 2, 2014
SEO for Real Estate Marketing | 5 Times When You Should NOT Use It
Trying to decide if SEO is a good strategy for marketing your real estate business? This post will help you.

SEO for real estate marketing can be a great source for lead generation, but there are some situations where it’s a terrible waste of time and money.

5 Times When You Should NOT Use SEO for Real Estate Marketing

Here’s when NOT to use SEO for Real Estate Marketing…

1. When you’re starting a brand new business

There’s just too much high-priority work to be done, and you should NOT be focusing on search engine optimization.

When you’re new to the business or setting up a brand new website, you should focus on driving traffic to the site via methods like Craigslist, PPC, direct mail, bandit signs, flyers… anything that can reach folks right now to bring you a lead today.

2. When you need leads fast

It takes many months for a new site to rank high on Google, so don’t expect leads from local search to pay your bills anytime soon. If you’re trying to rank high for an ultra-competitive term, it can take lots of time, money and effort before you see a big pay off.

SEO is always a long-term investment. The return on investment can be huge, but it’s never a fast source of leads. The fastest and cheapest source of leads that we’ve found so far is Craigslist.

Right now, our members are getting insanely great results from the Craigslist training that we recently launched… so if you’re already a Carrot Member wanting fast leads, access that Craigslist training here (and if you’re not already a member, sign up here).

3. When you don’t have the budget

Good SEO efforts require time from people who know their stuff. It’s complicated work.

If you’ve got the time and the passion to become an expert on SEO, we are happy to help you learn.

We’ve helped lots of folks learn how to generate leads from SEO with our real estate training, but you’ve gotta be willing to put in the time and energy to learn those new skills.

SEO services can be relatively cheap – starting at $5,000 per year – just one deal can pay for the whole year. We know lots of SEO companies out there charge way more than that, and they don’t deliver results.

But don’t hire an SEO service if you’re not financially ready yet…. do a few deals from other sources, and add SEO to your long-term marketing strategies when you’re ready.

4. When you can spend the money better elsewhere

Don’t do SEO because it seems cool, sexy or everyone else is doing it. Those aren’t good reasons.

SEO should be a key part of your business strategy, but it’s not critical to your success.

In fact, if your market is under 200,000 people, SEO might not be able to produce much ROI for you. If the search traffic isn’t there, you won’t get any leads.

Doing SEO for a term that’s not getting any searches is like fishing on a dry creek – if you’re having fun, great… just don’t expect to catch anything.

You know it already, but I’ll say it again: There are lots of ways to get traffic to your site.
- Sometimes a few hundred dollars worth of cheap signs can get quite a few leads into your business.
- Sometimes a few Craigslist ads are enough to bring in the next deal.
- Sometimes a good AdWords account is enough to bring in a consistent flow of leads.
- Sometimes all it takes is a flyer hanging up at the local laundromat. After all, if folks can’t afford to fix their washer and dryer, they might be thinking about selling their property.
5. When you’re just not ready

Don’t stress about SEO.

It’s not going anywhere. In fact, I’ve read that real estate related searches are increasing at 15X per year.

Chances are good that it will be a good strategy for you in the future, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for where you’re at today.

Carrot Members: Remember to join us for your weekly Coaching Calls… we’re looking forward to answering any questions you’ve got about real estate investing, lead generation, building traffic, inbound marketing, or any other topic that’s hurting you!

Also, watch past Coaching Calls… there are many calls that are SEO related.

We’re looking forward to helping you get unstuck so you can move forward in the way that’s best for your business, your market.
June 30, 2014
How to Create Custom Real Estate Reports for Lead Generation
InvestorCarrot websites include some pretty cool Free Reports that will help you generate leads, plus you can create unlimited reports of your own to offer, too! Click the picture to sign up for Carrot right now, or keep reading to find out more about how to get great results from your Report Opt-Ins.

Real estate marketing: should it be based on data or stories?

The answer: Both.

Reports are a great example. A good report is full of credible data, but it also tells a story. A great report builds credibility that helps you get better results in your future negotiations.

So how do you use data to tell a great story that helps you improve your credibility?

Just keep reading. ;)

This post will tell you about the awesome Free Reports that are included with our sites to help you generate leads and conversions, plus I’ll let you know a few awesome tricks and tips to get even better results in your local market.

First off, here’s what’s included in our sites:

Motivated Seller Free Reports In Your System
- Selling To A Real Estate Investor (already inside of our motivated seller websites)
- 5 Ways To Stop or Avoid Foreclosure (already inside of our motivated seller websites)
Free Investor Reports In Your System
- Passive Income Investing Report (already inside of our main company and cash buyer websites)
- Private Lending Report (already inside of our main company and cash buyer websites)
If you’re already an InvestorCarrot Member, you can:

Brand and Customize Your Free Reports

If you want to edit / brand these free reports you can click here to gain access to the Microsoft Word document versions of these reports.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: These reports are the property of Carrot and are only for the use of active / paying InvestorCarrot members. As long as you’re an active InvestorCarrot member you can use these all you want! If you’re not an active InvestorCarrot member and would like to use our free reports, see our pricing and plans and sign up for a plan that’s right for you. All Copyright violators will be pursued.

Once you brand them…
1. “Save As PDF” to save them as a pdf
2. Upload them to your website(s) via the Media tab in your website dashboard
3. Update the download link on the download page on your website to point to this new PDF file
4. Save, and you’re done!
If you need help just hit us up on support or LIVE chat! We’re here for ya!

If you’re looking for an innovative way to stand out in your market, you should:

Create High-Value Free Reports for Your Market

You don’t even have to write these reports yourself.

Most of the time you can find a decent blogger in your local marketplace who is willing to work for cheap… plus, they might even be a good partner to help you drive traffic and build your lists. You never know til you look, right?

But what kind of Free Reports should you create?

I’ll let you know a few ideas for content that will help you reach your target audience.

Start with the end in mind. Who are you trying to reach?

1. Motivated Sellers.

What types of situations can you help solve?

There are countless examples of reports out there on what folks facing foreclosure, divorce, probate can do… so create one that’s specific to your market!

Localize it… check out the rules and regs in your market. Interview a couple of brokers, attorneys, title company reps, folks from local non-profits… shoot, interview anyone who might be able to add a few great local tips and resources for folks with distressed properties and make sure to cite ’em as a source. It will help boost your credibility (and grow your referral network) to include other local experts as sources in your report.

What does someone in your area need to know about the difficulties of selling in your market? Show sellers what you do for them in a transaction. If you can eliminate their hassles, you’ll earn their business.

Make sure your report has a compelling title, like “What _______ Area Sellers MUST Know Before Selling Property in 2014” that reflects the value you’re offering within that report.

If your report has a lot of great value within it, you’ll just have to list out the contents on a Lead Page and you’ll get great conversions from it. Just focus on creating high value with information that Motivated Sellers in your market should know, and you’ll end up with a great Free Report that will generate good leads for your business when you market it (more on that in a second).

2. Real Estate Buyers, Investors, and Lenders.

Can you provide deep insight and analysis for folks in your market who are investing in real estate?

(Or can you hire a good writer and analyst?)

If you can compile local market data, broken down by property type, from a few sources and show the different rates of return that local investors and real estate owners have been able to earn, chances are good you’re well on the way to delivering a very valuable report for your local real estate market.

Investors love data – and a Free Report is a great way to judge a potential partner for future business. After all, opting into a form is a pretty low-risk proposition… so if you can deliver even a decent basic overview of the past 5 years within your market, and perhaps some quotes from local media, brokers, and other sources of information… you’ll have high-quality content to offer.

And that’s the big goal here, folks… it’s all about high-quality content.

Our sites deliver some great Free Reports that you can customize and brand with your information, plus easy-to-implement Lead Pages to accompany each report. That’s included with every plan we offer.

But the best part – you can create unlimited amounts of Free Reports and Lead Pages on each site.

So get out there and start writing!

Or get ready to hire someone who can help you deliver a great Local Market Report.

Use Great Data and Tell Powerful Stories

If you can use data and stories to show folks how you’ll solve their real estate problems, you will win.

In this week’s Coaching Call, I’m going to let you show you exactly how easy this is to do… plus, I’ll show you some easy and free sources of data on your local market that you can use to start building an awesome, totally unique Free Report for your market…. and you’ll get a ton of great ideas that you can start implementing for your business right away.

I’ll even tell you how to turn your reports into Press Releases that get picked up by the local media… I’ve done it before for clients, and it’s the same techniques that have gotten me and my clients interviewed on the radio, by newspaper reporters, and filmed on television.

There is simply no better advertisement for your business than getting covered by the local media… the best part is that it’s totally free!

Much like our weekly Coaching calls… they’re free for our Members, at least.

So sign up for that call right now – I’m looking forward to telling you all about how to add some serious value to your business (and bottom line).

And if you’re not already a member… sign up now!
June 9, 2014
How Real Estate Investors Can Dominate Local Search to get 58.2% of Motivated Seller Traffic

Want to dominate your local market?

We’re getting ready to launch our Market Domination Plan, so in today’s post we want to share a few of the strategies already being used by top investors around the country to get the majority of Motivated Seller leads in their local markets to them (instead of their competitors).

Of course, these strategies can be used to get leads for Cash Buyers, Private Lenders, Rent-to-Own Tenants, or other target audiences, but Motivated Sellers are the hardest – at least right now.

As you probably know, inventory is a big challenge around the country. Most investors I talk to are having a pretty easy time growing their lists… as long as they have inventory. The ones who don’t have properties to sell are struggling to catch up.

Why is it so tough to get inventory?

In most markets, it’s not too hard to sell a property. There are tons of investors and retail buyers competing for a limited amount of homes.

Pure and simple: in lots of US markets, demand is high and supply is low.

But don’t get me wrong – there is still an incredible amount of opportunity out there. It’s just getting tougher every day to capture it in some of the biggest markets.

That’s why we came up with the Market Domination Plan – to help those investors who are already succeeding and are ready for growth.

Market domination starts with capturing organic search traffic.

Like it shows in the chart below, 91.5% of search traffic comes from page 1.

SEO for real estate investors is really important for your business! We can help you out. If you’re looking to move up in your rankings, we can help – just click the image above to find out more about our SEO service.

Now, keep in mind that the data is from thousands of websites, not just real estate ones… we’ve found there’s actually some great traffic that comes in off of positions 2 and 3, not just #1 – but really, when we’re taking on SEO clients our goal is to get within the top 5 positions for our targeted keywords.

We only start with 3 keywords, because it doesn’t make sense to over-optimize a site for too many keywords – plus it just takes too long to see results when you’re diluting your efforts all over the place.

“We have 2 new ones under contract probably 5 waiting in seller signatures. Doing ppc under our carrot site and your SEO do we should continue to get more and more leads.” Guillermo Coronado

Most investors don’t achieve any big share of the market because they’re diluting their efforts all over the place… great marketing really requires not only a strategic plan, but a great deal of focus and commitment to implement the plan.

Most folks give up on a method before it even has a chance to work… or they fail to do the right research before they start implementing. Either mistake can crush the ROI right out of a great campaign.

But let’s assume that you’ve already ranked your site high on all the major terms… is that enough to crush out the competition?

Nope, sorry…. you’ve got to occupy the prime real estate from more than just one site if you’re going to dominate that market – and shut out other investors from grabbing the leads.

Here’s what that looks like:

Cyndy is generating hundreds of leads with her Carrot sites… click that image to go see Trevor’s deep-dive Case Study to learn what she’s doing to dominate her market

As you can see from that image above, on one of Cyndy’s search terms in her market, she’s ranked in 4 out of the 5 top slots.

Two of those are YouTube videos she’s made and ranked, and another one is a Facebook page.

Plus she’s also operating 8 other websites that are ranking well in her market.

(Sidenote: Cyndy’s converting those over to InvestorCarrot now, because she tests everything… and she found out that her InvestorCarrot site was converting much better than all the other sites she’d spent a ton of time on…. if you don’t have an InvestorCarrot site yet, you can launch a new site in just a few minutes <– go see for yourself right now).

How did this successful real estate investor swarm her market?

Cyndy was smart and she implemented a ton of great strategies to capture online traffic from lots of sources, including Google, YouTube, Facebook and more.

We tell you all you need to know to get great results in our powerful real estate lead generation training program, and in our new Craigslist training program we’ve included great info (along with ads and much more) about the Market Swarm Strategy that Cyndy designed and has been using so well to get results in her market.

Cyndy also uses other methods, like direct mail and signs… as a smart investor, she’s working on nurturing her leads from a lot of different directions, and doing a lot of great marketing.

Great real estate marketing like this takes a lot of time, energy and commitment.

I really admire Cyndy for taking such a strategic approach – and her willingness to share with other investors to help them learn!

How Real Estate Investors Can Dominate Local Search in 3 Steps

Step 1:

Get signed up for InvestorCarrot, launch a Motivated Seller site, learn all about SEO, and rank high.

Step 2:

Drive traffic to your site by posting good content on YouTube, Facebook, Craigslist and other sites.

Step 3:

Create awesome stories and reports to get media attention along with great links.

(Sorry folks, I didn’t say it was gonna be easy… just that it was gonna be 3 steps to Market Domination).

In all seriousness, it’s a ton of work to implement a great content marketing strategy.

But the payoff is huge.

I’ve been doing a ton of research into the search traffic, competition, and PPC costs around the country on behalf of our clients… plus I’ve created a really cool report comparing the top 150+ metro regions around the country.

In fact, I created a unique way to measure each market called the CarrotScore… and I’ve also found the Top 20 Most Overlooked Markets (according to huge amounts of Google’s data that I extracted and crunched across 170 spreadsheets – this report took me weeks of hard work).

I can tell you firsthand that most of the major markets in the US are extremely competitive… people are investing loads of money to get the leads that are coming in from local search.

Some of our clients (like Cyndy) are totally into doing all the hard work to create this stuff from scratch, and we love it… being able to offer up her strategies and Craigslist program has already helped a bunch of our customers generate lots of leads:

“We put up 3 or 4 Craigslist ads right after we got the first part of the P2P program, and we’ve been slammed! We’ve gotten so many leads this week – 15 rent-to-own, 36 new buyers, and a bunch of motivated sellers too!” – Michael Mackay

But some of the best real estate coaches out there will tell you that you shouldn’t be doing so much of your own marketing work… that you need to be focusing on honing your negotiation and acquisition skills, not spending your time implementing your SEO.

We’d love to help you dominate your market… so get started with our SEO program now!

If you’re a Carrot member, join us for our weekly webinar – we’re gonna dive in deep to the Market Domination Strategy, and I’ll show you a special sneak peek at the in-depth research I’ve been doing.

March 16, 2014