Search results for: “credibility”

  • The Hybrid Real Estate Model | The Rise Of The Real Estate Investor / Agent + Website Structure

    The Hybrid Real Estate Model | The Rise Of The Real Estate Investor / Agent + Website Structure

    Agents vs Investors | The BEST Real Estate Business Model is Hybrid!

    Video Transcript

    Hey guys and gals. This is Trevor from Carrot, and I’ve got a video coming at you that’s going to walk you through as an agent or an investor, how to embrace something that we call the hybrid real estate strategy.

    Now you’ve probably been seeing in the market a lot of things happening in the last two to three years. Around 2017 here at Carrot, we were starting to talk about the hybrid strategy that will become increasingly popular, where a house seller works with a person who is both an agent and an investor.

    Now, many of you watching this might be just an agent serving people through the MLS and mainly working with sellers who are motivated to sell retail and get top dollar. Many of you might be watching this video, who are wholesalers or house flippers who are used to buying properties and acquiring properties at a discount.

    Now, one of the things we saw in 2015, 2016, and 2017 was that many real estate agents weren’t collaborating with investors. Many investors complained that they couldn’t find investor-friendly agents, and the times have changed.

    We’ve started to see laws being enacted around the country where it makes wholesaling harder to work. We’ve started to see iBuyers and big tech giants coming in to start to disrupt parts of the market. And with that disruption, with those law changes, what’s happening is there’s a concentration in the middle.

    There’s a concentration in the middle of the market where sellers are demanding an easier way to sell their house.

    So for real estate agents who are only working with people who are motivated to sell retail where the houses are in show-ready condition, they don’t need any repairs, or where the person can wait multiple months in order to get top dollar…

    If you’re one of those real estate agents who wonder,

    “Why would someone ever want to sell a house for below what it’s worth, below what they could sell on the MLS to an investor when they can just list it on MLS and get top dollar?”

    Well, I’m going to be walking you through why an increasing amount of sellers are choosing to work with a direct house buyer, an iBuyer, or a local mom-and-pop investor like we work with here at Carrot a lot.

    And on the investor side of things, you might be looking at it going,

    “Why would I ever want to get my real estate license?”

    We hear that all the time and I’m going to walk you through why you really need to be seriously looking at either getting your real estate license or collaborating with one of the millions of real estate agents around the country to help you serve more of your sellers.

    I want to drill this in right now: YES, there are massive side benefits to moving forward with a hybrid real estate strategy as an investor and an agent or an agent and an investor.

    But the main reason to do hybrid isn’t just to put money in your pocket. There’s a massive upside to it as I’m going to walk you through exactly how to do it.

    The main reason to do it is actually to serve your sellers better because you can imagine that if a seller reaches out to somebody, they want to sell their home.

    If I were to survey 100 house sellers, 99 and a half of them would say that they would much rather sell their house quickly for cash, not have to wait for a buyer to find financing, not have to have open houses, not have to have a bunch of people go through their home for a fair price that they agree within a matter of days or weeks.

    99 out of 100 would say that they would much rather do that than list it on the market and all that goes through that process.

    Now, why do 85% of homes sell on the market with real estate agents through the traditional routes?

    It’s because that’s the way that most people know to do. And what people do is they follow the path of what they know best.

    But with iBuyers coming into the market, what we’re finding is it’s actually making iBuying or directly selling your home more mainstream to the average home seller.

    hybrid real estate model

    If we think about Tesla. Tesla came along, before that electric cars were not popular. People didn’t want to drive electric cars, but what happened is Tesla came in and they made an amazing experience for the user.

    They actually solved the problems and provided a better experience, and then they also went out there and grew the electric car market. So Tesla came along and raised the entire market, made the electric car market bigger than it ever was.

    That’s what’s happening with iBuyers.

    iBuyers are coming in and they’re going to be getting deals that real estate agents normally would have gotten.

    They’re also going to be getting deals that real estate investors normally would have gotten.

    They’re going to be growing the overall pie for people who want to sell their home directly to an end buyer or to an investor versus listing on the market.

    So what does this mean for you as a real estate agent?

    Well, there’s a lot of competition right now in the market. And so you need to find ways to differentiate your offering.

    So if you’re showing up to every single house seller appointment, when you’re offering them one option, which is,

    “I can list your home and here’s my fee, take it or leave it,”

    How many of those home sellers are you likely losing because you’re not actually solving their problem the way that they want it to be solved?

    If you’re a real estate investor and you show up to that house and you say,

    “Hey, here’s my offer. It’s a discount offer. Take it or leave it,”

    How many of them are actually perfect people who would rather list on the market and take full retail?

    How many of you guys, real estate investors or real estate agents, are completely ignoring the other side of the market?

    Where you’re trying to paint everything into your pretty little box of, it’s got to look this way to list on the market or you’re painting it in your pretty little box where it’s got to look this way if I’m going to buy it at a discount.

    I’m challenging all of you to become a hybrid in the next real estate cycle or heavily collaborate with the other side because if you don’t, you’re going to be struggling big time.

    What Is Hybrid Real Estate?

    Hybrid is essentially a seller strategy, not a buyer strategy.

    And that’s something a lot of people have confusion about. Do I make one website? Do I make two websites, one just for retail and one just for wholesale?

    I’m going to walk through exactly what you do with your websites and exactly how to deal with that and what to do with your offers to your sellers and how you serve them best, whether you’re an agent or an investor.

    Hybrid real estate is a seller option where you’re serving sellers up with multiple different offers.

    It’s a cash offer. Hey, if you’re looking for speed and convenience and are willing to take a little bit of a shave in equity, here’s this.

    If they want top dollar, here’s what we can list it for them in the market.

    That’s all that it is.

    It’s going in there and saying,

    “We can help you no matter what your situation,”

    Versus we can only help you if you fit in this box.

    So the traditional approach like I’m showing below.

    traditional real estate approach

    You’ve got a motivated seller right in the middle. And that seller traditionally is going to go reach out to a real estate agent because everybody knows 5, 10, 15 real estate agents, but very few people personally know a real estate investor.

    But now we have these iBuyers coming in that are making that more popular.

    So they’re hearing of “Opendoor”, they’re hearing of Zillow buying homes, “Offerpad”, and the mom and pop home buyers that we work with that have been around for 30 or 40 years.

    iBuying is not new. It’s just a fancy phrase that the tech industry placed on their well-funded competition.

    So most people would go reach out to a real estate agent.

    And if they’re:

    • Looking to get top dollar,
    • Willing to wait multiple months,
    • Don’t mind people coming through the property; you’re having open houses or all that goes with that,
    • Okay with paying the fee that goes to the real estate agent,

    Then they’re going to go that route.

    That’s where the majority of people are going to go. Probably 80% of sellers are going to go that route.

    Now, if you’re a seller and you are:

    • Looking for speed,
    • Looking for convenience,
    • You don’t want to list it on the market,
    • You don’t want to have open houses,
    • You don’t want to have people coming through your property,
    • You don’t have the time because you’re relocating,
    • Or, you just inherited a house from your uncle and you don’t want to deal with all the hassles of fixing up that property in a way that’s going to make it so it can be sold. Or, you don’t have the emotional investment in the property because you inherited it and you just want to get it done with because there are so many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to sell for a cash offer.

    So on the traditional side of things, a real estate agent is going to put the house on the MLS. They’re going to try to get top dollar for that property. They’re usually nicer houses that are show ready.

    Sometimes it will be the fixer-uppers, but usually, it’s nicer houses. About 80% of sellers are going to go this way, which means you as an agent are probably throwing away 20% of your leads which could be some of your most profitable deals of the entire year, and you’re now not serving those sellers.

    You’re throwing them back out to the streets, back out to the wolves to try to find their solution when you could actually serve them.

    Now, as an investor, you’re going to take it and buy it off-market, you’re going to then fix it up and sell it on the market to somebody.

    So real estate agents, investors are your friends because if you work with them tightly, you’re going to then find out that when they fix up a property, they’re going to be listing on the market to sell retail.

    So this process is not cutting agents out at all. It’s actually raising the values of the homes that you’re going to be able to sell and then giving you more inventory of great homes to sell on the market versus all these homes that need fixing up.

    That is where the real estate investor plays a massive role in that. And a lot of agents don’t grasp that and you really need to in this next cycle.

    The investor is going to offer them speed and convenience.

    Let me tell you an analogy.

    I’ll hear a lot of real estate agents saying,

    “Why would someone ever sell at a discount when they can sell on the market and get $40,000 more, $20,000 more?”

    Well, let me throw this at you.

    When was the last time you went and bought a car at the car dealership and that car dealer sat in front of you and said,

    “Do you have a car to trade in?”

    And almost all of us always say, yes, I want to trade it in. And we know when we’re selling them that car, we’re selling it at a discount.

    We know when we’re selling them that car, that we could go over to Craigslist and we could sell it for more money if we’re willing to list it on there, if we’re willing to do whatever repairs are needed so the person is going to take it and they’re not going to come back on you liability-wise, to answer the phone calls, to let people drive it, to do all the paperwork that’s involved with it.

    We choose to not do that and we choose to trade the vehicle in because of speed and convenience even though we know that we could sell it for more.

    So it’s the exact same thing for a house seller.

    The real estate investor is going to offer them a fair price. A seller won’t agree to a price they don’t feel is fair. Now it might be below what they could get on the market, but they’re agreeing to a price that they feel is fair in exchange for the speed and convenience and the service.

    20% of these are those types of sellers, which means, real estate investors, you’re throwing 80% of your leads away right now if you’re not a hybrid or if you’re not working heavily with a real estate agent.

    Real estate agents, listen to that. If you want more sellers if you want more listings, one of the best sources for listings is to work with a real estate investor or become a hybrid agent investor because 80% of those motivated sellers come through your Facebook Ads, through Google search, and through Carrot.

    80% of those actually want to sell retail. And so that’s one of the most underserved lead sources the agents completely ignore and you guys should be going after and we can help you.

    The last part of it here is investors tend to profit two to four or two to five times higher profits per deal on those deals than a real estate agent would gain for commission.

    anthony beckham

    One of our Carrot members, Anthony Beckham, we were chatting not too long ago. He’s actually here locally in Roseburg. He is a hybrid agent/investor. He always talks that his average profit per deal as an investor is around $20,000 to $30,000. His average agent commission is around the $7000 to $12,000 range.

    Add those numbers up! Would you love to be able to do fewer deals, and fewer transactions, help more sellers, and actually earn greater revenue while providing an amazing community service?

    Hopefully, the answer is yes.

    The Hybrid Real Estate Agent First Strategy

    The Hybrid Real Estate Agent First Strategy

    On the other side, you have the hybrid. The hybrid is the one who is both an agent and an investor as I said. The cool thing is you’re offering your seller more options. You’re offering them a better experience. You’re solving their problem rather than throwing them back on the streets to solve their problem.

    You’re going to be increasing your revenue as a hybrid 30 to 50%, sometimes more, just by taking those same leads you already have and dealing with them in a different way.

    We’re not talking about getting more leads. We’re talking about using the leads you’ve already gotten, better, or adding on a lead source like Carrot to make it great: higher ROI and competitive advantage.

    How do you do hybrid now using Carrot or just in general in your business?

    hybrid motivated seller website approach

    Well, there are three different ways to do hybrid and it really depends on what your strategy is, whether you’re an agent first or an investor first.

    I’m going to start with agent first.

    Once again, I want to emphasize that hybrid is a motivated seller strategy.

    It is not a buyer strategy.

    Buyers for retail are not going to be buyers for an investment property or wholesale usually. Sometimes they will be, but not usually.

    Sellers who want to sell retail do become buyers for retail, but sellers who want to sell wholesale don’t automatically become buyers who want to buy retail also.

    So what we’re saying is this is straight-up a motivated seller strategy. That’s what hybrid is.

    And so if you’re an agent first, and what I mean by that is you’re known as an agent in the local market. People know you as an agent, you market yourself as an agent, you have your main website that’s an agent, you are an agent, but you also invest on the side.

    Now, you’re going to need to have your retail agent website. You’re going to have IDX attached to that. It’s going to be mainly for buyer leads, but you’re also going to get seller leads through that. It’s going to be for credibility.

    It’s going to be great for driving Facebook ads to it for sure and SEO, search engine optimization in Google is going to be amazing for that.

    But you’re going to want a separate website that’s just 100% geared towards a highly motivated house seller. Trying to mash the two together in one website doesn’t work well because you’re not speaking that motivated house seller’s language.

    This hybrid-motivated house seller website focuses explicitly on the language that a house seller would want to hear so you can solve their problem. But the difference with the hybrid site versus our standard motivated house seller websites here at Carrot is they’re going to show multiple options to sell.

    hybrid real estate websites

    Now we have a hybrid template that you can activate in the Carrot system that shows this, or you can use this training and execute that and build it out on your website solo.

    But, on the hybrid site, you’re going to show,

    “Hey, we can do a cash offer or we can sell it enlisted at top dollar.”

    You’re going to show them case studies, explain how you do it, and give testimonials from people who have done both.

    You’re going to be driving traffic to this from SEO. It’s an amazing spot for motivated house sellers. Google Ads is actually one of the best spots for house sellers. Facebook ads also work. We usually start with Google Ads, build up credibility on that, get your reviews on there, and show that you can buy or list it for top dollar.

    The Hybrid Real Estate Investor First Strategy

    Now let’s say you’re an investor first, but you have your license, but you’re not an agent in the market, and you’re not looking for buyer leads per se. You’re not looking for retail buyers.

    The Hybrid Real Estate Investor First Strategy

    Well, you don’t need a retail website, then. You don’t need that website with the IDX. You don’t need that website that shows that you’ve got a brokerage or real estate agent, a real estate agency.

    If you are known as an investor, but you just have your license so you can commission share with other agents or something like that, what you need is a hybrid motivated seller website that I talked about earlier.

    Whatever other types of websites with Carrot, cash buyers, rent to own, your land, whatever the types of investing or leads you’re looking for, but you don’t need the retail site with the IDX if you’re not looking for retail buyers.

    Let’s say you’re an investor first, but you work with retail buyers.

    Raul Bolufe

    We have a member, Raul Bolufe, that we were talking to on the CarrotCast recently… he is this person. He’s an investor first. He partnered with a broker so that another person’s the broker of record in his state.

    And what they do is they take their motivated seller leads and the ones that don’t want the discount cash offer, but want retail, they then partner with them and they list that through their brokerage, and then they do collect those buyer leads.

    So you do, in that case, need a retail website. Their primary business is driven through their investing side, through their motivated house seller marketing. Still, their retail side is where they collect those buyers so they can sell their house flips quicker and also, so they can capture more of those commissions and add 30 to 50% extra revenue in their business with no extra marketing at all.

    Advanced: Adding a 3rd Option

    Eric Young

    There’s an advanced way to do hybrid, and we’ve got a case study with Eric Young and how he does this.

    We have other members that do the same thing.

    3 options for hybrid real estate

    Option #1 – Sell Fast for Cash

    So you have option number one we discussed, which is selling your house for cash. That is exactly what iBuyers are doing and they’re even now starting to say that they’ll list the home and compete directly with real estate agents or sometimes they’re collaborating with agents, but that’s option one.

    If that option doesn’t work for people, you as a hybrid should always suggest that the seller does exactly what’s going to help them the most.

    Most of the time, you’re going to suggest to the seller,

    “Hey, you should really take this offer over here. You should really list it on the market because you’re going to get X price more for that, but if you are looking for speed and convenience, they’re willing to give up a little bit of your equity in exchange for that. Here’s the cash offer that we can make for you.”

    Option #2 – List for Top Dollar

    Number two is listing on the market, like I said, for top dollar.

    Option #3 – Fix and List

    Number three is what we call the fixing list. And the fixing list is kind of a hybrid of the two.

    The fixing list is saying…

    “Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, you have a great house. If we were to list it on the market, it probably would sell pretty quick for about $300,000, but if we were to invest about $50,000 or $25,000 into fixing up the kitchen, this bathroom, putting new carpet in, I think it’s pretty quickly going to sell for 375,000 on the market where it is. So Mr. and Mrs. seller, what if we provide our money to do the full rehab?

    We’ll bring in our construction crew. I’ll show you some good examples of the great work that we’ve done. We will do the work. We’ll put in our money to do that $25,000 of fix-up, and then we’ll list it on the market for you, and then over the price of the $325,000, we split that money. I get my $25,000 back right away since I put that money in to fix it, you pay me my commission on the first $300,000 and then we split the profits right down the middle on the extra.”

    So you, as an investor/agent hybrid, you will earn the commission on the $300,000. You will earn the extra $25,000 in profit because you split that $50,000 in profit. And now that your seller, rather than selling for $300,000, all the other agents are offering that they can sell it on the market, you sold it at $375,000.

    You took your money back. You took your profit back, and they got an extra $25,000 in their pocket, and the end buyer has an amazing, beautiful house.

    Now, if you’re a real estate agent or a hybrid investor/agent who offers that service, can you tell me that you would not be winning in your market big time because every seller would want to work with you?

    The answer is you would 100% be winning.

    How Much Money Are You Leaving on the Table?

    So, I want to ask you this: As a real estate agent and investor, how much money are you leaving on the table right now? How many sellers are you underserving and throwing back to the market or not putting enough money in their pockets because you don’t know how to serve them well with the hybrid real estate strategy?

    How many leads are you giving up as an investor or an agent because you’re trying to fit everything in that pretty little box for the MLS or the investor side? Are you completely ignoring the other side of the market that’s going to keep growing and growing and growing as the iBuyers penetrate the market more?

    You have to make the shift as an agent. You have to make the shift as an investor, and we’re here to help you guys and gals do that.

    We have amazing websites for real estate agents, amazing websites for real estate investors. We help you attract the most motivated house sellers and buyers, and tenants. And we help you do that through evergreen marketing with our inbound marketing system.

    And we want to help you increase your ROI, leverage more of your leads into deals, grow your business without growing your activity, and serve more sellers, launch a hybrid site here on Carrot.

    Post what you’re doing right now in the comments section below.

    We’d love to collaborate, answer your questions, and help you increase your deal volume with the hybrid approach!

  • 7 Tips To Master Local SEO for Real Estate Investors | Skyrocket To The Top of Search Engine Results

    7 Tips To Master Local SEO for Real Estate Investors | Skyrocket To The Top of Search Engine Results

    Competition in the real estate market will always be fierce. But what if you could attract a steady stream of qualified leads without the constant hustle? The answer lies in local SEO for real estate.

    Imagine this: a potential seller in your market searches for an investor specializing in fixer-upper properties. Through the power of local SEO, your website appears at the top of their search results, showcasing your expertise in local market trends and flipping potential. This is the magic of a well-optimized local SEO for real estate strategy – attracting motivated sellers and generating deals on autopilot.

    This guide is designed for real estate investors like you. By following our 7 simple tips to master local SEO for real estate, you’ll be well on your way to ranking higher in local search results, attracting high-quality leads, and ultimately skyrocketing your real estate business.

    The Power of Local SEO for Real Estate Investors: Attract Local Leads & Dominate Your Market

    Local SEO focuses on optimizing your online presence to rank higher in search results for local searches related to real estate investing in your target market. With a strong local SEO strategy, your website could be the first they see, positioning you as the go-to expert.

    The benefits of local SEO for real estate investors are undeniable:

    • Attract a Steady Stream of Local Leads: By ranking higher for relevant searches, you’ll naturally attract motivated sellers in your area, saving you time and resources on lead generation.
    • Target High-Quality Leads: Local SEO prioritizes location, ensuring you connect with sellers searching for someone to buy their house quickly.
    • Boost Brand Awareness and Credibility: High local search rankings project an image of authority and expertise, making you the trusted choice for local sellers.
    • Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy: Compared to traditional advertising, local SEO offers a long-term, sustainable approach to lead generation without breaking the bank. This is what we call Evergreen Marketing.

    By mastering local SEO for real estate, you’re not just optimizing your website – you’re setting yourself up as a dominant player in your local market, attracting a constant flow of qualified leads ready to do business.

    7 Simple Tips to Master Local SEO for Real Estate and Skyrocket Your Lead Generation

    Now that you understand the power of local SEO for real estate let’s dive into practical steps to implement it. Here are 7 easy-to-follow tips for mastering local SEO for real estate and attracting qualified leads in your target market:

    Tip 1: Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

    Think of your Google My Business (GMB) profile as your online storefront for local searches. Claiming and optimizing your GMB profile is crucial for local SEO for real estate. Here’s what to do:

    • Claim your GMB profile: Search for “Google My Business” and follow the steps to claim your business listing.
    • Optimize your profile: Fill out all information accurately, including your business address, phone number, website URL, and service categories relevant to real estate investors (e.g., “cash home buyer,” “ real estate investor”).
    • Add high-quality photos: Showcase your professionalism with clear images of yourself, your team (if applicable), and properties you’ve invested in.
    • Encourage customer reviews: Positive reviews build trust and improve your local search ranking. Provide exceptional service and politely request satisfied clients to leave a review on your GMB profile.

    Tip 2: Target Relevant Local Keywords

    The key to attracting local leads lies in using the right SEO keywords. Conduct keyword research to identify search terms potential sellers in your area use. Here’s the trick:

    • Focus on local intent: Instead of just “real estate investor,” target long-tail keywords with location qualifiers, like “ cash home buyer” or “ investor for distressed properties.”
    • Use keyword research tools: Free and paid tools like Carrot’s SEO Keyword Bible or SEMrush can help you uncover high-volume, low-competition keywords relevant to your target market. You can use our Keyword Explorer Tool if you are a Carrot member.

    Tip 3: Create High-Quality, Local Content

    Content is king, and local SEO is no exception. Establish yourself as a local expert by creating informative content that caters to your target audience’s needs. Here are some ideas:

    • Blog posts: Create informative blog posts on topics like “ real estate market trends,” “ home buying guide for sellers,” or “[type of property] investment strategies in .” Here are 101 blog post topics to get you started.
    • Local case studies: Showcase your expertise by sharing success stories of past deals you’ve closed.
    • Local real estate guides: Create downloadable guides offering valuable insights into the local market, attracting leads, and establishing your authority.

    Tip 4: Build Local Citations

    Citations are essentially online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across various directories and websites. Building strong local citations is a key element of local SEO for real estate. Here’s how to get started:

    • Claim listings on local directories: Search for relevant online directories in your city/region and claim your business listings, ensuring your NAP information is consistent across all platforms.
    • Partner with local businesses: Network with other local businesses and explore opportunities for guest blogging or backlinks on their websites.
    • Industry associations: Join relevant real estate investor associations and get listed on their online directories.

    Tip 5: Encourage Positive Online Reviews

    Positive online reviews are gold for local SEO for real estate. They build trust with potential sellers and signal expertise to search engines. Here are some ways to encourage reviews:

    • Provide exceptional service: Happy clients are more likely to leave positive reviews.
    • Request reviews politely: After a successful transaction, ask your client to leave a review on Google My Business and other platforms. Provide direct links to make it easy for them.
    • Respond to all reviews: Thank happy customers for their positive feedback and address any negative reviews professionally.

    Tip 6: Engage with Local Online Communities

    Don’t underestimate the power of local online communities. Actively participating in relevant online forums, Facebook groups, and platforms like Nextdoor can boost brand awareness and establish you as a local expert. Here’s how:

    • Join local real estate investor groups: Share your knowledge, answer questions, and build relationships with other investors and potential clients in your area.
    • Engage in discussions: Provide valuable insights on local market trends and demonstrate your expertise in a casual setting.
    • Offer free consultations: Showcase your expertise by offering free consultations to potential sellers through online communities, building trust and generating leads.

    Tip 7: Track Your Results and Adapt

    Local SEO for real estate is an ongoing process. It’s crucial to monitor your progress and adapt your strategy accordingly. Here’s what to track:

    Get Started Now To Master Local SEO On Your Real Estate Investing Website

    As an investor working within today’s web environment, your best strategy to gain the attention of prospective clients in your market is to use local SEO.

    The Carrot platform is built to make it crazy easy to leverage local SEO and outrank your competition. So, take a demo of Carrot and see if it’s a fit.

  • EP 230: 7 Quick Video Marketing Hacks + Free List of 19 Content Ideas for Investors w/ Josh Culler

    EP 230: 7 Quick Video Marketing Hacks + Free List of 19 Content Ideas for Investors w/ Josh Culler

    7 Quick Video Marketing Hacks + Free List of 19 Content Ideas for Investors w/ Josh Culler

    You can’t complain about leads not coming in if you’re not doing video. You have to get out there, get out from underneath that fear, and conquer it.

    – Josh Culler

    7 Quick Video Marketing Hacks + Free List of 19 Content Ideas for Investors w/ Josh Culler

    Josh Culler is a marketing pro who leverages video to help real estate investors connect with their target market. As an expert in video content marketing, he has developed several hacks to get the job done easier and with finesse.

    Don’t let a fear of getting in front of the camera stop you from using video. Josh will share with you his tips to show you exactly how to get out from underneath those fears so you can best connect with your audience. 

    Read the Full Show Notes Below…


    I am super excited to sit down with Josh. I’ve seen his videos and I’m beyond impressed by what he is able to do for investors. People who never thought they’d be making videos for their business, are now front and center, cranking out high-quality content like you wouldn’t believe.

    We had a great in-studio talk where I was able to pull out these 7 quick video marketing hacks to help real estate investors reach more people while building credibility and authority.

    #1. Answer Questions

    As an investor, you likely hear questions from homeowners all of the time. Your content can answer questions about your product, service, or industry. 

    • Why should I sell directly?
    • What’s the difference between you and an agent?
    • How long will it take?

    Answering these questions makes for great content. These are things people are wondering and you are building credibility and authority by being the person who has the answers. The content will be loaded with keywords and naturally primed for optimization. 

    #2. Film Case Studies

    Think back to your last few deals and tell the story of what happened. How did the situation unfold? How were you able to help the homeowner?

    Use varied stories that highlight specific situations such as an inheritance, foreclosure avoidance, or someone selling a run-down home. Tell a story with your video and your audience will be hooked. 

    #3. Film Your Process

    While what you do may seem very simple, homeowners may not know what to expect. Film yourself visiting a property or running comps. Show people who you are, what you’re doing, and how everything works. 

    Even something that seems very elementary to you, maybe something your potential customer was wondering about but was too afraid to ask.

    #4. Do Not Over Complicate Things

    Josh has found that when it comes to video marketing, people either get too into it or they don’t commit enough. They will buy a $300 mic, a green screen, and edit their videos much more than they should.

    Or… they don’t do it because they feel it will be too much work. They aren’t consistent, and they fail to capture moments that could really help them connect with their audience. 

    #5. Post Everywhere

    Once you have your video, get that thing up everywhere! Use our video transcription tool to turn your video into a keyword-rich blog post. Not only do you want it on your Carrot site, but you should have it highlighted on your youtube channel, shared to Facebook, Instagram, and anywhere else you are active.

    One important thing to remember is to post your videos natively. Don’t share a Youtube link on Facebook, upload the video directly instead. While the platforms may be similar – they are not friends. Another thing people don’t usually capitalize on is Google my Business and Apple Maps.

    These are places people go to when looking for businesses. Instead of having the pictures associated with your business be from other people, take control, and upload content of your own.

    You can add some pictures of your office, deals you’ve done, and clients you’ve worked with. Add in your videos as well to quickly connect with people who are searching you out. 

    #6. Keep It Real 

    In order to create content that will really connect with your audience, you need to remain genuine. Don’t have someone on Fiver film your video, do it yourself. Have the video be the same person who goes out to meet people and view houses. You’ll also want to be very clear on why you are doing what you are doing.

    Financial goals are fine but aren’t always specific enough to motivate you to produce quality content. Josh, for example, not only wants to create a good life for his family, but he also wants to be able 100 missionaries!

    This is a huge goal and it works for him. Your goal may look entirely different, and that’s ok! 

    #7. Be Consistent

    Video content is evergreen. If you do a video series on how to handle an inherited home, once it helps you close one deal, it has paid for itself. By creating informative content on a consistent basis, you will create a library of information that will bring the leads to you.

    With clear and intentional content, you will be the local authority before you know it. You’ll be able to turn your Carrot site into an authority hub, setting yourself apart from the other investors in your area. 

    Josh and his team provide a tremendous service to real estate investors. They can help you take your raw content, turn it into a professionally edited video, and get it back to you in 48 hours or less. Right now, you can use the code “CARROT” at cullermedia.com to receive 25% off Josh’s services! Check it out and get some video added to your Carrot site today! 

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  • EP 229: Tired of Tire Kickers? Get This Agent’s Step-by-Step Strategy for Consistent, High Quality Leads w/ Tom Townsend

    EP 229: Tired of Tire Kickers? Get This Agent’s Step-by-Step Strategy for Consistent, High Quality Leads w/ Tom Townsend

    Tired of Tire Kickers? Get This Agent’s Step-by-Step Strategy for Consistent, High Quality Leads.

    The pandemic is pushing the need to get online and understand technology like never before.

    – Tom Townsend

    Tired of Tire Kickers? Get This Agent’s Step-by-Step Strategy for Consistent, High Quality Leads w/ Tom Townsend

    Tom is a seasoned real estate agent w/ Keller Williams, who was burnt out on cold calling and struggling to compete with the big guys when it came to SEO. By shifting his strategy, and maxing out his AgentCarrot site, he is completely confident about the next 12 months.

    Today, we’re looking at what messaging is working best, how Tom is using his Carrot site to convert more leads, and we will even make some tweaks to his site right here on the podcast to make his site perform even better.

    Read the Full Show Notes Below…


    A month or two ago, my team hit me up and said “You need to check out Tom Townsend.” I was blown away when I saw the data for his site and how he was implementing our training into his business.

    Tom hasn’t been with us for a long time. In fact, he has only been a Carrot member for a few months. But in that short amount of time, he is already holding the top 1 and 2 spots for many keywords he is creating content around. 

    Where He Started

    Tom has been in the real estate business since 2002. He began as an investor, flipping properties and holding a few here and there. He then took his real estate skills a step further by becoming a certified appraiser.

    He was always heavy on the phones, chasing down leads, and setting up meetings. A few years ago, Tom and his team began utilizing Facebook Ads, but they weren’t directing them to any particular landing page or call to action. 

    They built a website via Wix, but it lacked flexibility and the ability to grow as the business did. The team moved the website to another platform, but it was cumbersome and time-consuming and wasn’t manageable while they were busy running on the hamster wheel. 

    The Lightbulb Moment

    The pandemic has forced people to improve their online presence or get online if they weren’t already. For Tom and his team, it has allowed them to spend time creating evergreen content that will get them off of the hamster wheel. They are building their brand as the local authority and having the leads search them out instead of the other way around. 

    COVID has made a lot of people analyze what they are doing and what is important. For Tom, it was time. He wanted more time to do the things he loves, while still building momentum and credibility within the community.

    The evergreen content Tom is creating is providing consistency and predictability, giving him the freedom he is after. 

    His Strategy Today and Why It Works

    Many of the 100+ leads Tom has received in the past few months have been through paid PPC campaigns. This is exactly how we recommend agents and investors get the ball rolling.

    In fact, Tom and his team have followed our advice and recommendations to a tee, thus bringing in more and more leads, creating more conversions, and closing more deals. 

    • First, they utilized our 30-Day Authority Building Challenge.
    • Next, they began creating content, with an emphasis on VideoPosts and our VideoPosts transcription service.
    • They have utilized our Advanced Marketer Articles, which only require a minute or two of personalization before posting.
    • They have modified their Facebook and Google advertising, directing people back to their website… err authority portal.
    • Tom and his team have spent time niching down their content to become the local experts. 
    • They use our Campaign Tracking Links tool to track all of their advertising – even links printed on mailers they are sending out. 

    The Campaign Tracking Links have become one of Tom’s most important tools. It gives him a clear and centralized place to see what’s working, what’s not working, and where he can improve. 

    The Power of Testimonials

    Many people will seek out testimonials just because they think they have to. They don’t spend time optimizing them or using them to fight objections. My advice is to seek out 5 very specific testimonials that will fight objections and be relatable to the ideal client you are seeking out. 

    For example, if you are an agent, use a testimonial from someone who was friends with another agent, but chose you instead because of your experience. Or, you can find an FSBO client you were able to help by getting them more than they would have on their own.

    Many people will try to avoid working with an agent in order to save money. A testimonial letting them know they will likely get more money when all is said and done is a testimonial that will actually help you to convert. 

    Because of COVID, so many agents and investors are working from a home office. They’re not out and about attending open houses and networking events.

    Here at Carrot, we have seen many people using this time to amp up their websites. To change them from glorified business cards, and instead, turning them to authority hubs.

    Go to Carrot.com to see what we are doing to help agents ramp up even more as we close out the year strong. 

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  • Instagram for Real Estate Agents [Step-By-Step Guide]

    Instagram for Real Estate Agents [Step-By-Step Guide]

    Instagram for real estate agents is a proven content marketing platform. It has one billion active monthly users!

    The platform, which is owned by Facebook, has become a mainstream social media giant with a focus on visual content — from fashion and food to scenery and even real estate.

    So it’s understandable if, as a real estate agent, you’re considering joining the fray.

    Our Agent members have success on Instagram.

    Most don’t run any ads on the platform but they regularly post content. And not only has that content garnered them thousands of followers… but they also regularly generate leads through Instagram.

    Pretty cool, huh?

    But if you’re a total beginner and know next to nothing about Instagram, don’t worry.

    We’re going to teach you everything a real estate agent needs to know about creating and optimizing their Instagram account.

    So let’s get started.

    Unlock Your Instagram Marketing Knowledge

    Learn everything that Real Estate Agents need to know to get started with Instagram marketing.

    Do Real Estate Agents Need Instagram?

    Do Real Estate Agents Need an Instagram Account?

    This is probably your first question.

    Do you need an Instagram account?

    The simple answer is no; you don’t.

    There are many different ways to generate leads for your business — you can send direct mail, run Facebook ads, work on your real estate website’s SEO, and network with other local professionals.

    Instagram is not a necessary part of your marketing strategy.

    Having said that, Instagram can effectively build brand awareness and generate leads. Just because it’s not necessary doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

    Especially if you enjoy engaging with people on social media… then Instagram is certainly a good idea for your business.

    I mean, most of us spend several hours scrolling through social media daily, anyway.

    Why not use that time to create content and grow your real estate Instagram business page?

    Instagram Stats

    Instagram Stats For Real Estate

    Okay — so I’ve claimed that Instagram can help you grow your real estate business, and I’ve even provided you with an example (The Farr Group) of real estate agents doing just that.

    But here’s some more statistical evidence…

    • 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business.
    • Only 14% of realtors are on Instagram, but 83% of all homebuyers reported wanting to see more pictures of properties online.
    • One-third of the most viewed Instagram stories are from businesses.
    • Instagram’s potential advertising reach is 850 million users.

    In other words… not only is Instagram a great marketing platform for businesses… it’s great for real estate agents.

    More specifically, it’s ideal for posting pictures of homes you’ve listed for sale, and it’s great for sharing your buying and selling expertise with your audience.

    If you’re still not convinced, that’s okay.

    The only real way to figure out if Instagram can help you grow your real estate business is to try it and see what happens.

    So let’s talk about that.

    How to Create Your Instagram for Real Estate Account

    The first step is to create an Instagram real estate account for your business.

    As with most social media platforms, this is pretty easy.

    Just go here and enter your information to sign up (you can just log in with Facebook if that’s easier).

    How to Create Your Real Estate Focussed Instagram Account

    It’s worth noting, however, that Instagram is far easier to use on mobile devices than on laptops or desktops.

    You’ll want to get the app on your phone. That’s where you’ll share content, engage with comments, and even update your account.

    Here’s a link to the iPhone Instagram app.

    Also, you’ll want to transform your Instagram account into a business account.

    Here are instructions on how to do that straight from Facebook itself

    1. “Go to your profile and tap the menu icon on the top right corner.
    2. Tap Settings.
    3. Tap Account.
    4. Tap Switch to Business Account.
    5. We recommend that you connect your business account to a Facebook page associated with your business. This will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses. Only one Facebook Page can be connected to your Instagram account.
    6. Add details, like your business category and contact information.
    7. Tap Done.”

    There are a few advantages to switching from a personal to a business account.

    With a business account, you can access analytics about your followers and their engagement with your content.

    You also gain the ability to promote your Instagram posts as advertisements and add links to your Instagram stories.

    Additionally, when I asked Krista Farr whether real estate agents should have a personal or business account on Instagram, she said, “Only have a business account.”

    She explained that this provides you with more flexibility, and people who love your content won’t have the choice between following your account or your business account — in which case they would almost always opt to follow your account.

    Instead, your audience is forced to follow your business account, which… is good for business.

    Once you’ve created your account, you’ll need to add a profile picture and a bio (which should include a link to your website).

    Instagram real estate profile

    This doesn’t need to be super fancy — prioritize clarity over cleverness.

    Your profile picture can be your company’s logo, and your bio should describe what you do and where you do it.

    If you can create a little bit of credibility here, then do it!

    (In The Farr Group’s bio, it mentions that they’re in the top 1% of Spokane realtors, for example)

    Add your website link — you can shorten it over here — and viola!

    You’re up and running.

    Unlock Your Instagram Marketing Knowledge

    Learn everything that Real Estate Agents need to know to get started with Instagram marketing.

    Turning Instagram Into a Real Estate Lead Generation Machine

    Having an Instagram account is one thing.

    And if that were the end goal, this would be a short article.

    But it’s not.

    The real goal of marketing your business on Instagram is to build authority and generate leads.

    So how do you make that happen?

    The obvious way is to create great content, create it consistently, and grow your Instagram following.

    And we’re going to talk about all of that here shortly.

    But that is not the starting place.

    Because let me ask you this.

    What happens when someone loves your content on Instagram so much that they want to learn more about your business and maybe even hire you as a real estate agent?

    (That’s the goal, after all)

    Where do they go?

    What do they do?

    Most importantly, how easy is it for them to become a lead?

    The easier it is, the more leads you’re going to generate.

    Take The Farr Group as an example. When you click on the link in their Instagram account, it takes you to their current, most desirable house listing.

    instagram real estate listings

    Why?

    Because that’s precisely where they want you!

    People who are motivated enough to click on that link in their profile want to help them dream about what it’d be like to purchase a new home with them.

    And what better way to do that than by sending them to your most popular house listing?

    Even more brilliantly, the “Call Us” CTA sits right at the top of the page, and the Property Search section on the right allows people to browse listings easily.

    No wonder The Farr Group generates so many leads through Instagram!

    The best part is that all of those features are baked right into our websites, which are built to convert visitors into leads right out of the box.

    You can get your high-converting realtor website risk-free for 30 days by clicking here!

    One thing’s for sure…

    Even if your Instagram account is driving traffic to your website… that won’t do any good if your website isn’t set up to generate leads.

    So this is your starting point.

    Now we can talk about the specifics of growing your Instagram following.

    How Often Should Real Estate Agents Post On Instagram?

    How Often To Post On Social Media: 2020 Success Guide

    This is one of the first questions people ask when they’re starting to market on a new social media platform.

    How often do you need to create content on Instagram to be effective?

    The honest answer to that question is the same as for every site: the more content you create, the better.

    It’s very hard (if not impossible) to create too much content.

    The algorithms on social media platforms that decide which content to show users is built to not overwhelm your audience with your content… so there’s almost no chance of annoying your followers.

    But if you create too little content, there’s a very real risk of your followers not seeing the content you create.

    So the rule of thumb: more is better.

    Still, I know you don’t want to spend all your free time creating content for Instagram. So what’s the minimum amount of content you should post to be effective?

    Well, major brands post an average of 1.5 times daily on Instagram.

    So one to three times per day is a good goal.

    If you can do more, do more.

    If that sounds like too much, start smaller and build.

    Now, you’re probably wondering what the heck you should actually post about… that’s what we’re talking about next.

    10 Real Estate Instagram Content Ideas

    Not sure what to share on your Instagram account?

    Or maybe you’ve run out of ideas?

    Here are 10 content ideas for real estate agents to share on Instagram.

    Enjoy!

    1. House Listings

    instagram house listings

    When creating content on Instagram, this is probably your lowest-hanging fruit.

    Sharing your new house listings with your followers is quick and easy… and it’s probably one of the best ways actually to generate leads.

    2. Expert Advice

    You know more about real estate than the vast majority of your followers.

    So why not share some of your expertise with them?

    They’ll appreciate it, and it’ll help establish you as an expert in your field (and thus the person to go to when someone needs to buy or sell a home!).

    P.S. Don’t be afraid to make your expert advice fun and personable like the example above.

    3. “Sold!” Updates

    Maybe it sounds counterintuitive — why would you want to tell people about a home that’s already sold?

    Isn’t the goal, after all, to promote homes that haven’t sold yet?

    Well, yes…

    And as we talked about in the first point, you should do that.

    But you also should share about when you’ve sold a house — don’t pass up the opportunity to prove to people that you’re an effective real estate agent that knows how to sell people’s homes for top-dollar.

    That goes a long way toward building trust and authority for your business in the eyes of your followers.

    4. Event Announcements

    Announcing and promoting local events is another great content idea for real estate agents.

    You can promote local meetups, upcoming events in your city, or even your open houses.

    There’s always something going on, which means there’s always something to talk about… and something to post about.

    And you’ll get bonus points if you’re going actually to attend the event that you’re promoting… that way, your followers can meet you in person!

    5. Creative Pictures

    There are no two ways about it — Instagram users love creative pictures.

    Sometimes, this will mean posting stylish photos of a home you’ve listed or sharing photos of your recent family vacation.

    If it’s a unique and cool photo, your audience will love it.

    6. Behind-The-Scenes Content

    People don’t just want to see the external results your business is producing; they also want to see how you do it.

    Sharing behind-the-scenes content — posts of you and your team working on buying and selling homes — is a great way to show your audience how hardworking you are for your clients.

    It’s also a great way to humanize you and make you more approachable, which helps get the phone ringing.

    7. Local Business Promotions

    As a realtor, you’re deeply connected to the inner workings of local markets. It’s appropriate — even expected — then for you to show support for other local businesses.

    Aaron and Krista give away $100 gift cards to their favorite local restaurants.

    That way, they’re helping local businesses and their audience simultaneously.

    8. Testimonials/Case Studies

    When you use your customer testimonials on Instagram, they can provide a social proof boost and give your visitors and followers a solid reason to trust your real estate business.

    9. Real Life Stuff

    Your Instagram audience doesn’t just want to see things about your work… they want to get to know you as a person.

    Fortunately, that’s also good for business — most people choose a real estate agent based on who they feel connected with.

    So post some pictures of your recent vacation, or when you were in engaging in a hobby like hiking or golf, or after you just came out of the movie theater.

    It’s not immediately obvious, but if you share your life with your audience, they’ll be more likely to work with you in the future… because they feel connected to you.

    10. Market Data

    You’re an expert at real estate.

    Most people aren’t.

    So why not share some of your knowledge of the current market with your audience and break it down so they can understand?

    At the very least, it’ll build your authority. And at best, good market conditions might convince people to sell their homes with you!

    Unlock Your Instagram Marketing Knowledge

    Learn everything that Real Estate Agents need to know to get started with Instagram marketing.

    Do Real Estate Agents Need To Pay For Ads On Instagram?

    This is a really important question.

    Only posting organic content to a business on Facebook is a surefire way to never grow your following. That’s because Facebook’s algorithm makes it mind-blowingly difficult to reach your audience (even those following you) unless you pay for it.

    Is the same true for Instagram?

    Nope.

    Even though Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same people, their algorithms are vastly different.

    Where it’s difficult to reach your audience on Facebook, it’s seamless on Instagram.

    One study found that brands “see a median engagement rate of 0.09% per Facebook post, in comparison to a 1.60% median engagement rate per post on Instagram.”

    Post and engagement counts for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

    Instagram is much kinder to businesses than Facebook is.

    So do you need to pay for Instagram ads?

    Well, the answer is no. Even Aaron and Krista, who get hundreds of likes and comments on their content, don’t run any ads.

    But they swear that Instagram is generating tons of leads for their business — that’s why they keep doing it.

    There’s certainly nothing wrong with running ads on Instagram.

    It might be worth at least a test or two.

    You create and manage your Instagram ads right inside of Facebook’s ad manager. Here’s a guide on how to do it.

    4 Best Practices For Creating Real Estate Agent Content On Instagram

    To get as much engagement as possible from the content you post on Instagram, here are some simple best practices to keep in mind.

    1. Instagram Hashtags for Real Estate

    Real estate hashtags are the not-so-secret sauce to growing your Instagram following.

    Users can (and do) search hashtags that they’re interested in. Instagram then shows them the content with that hashtag.

    So hashtags serve two purposes.

    First, they organize your content so that Instagram knows when and where to show your posts. Second, and more importantly, they catch the eyes of people looking for that specific hashtag.

    You’ll notice that Shemeika Fox put quite a few relevant hashtags at the bottom of every Instagram post.

    This makes content more searchable.

    The max amount of hashtags that you can put on a post is 30 (and 10 for Instagram stories), and we recommend using all of those slots.

    However, you shouldn’t copy and paste the same hashtags into your post every time, as that signals to Instagram that you’re being a bit spammy.

    This can be a little tedious, but the results are worth it. If you need help, here’s an Instagram hashtag generator that could help.

    2. Be Consistent

    How often should you post on Instagram? | Rashidawan

    As with all social media platforms, consistency is critical on Instagram.

    If you post a lot of content in one week but none for the next month, your audience will quickly forget about you.

    So you’ve not only got to be consistent, but you’ve got to be consistent for the long-term.

    The longer that you’re consistent about posting content, the bigger following you’re going to build — in some ways, it is that simple.

    Create a schedule that has you posting at least a few times a week (ideally once per day) and then stick to it for years rather than weeks or months.

    3. Create Visual Consistency

    Instagram is a highly visual platform. That is, people do a lot more looking than reading.

    And one of the keys to growing on Instagram is to become quickly recognizable. Without people even looking at your profile picture, they should be able to identify your content because of the style, the colors, and other elements.

    If you browse around top Instagram accounts, you’ll notice that all of their posts have similar styles — it’s almost like they’re all using the same filter.

    That’s intentional.

    Doing so helps create a sense of consistency for your audiences so they know what to expect.

    And people like when they feel like they know what to expect from you — they like it even more when you fulfill those expectations day-in and day-out.

    So use the same logos, the same colors, the same fonts, and the same filters on your posts.

    4. Focus On Your Specific Market

    As a realtor, it’s not all that important to generate leads from all over the U.S. Really; you just want to attract people in your market.

    That gives you an advantage- an angle that nationwide Instagram pages can’t play off of.

    By posting about things specific to your market, local businesses, state parks, and even the weather, you can appeal to people differently and more meaningfully.

    Plus, people want to hire someone who’s an expert in the area, anyways… so why not show them that you are?

    Are You Ready To Generate Real Estate Agent Leads On Instagram?

    Hopefully, by now, you feel that you can approach Instagram with confidence.

    It’s a relatively simple platform to get the hang of but a difficult one to master. And this beginner guide has given you everything you need to get started, grow your following, and even turn those followers into leads for your real estate business.

    But enough from us.

    What has your experience with Instagram been?

    Are you using it to grow your real estate business?

    Or do you have additional questions about how to make that happen?

    Let us know in the comments!

  • EP 223: Real Estate Partnerships – How We Closed 70+ Deals Together and Have Never Met in Person, All Part-Time! w/ Keith Sant & Norberto Ponce

    EP 223: Real Estate Partnerships – How We Closed 70+ Deals Together and Have Never Met in Person, All Part-Time! w/ Keith Sant & Norberto Ponce

    We Closed 70+ Deals and Have Never Met in Person, All Part Time! w/ Keith Sant & Norberto Ponce

    Happiness isn’t really reaching your goal, it is the pursuit of the goal. You have to find the joy.

    – Norberto Ponce

    Real Estate Partnerships: 70+ Deals w/out Meeting in Person, All Part-TIme! w/ Keith Sant & Norberto Ponce

    When the right real estate partnerships are formed, the sky is the limit. Meeting someone, clicking with them, and sharing common goals with someone can take you to places you never thought possible.

    Working with the right partner can help you become a better version of yourself. This is true for Keith and Norberto who have never met in person, yet have positively influenced each other both in life and in business. Here’s how they do it… 

    Read the Full Show Notes Below…


    For so many real estate entrepreneurs out there, myself included, we tend to try to do everything on our own. It can be tough to compromise, especially if you have spent sleepless nights growing your business and working on your vision.

    However, we are all human and we have our own strengths and weaknesses. When you find the right real estate partnerships, they will compliment what you have already done, helping you master the areas in which you lack. 

    Less Volume, Less Time, More Money

    In the case of Norberto and Keith, Norberto is the one getting out there and talking to people, while Keith is making more of the magic happen behind the scenes. He handles the marketing, Carrot website, and Facebook advertising for real estate, while Norberto is talking to as many people as he can.

    Keith lives in Washington and Norberto in Texas. They have never met face to face, but have been able to form a partnership that perfectly compliments each person’s unique abilities. 

    When you find the right partner, you’ll be able to save time, money, and having to learn things the hard way. Their experiences, opinion, and feedback will help you to make smarter and more profitable decisions.

    You will be able to get more accomplished in less time while having more doors open to you both figuratively and literally.

    Today, instead of just flipping houses, Keith and Norberto are investing in quads, apartment buildings, development land, and mobile home parks. While they may be doing fewer deals in recent months then they had in the past, the deals they are doing are big ones. 

    Remembering Why You Do It

    When Keith first started in this business, he was working 16 hour days. While this taught him a lot, he realized that it wasn’t how he wanted to spend his time.

    By partnering with Norberto and taking on different types of deals, Keith is now able to work part-time, spending the rest of his time with his fiancee and doing the things he loves.

    His late nights and sheer persistence have paid off for him in major ways. 

    Norberto is not involved in real estate full-time either. In fact, is is a police office on South Padre Island. Putting on the uniform makes him feel like a super-hero.

    It brings him satisfaction and fullfillment that isn’t found in other lines of work. That said, real estate has allowed him to provide for his family and live life on his terms. He has a few non-negotiables.

    No work on Sunday and the mornings are dedicated to working out with his family. Keeping family first and remembering why he is doing it has made him happier and more successful than ever. 

    Bonus Ninja Tips

    Make It Official

    Norberto had a great tip I wanted to share with you and that is to reach out to people using official looking envelopes. Norberto will use a Fedex envelope to drop a letter on someone’s porch regarding their property.

    Most people will open a FedEx sitting at their door, whereas a regular letter can get looked over pretty easily. 

    Build Credibility

    Testimonials can be huge when it comes to building credibility. Don’t just get a few and stop. Every time you have a successful transaction and a happy client, ask them for a review.

    You can lead them to the BBB, Google, Facebook, or all of the above. You can even offer an incentive such as a Starbucks card for an honest review of your services. 

    Before and after photos are another way to build credibility. Don’t be afraid to give out the address so people can drive by and see what you have done for themselves. When people see that it is real, they will know that you are real too. 

    Build Relationships

    Talk to as many people as you can and let them know what you do and how you can help.

    Talk to pizza delivery drivers, the UPS man, and people who see a lot of houses during their average day.

    You can leverage these relationships and offer a referral fee for houses they tell you about that meet your criteria. 

    The partnership formed between Keith and Norberto is ideal. They are both dedicated to what they do, while also being able to remember what is really important in life.

    They have ford a dynamic partnership that is crushing it on all levels and I can’t wait to see them here at CarrotCamp, where they will finally meet face to face, in just a few weeks. 

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    Mentioned In This Episode

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  • How To Get Real Estate Clients [14 Effective Strategies]

    How To Get Real Estate Clients [14 Effective Strategies]

    How To Get Real Estate Clients [14 Strategies]

    So, how to get real estate clients? If you’re asking this question, you’ve come to the right place.

    At Carrot, we work with thousands of agents and investors — pros and newbies — who are working to grow their businesses.

    And here’s the good news: there is a clear path to growing your business.

    In fact, doing so is really just a matter of following some tried-and-proven methods…

    …things that other agents have done with great success.

    And from our experience, the below 14 strategies are effective… pretty much every single time.

    Here they are!

    How To Get Real Estate Clients | 14 Tried-and-true Strategies

    1. Get a High Converting Website

    Your website is the most important part of your online marketing efforts.

    And without a website that actually converts traffic into leads, you’re probably going to struggle.

    To be fair, many real estate agents focus on offline marketing tactics… and they do well for themselves.

    In fact, we’re going to discuss some of the most effective offline marketing strategies in this article.

    But here’s the thing: online marketing is still the best way to find clients and grow your business in today’s world.

    Just consider some of this cold hard data…

    The Real Estate Digital Marketing: A Complete Guide

    But before you start driving traffic to your website, you need to optimize your website to actually convert that traffic.

    That way, the phone is ringing and you’re collecting clients left and right.

    Well, that’s what we specialize in at Carrot.

    We’ve created (and tested) real estate agent website templates that convert like crazy. Here’s a little preview of what they look like…

    real estate agent websites

    There are a few things we do that most websites don’t.

    And these differences are critical.

    First, we put your phone number in the upper right corner, so that visitors are encouraged to pick up the phone and call.

    Second, we shamlessly prompt people to give you their contact information whenever they click on the “Search Properties” button…

    high converting real estate website forms

    That way, even if they don’t call you, you can follow up with them.

    We even provide text message notifications so that you get immediately notified when your website receives a new lead.

    That’s just a quick overview of why Carrot websites convert better than any other websites in the industry.

    (We have a ton of other included features to help your business grow!)

    If you want to try us out risk-free for 30 days, go here to start building your high-converting website!

    2. Optimize Your Website For Search Engines

    Search engine optimization — commonly known as SEO — is one of the best ways to collect leads and find clients over the long term.

    You probably won’t find clients overnight using this strategy.

    But after weeks, months, and years, SEO is one common factor of real estate businesses that stand the test of time.

    Why?

    To explain what we mean, you first have to understand how SEO works…

    92% of all home buyers use the internet at some point in their home search. And the websites that they find help to determine the house that they buy and, more importantly, the realtor that they work with.

    This is also true of home sellers when they type things like “realtors in my city” into Google when looking for a real estate agent to work with.

    real estate agent website SEO

    The goal of SEO is to get these people — your target market — to find your website.

    Because if they find your website, then they might call you and they might become a client.

    In fact, most of our members claim that SEO leads are far higher quality than leads they get from paid advertisements.

    The best part is that once you’re ranking on page one for a high-value keyword phrase, you’ll start generating leads on autopilot, without any additional marketing.

    And websites that make it to page one usually stay there for quite a while.

    Which is why SEO is such a great long-term marketing strategy.

    So… how do you optimize your website to rank in Google?

    You can check out our full guide over here.

    But the basics are…

    1. Research and find high-value keyword phrases.
    2. Create content to rank for those phrases.
    3. Track your results.

    Our Carrot sites are built to help you tackle this process.

    We provide all of our AgentCarrot members with monthly optimized content for their blog, tools for tracking rankings, and more.

    Click the link to learn more.

    3. Real Estate Facebook Ads

    Facebook ads are great because you can turn them on to generate leads and find clients whenever you want… but turn them off when you already have plenty of work coming in.

    Our most successful members use SEO for their longterm lead generation, but paid advertisements and mailers (which we’ll talk about next) for faster results.

    Especially if you’re just getting started, Facebook ads are a great way to find clients.

    Even simple advertisements of your listings, like the below example, can do really well…

    Real Estate Facebook Advertising

    4. Send Mailers

    Direct mail is one of the most powerful client-finding tools for real estate agents.

    It feels more personal than email, you can send a lot of it at once, and if you do it correctly, it’ll almost always get the phone ringing.

    But naturally, you don’t want to waste money.

    And direct mail can certainly be a little expensive.

    So how can you ensure that your mailers are going to get responses before you send them?

    Here’s some advice…

    Know Who You’re Targeting — What are the demographics of your mailing list? Are you sending to homeowner who might be interested in selling? Or are you sending to renters who might be interested in buying? Your mailers should speak directly to the people you’re targeting.

    how to format direct mail for real estate

    Make It Personal — When people choose a real estate agent, it’s primarily an emotional decision. That is, they have to like the person that they’re going to work with. And making your mailers a little more personal with photos can go a long way toward helping them make a favorable decision.

    how for format mail for real estate

    Be Friendly — Most people will choose to work with you because they like you and they trust you. And creating direct mail that feels friendly is a great way to build credibility and increase your response rate. This can be as simple as sending “Merry Christmas!” mailers during the holidays.

    friendly real estate direct mail

    Send Enough Mailers — Direct mail is mostly a numbers game. So long as your mail is friendly and appealing to your recipients, getting a response is simply a matter of sending enough mail. According to most stats, the average response rate for real estate direct mail is between 2% and 4%. So you should be sending several hundred mailers at a time.

    Learn more about how to send effective real estate direct mail.

    5. Social Media Marketing for Real Estate Agents

    There’s no question: social media is a very powerful marketing platform for darn-near every industry… your real estate business is no exception.

    How quickly you find new clients through social media will largely depend on how much of a following you already have and how much people in the community trust you.

    So if you’re new to social media, don’t expect overnight success.

    Building trust on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms isn’t something that should be sporadic — it works best if you create a content schedule and then stick to it… posting at least a few times per weepk.

    The Farr Group — a husband-and-wife owned real estate company — is great at using Instagram to build brand awareness and even generate leads.

    social media marketing for real estate

    And when we spoke with Aaron and Krista Farr, one interesting things that they mentioned was how engagement on social media only means so much when it comes to actual lead generation.

    They said they’ve met a lot of people who knew them from social media or who even became clients because of their Instagram profile, but who never actually commented on or “liked” their content.

    In other words, your content is probably reaching more people than you think.

    Don’t take your engagement metrics at face value.

    Be consistent, follow the process, and you might be surprised at how social media helps you to grow a thriving business.

    Check out our full interview with Aaron and Krista over here!

    6. Find FSBO Sellers On Craigslist

    It might not be the first method you choose for finding new clients, but looking through for-sale-by-owner listings on Craigslist — especially ones that have been around for a while — can be a helpful strategy.

    Just go to Craigslist and click on “real estate for sale”.

    craigslist for real estate leads

    Then, you can filter the listings as for sale by owner…

    for sale by owner listings on craigslist

    Browse through the listings and look for indications that the seller is having trouble closing on the home — a long time has passed since it was originally listed, for example, or the sellers sound desperate in their description.

    These might not make the best clients in the world… and some people will probably get mad at you for calling them and offering your services.

    But you might just stumble across someone who’s glad you called.

    And it’s the victories you have to fight for that are often the sweetest, anyways.

    So why not give it a shot? You’ve got nothing to lose!

    7. Network, Network, Network

    When it comes to finding your first clients, building trust in your community, and growing your business organically, there’s nothing quite as powerful as networking.

    And we’re talking about networking with other business owners, local politicians, and anyone else with sway in the community.

    The fact is, everyone needs a home to live in… so there’s really no one who you shouldn’t network with.

    Everyone probably knows someone who wants to buy or sell a home in the near future and so networking is always a benefit to your business.

    Real estate is one of those industries where just getting to know people can grow your business.

    And the more people you get to know — more importantly, the more people who get to know you — the more clients you’re going to get through friendly referrals.

    So go to business meetups, attend community celebrations, and join in on charitable events.

    Meetup.com is a great place to find local groups of people with different interests.

    With enough time, you’ll become an icon of the community and people will start to automatically think of you when they think of buying or selling a home.

    And that’s exactly what you want.

    8. Door Knocking

    It’s not the prettiest or flashiest (or even the most time effective) way to find clients for your real estate business, but door knocking can certainly help!

    Here’s something to keep in mind: when you’re just getting started as a real estate agent, you’ll have to work harder to find clients.

    You’re just starting to build trust and become an icon in the community… but that takes time.

    And a simple stroll through the neighborhood where you knock on a few doors and introduce yourself can go a long way toward building meaningful relationships.

    It can even help you generate leads and referrals.

    You might be surprised at how willing people are to help when you ask nicely.

    This is something you can even do on your daily walk around the neighborhood — just commit to knocking on 5 new doors every day and see what happens!

    Two FREE Real Estate Scripts for Door Knocking

    Script 1

    Hey!

    Sorry to bother you. My name is [name] and I just had a quick question. Do you know of anyone who is thinking of selling their home in the area?

    I’m new to the area and I’m just trying to get my real estate business off the ground, so I’m looking for some folks who need help selling their home or buying their next home.


    [Wait for response]

    That sounds great. I really appreciate the help… just thought I’d knock on a few doors as I’m going for my evening stroll.

    Here’s my business card, by the way.

    Feel free to contact me at any time if you or someone you know wants help with a real estate transaction.

    Have a great day!

    Script 2

    Hey there,

    My name is [name] and I’m a new real estate agent in the area. Are you or someone you know trying to buy or sell a home?

    I’m just trying to get my real estate business off the ground.

    [Wait for response]

    Great! I appreciate your help.

    Here’s my business card — feel free to contact me anytime to chat about all things real estate.

    Have a great day!

    9. Brochures & Posters

    How many people visit your local coffee shop every single day?

    What about your local bakery or your local gym?

    In many communities (especially smaller ones), local businesses want to support other local businesses.

    And one great way to leverage that fact is by getting to know local business owners and asking them if you can put up a poster in their window or lay some free brochures on their counter.

    Many of them will be more than happy to help.

    As for what your poster or brochure should look like, just think of it as a compelling piece of direct mail — people you’ve never met before are going to see it and, in an instant, they’re going to decide whether to call you or not.

    So put your best foot forward.

    Here’s a great example…

    Real Estate Agent Poster Template - PSD | Publisher | Illustrator ...

    10. Get Some Local Press

    You might not know it, but your local newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets are constantly looking for interesting stories to tell.

    How about they tell a story about your new business?

    Just give the editors a call and tell them about what you have going on — if you have a particularly interesting angle, then be sure to mention that as well.

    Alternatively, you could pitch a letter-to-the-editor article that updates people on the local real estate market, further establishing your expertise.

    Here’s a general idea of what you might say (via email or phone call)…

    Hey there!

    My name is Mike and I just started my real estate business in the area.

    This is a big undertaking for me but I’m very excited about it.

    If you’re up for it, I’d love to talk with you about what it takes to start a new business in the community and how amazing our city really is — maybe we could even include some other local businesses owners in the project?

    Maybe I’m wrong… but it seems like we could create a great article on that topic!

    Let me know if this catches your interest :)

    Mike

    You might be suprised at how people respond!

    Shemeika Fox, one of our awesome members, actually flips the script. Instead of seeking out press, she creates the press. She interviews local business owners, publishes their stories on her website and asks them to share it on social media.

    This generates additional traffic to her website and builds her local authority — not a bad idea!

    getting local press for real estate agents

    11. YouTube for Real Estate Agents

    In terms of marketing, real estate is highly visual.

    People want to see the homes that you’re trying to sell, they want to get to know you as a person, and they want to learn about how you can help them.

    YouTube is a wonderful platform for accomplishing those goals.

    You can easily upload house-showing videos…

    557 Marksbury Road Pickering Open House Video Tour

    And you can upload educational videos…

    5 Tips To Sell A House Fast For Top Dollar  | Roseburg Oregon Real Estate

    Posting content like this will help you build credibility and generate leads for your business.

    But how do you get people to see your content once it’s live?

    The first step is to share your video on all of your social channels and email it out to your subscribers — take advantage of the audience you already have.

    Then you might also consider trying to get your video ranking in YouTube for a high-value keyword phrase.

    And if you’re a Carrot member, then you can transcribe your video with a single click using our VideoPost feature, turning it into a long-form blog post that can also rank in Google.

    VideoPost Real Estate Blog Content

    12. Drip Marketing

    Whenever you collect leads, you should put those people on an email list.

    This allows you to contact those leads all at once in a semi-personal manner. Over time, your email list will become one of your most valuable assets.

    Because the more that you provide those people with free value, the more that they’re going to trust you and the more likely it is that they’ll reach out to when they’re trying to buy or sell a home.

    For your email marketing, you can use a tool like Mailchimp or Active Campaign.

    But what should you email your leads?

    Well, the first thing you’ll want to do is set-up an automatic 5- to 7-email drip sequence that sends to everyone after they subscribe.

    This sequence should build your credibility and work to drive them toward taking the action you want them to take.

    How to Create Drip Email Campaigns — 9 Examples Included | by Mór ...

    But it doesn’t need to be super complicated.

    Here’s an idea for topics you can focus on with each email…

    • Day 1 – Get To Know Eachother — Tell the new lead about yourself and ask them to do the same by replying to your email and telling them a little bit about why they joined your email list.
    • Day 2 – Testimonial/Case Study — Talk about a past experience where you helped a buyer or seller to accomplish their goals. Use this to build credibility.
    • Day 3 – Why Are You a Realtor? — Tell people why you decided to become a realtor in the first place. This gives them an idea of who you are and what makes you tick, which helps them to build a meaningful relationship with you.
    • Day 4 – Free Value — Provide some sort of free value for the lead. Teach them something new or point them toward a blog post that you recently wrote or a video that you recently recorded.
    • Day 5 – Ask — Tell them you’re going to start emailing them just once a week, but that if they ever want to sell their home or buy a new home, you’re ready to roll.

    Setting this drip sequence up will do a lot for making the most of the leads that you’re already generating.

    Plus, once it’s set up, you don’t need to think about it again for a while because it’ll run on autopilot.

    13. Open Houses

    If you’re looking for homebuyers, then running open houses is certainly a great way to find leads.

    Just make sure to announce your upcoming open house to as many people in the community as possible.

    The more people who know about it, the better turnout you’re going to have.

    But here’s the other opportunity that many real estate agents don’t think about… all of the people who come to your open house are also probably thinking of selling their home. This is a great chance to not just get to know people in the community and generate buyer leads, but also to find some sellers you can work with.

    Don’t be pushy, of course.

    But do collect contact information, hand out business cards, and gently converse with anyone who attends.

    14. Get Real Estate Referrals

    Especially when you’re starting out, referrals are one of the quickest and easiest ways to find clients.

    If you’re still trying to find your very first client, then reach out to friends and family and ask them for referrals.

    If you have a few happy clients under your belt, reach out and ask them for referrals.

    You will probably be surprised at how many people are willing to help you out.

    Just take a look at the stats…

    Real Estate Agents: Ready To Find Your First Clients?

    You now have everything you need to find your first clients… and to find clients well into the future.

    These strategies are simple, straight-forward, and relatively easy to execute. But they are also very effective.

    It might take time for you to build momentum and grow your business to where you want it, but stay the course, trust the process, and keep going.

    The real estate agents who win are the ones who keep going even when the going gets tough.

    The above 14 strategies work for other agents and they’ll work for you, too.

    Let us know how it goes!

  • Why You Need a Facebook Page to Find Motivated Sellers + How to Create One

    Why You Need a Facebook Page to Find Motivated Sellers + How to Create One

    Why create a Facebook Page To Find Motivated Sellers

    Video Transcription

    Hey, JT with Silver Street Marketing here. I’m going to discuss why it’s important to have an active Facebook page to find motivated sellers.

    We’re going to be going over a couple of reasons of why that’s going to help your business, and how it’s going to be able to benefit you in finding more leads, as well as help give you a little bit more of a different, social proof aspect and kind of add to the identity of your business.

    Why You Need a Facebook Page to Find Motivated Sellers

    Reason 1: Obviously one of the first reasons that people think of why it’s important to have a Facebook page is the ability that it has to drive traffic to your website, it’s an extra point of conversion so another place that people can find you.

    The goal of digital marketing is to take up as much of the screen as possible. So if you can be on Facebook searches, when people Google search you and they can find a Facebook business profile on Google even, that’s just going to add one more, one more little key, one more little piece to taking up that entire page.

    That’s going to give you the opportunity to drive more traffic, get in front of more eyeballs and ultimately raise more impressions and get more people reaching out to you. It’s all about taking up as much digital real estate as possible.

    Facebook gives you a platform in itself that is very extensive and can be found in multiple different pieces and can help add to that idea of just taking up more digital real estate space.

    Reason 2: A second reason why it’s smart to have a Facebook page is because of social proof.

    This is a place where you can really show people who are following you, why it’s important to sell their house to you for cash, or why it works, or tell them a little bit about who you’ve worked with in the past, or how you’re able to help somebody and the solutions that you offer.

    It’s really easy to do that because it’s such a content-based platform. And because people are searching you out actively, you’re going to have people that you don’t even know, follow you or anything like that, coming back and checking your page.

    They’re checking to see what you’re doing. They are interested. And this gives them the opportunity to be able to become a conversion, to be able to become somebody that you help, somebody that is your next client.

    To be able to add that to your business is really a big deal because social proof is really the reason why people fill out a form. The reason why they give you a call is because they have found the proof by somebody else that reaching out to you is not a mistake. That it’s a good thing and that it will help them. So adding that social proof by adding a Facebook page really will help grow your business.

    Reason 3: A third reason why it’s important to have a Facebook page is the habit of getting into content creation.

    When we talk about social proof, this kind of goes hand in hand. In order to get more social proof, which you can do on multiple different platforms, having it on Facebook really helps you get into the habit of producing content.

    Producing content will help get more impressions and more eyeballs, but it’ll also help you understand your potential clients more, by giving them value and finding things that will give value to them.

    Your Facebook page can really get you in the habit of that. You’ll see reactions and you’ll see how people are reacting to what you’re posting. Maybe it’s really good reactions; maybe it’s negative reactions. How do you present that differently to make sure that it is positive or stay as positive so that you can later engage with the audience when they’re maybe a little bit more ready? Content allows you to drip on those people and stay relevant in front of them.

    Reason 4: The next reason kind of follows that same method of thinking, that content will help raise that those impressions and it’ll help give you more social proof, but what it will also do is the Facebook page will give you and your business a true identity in the space.

    People are able to connect with you on a different level, whether your business name is Rick Buys Houses, or We Sell Houses Fast Memphis, it doesn’t matter. By having all this content on your page, what you’re doing is you’re creating a brand personality and identity, and that’s what people want to connect with.

    They don’t want to just connect with companies and businesses because companies and businesses are related to making money, right?

    A person is related to service and to helping you, by producing that right brand identity and that right image through your content. This is done through your Facebook page.It’s going to give you an upper hand when it comes down to people deciding which company they want to work with.

    When there’s an identity that they can relate with, that’s where most likely they’re going to go. They relate with what your business stands for because you’ve put that into an image.

    You’ve put that into something almost tangible for them, almost a relationship for them. Creating that brand identity through your Facebook page is really important. We can do that by showing people into our own beliefs, into our way of thinking into our benefits, because we say, “We are people trying to help you. We’re not a business trying to make money.”

    That’s something that a Facebook page naturally can do as well because it’s so based on having an identity.

    Reason 5: A lot of people come forward and say, “Hey, I want to drive more traffic to my website.” Your Facebook page is necessary in order to run Facebook ads which is one of the best ways to get traffic and driving people to your website.

    It’s very important that you have a Facebook page in place before you do that because a Facebook page that’s already more established is going to perform better because it already has audiences that are engaging with it.

    The algorithm already has some data that’s in the background that it can work off of. So having a Facebook page for longer, is going to season your account and help you be more successful.

    Ultimately when it comes down to a Facebook page, you need to be consistent with it.

    You are going to see results come in all ways, shapes and forms, but definitely the way that we talked about in this post, as long as you consistently give your page some attention, commenting back to people who are commenting to you, answering any questions that are coming through the messenger, treating it as if you are a person behind that logo, because that’s what’s going to get people to keep flocking towards you and you’re going to attract more people instead of having to put so much time and effort into purely just try to find them.

    There’s a lot of things that Facebook can do for you and I hope you guys can take this and go on and make your page.

    If you need help creating your page, continue to read this post. Below, we dive into how to create your Facebook page to find more motivated sellers.

    How to Create a Facebook Business Page for a Real Estate Investor

    How To Build A Facebook Page For Your Home Buying Business

    Video Transcription

    In this section, we are going to be going over how to create a Facebook business page to cultivate more motivated sellers and give you a little bit of a hub to build some brand awareness on Facebook and get started on your Facebook journey.

    If you have never created a Facebook page before, it’s very simple. Just log into your Facebook and you’re going to come up here to the top and you’re just going to hit, create. It’s going to pop up and a little section here that says, page.

    Facebook Page to Find Motivated Sellers

    And we can just click away. It will load up and you’re going to find under business, get started and we’re going to name our page. I’m going to name it JT Homebuyers.

    Now, we’re going to do our category. I like to just type in real estate and just do the broad real estate right here. Obviously, there are other options you can pick from, but generally, I just do this one.

    We have the option to put in your address and a phone number, it just depends on what you want. So that is up to you.

    For this example, I’ll go ahead and add the address.

    That brings us to a page where we need to now upload a profile picture and get everything working for the new page.

    For this example, I’m going to upload a picture of myself and my wife. I recommend to either upload a picture of you, or you can upload a picture of your logo, as long as it’s going to fit in there. But people oftentimes like to respond to personal looking pages.

    So sometimes I’ll do a picture of the actual owner of the company or an acquisitions manager, or sometimes I’ll do a picture of the logo itself.

    Now we need a cover photo. I made this cover photo using Canva. I’ll show you how in a moment, but Facebook also offers a free appointment booking tool that people can book appointments through your page.

    You can take advantage of this, or you can build a Calendly scheduling link that you can put in as well. Just be sure to have those connected to your posts or your app. I’m going to go ahead and skip this just for the time being, but you can always go back to using this stuff as well.

    Back to the cover photo, I created on Canva. It’s very simple. There are general templates you can already use, but this is where you start.

    Now that we have our profile picture up and ready to edit. You can update and edit it, change it, crop, and do numerous other changes to make it look nice and pretty.

    The next thing we want to do is add a button. Generally, I will recommend to people they either do a call or a learn more button.

    If you decide to do a “contact you”, you can see more options such as, send message, or contact us, call now. I’m just going to use www.silverstreetmarketing.com, click save, and then we’re going to hit finish.

    Now somebody clicks on that button, they will be taken to my website. Or, if you did a call us, it would just call you immediately from either their cell phone or if they have some sort of service hooked up to their tablet or computer.

    Now it’s time to add more to our “about us” section. Generally for this, I’ll use the same picture as my cover photo, or I’ll create a new one entirely just for it.

    I’m going to name it, we buy houses with cash in any condition. This is going to show in the bottom right hand corner of our actual page.

    Then we write an article.

    One thing to do is go to your website and actually copy and paste your information from there. Or, you can write this freehand, whatever you’d like. I’m just going to go ahead and write freehand for just the example.

    I’ll use, “We buy houses all across Utah with cash. No matter the condition or situation, we can provide a custom solution for you.” with a quick call to action, “Get your cash offer at www.silverstreetmarketing.com.”

    Then I’m going to keep talking about what I offer. So, “Cash solution can be a good fit for you if you need to sell quickly, are behind on payments or taxes.”

    You can keep going on and talk about why your offer is a good offer for them.

    Once we finish that, we’ll just go ahead and hit publish, and we’ll show you kind of where this is going to pop up so that people will actually be able to click and read it.

    The more information that you can give on this page, the more likely you have a chance of having somebody actually reach out to you because they feel comfortable. They feel like they’ve got what they needed from understanding you and the social proof and going forward from there.

    You’ll have additional options to add too. I would definitely say, enter your website. What this does is gives multiple points of conversion. You can enter an email or, add more about us, whatever you’d like.

    Going to come back to the homepage we want to go into the page information and make sure that we’ve got everything set up correctly and have enough information in there so that when people come across our site, again, they have more information that they can get their social proof from.

    Next, we can add a description, “We buy houses with cash.” Go on and describe your business a little bit. Add your phone number and email. I always like to add operations. I don’t just do always open. I feel like people come across that and they kind of think that’s a little weird.

    So I’ll actually put times for every day, like 8:00 to 5:00 or 7:00 to 7:00, and I’ll leave Sunday off or whatever I want to do. I’ll leave the price range off. Then the privacy policy. I go to my website and grab the content from the privacy page, and add it.

    Adding People to Your Page

    Going forward, if you ever want to add somebody to your page, you can come down here into page roles. And what you can do is you actually find them on Facebook and add them to the page.

    You can type them in right here and then you can assign them to the page. I really like using a business manager. I think it’s a little bit easier to manage all this and to be able to do it and add an agency to the page without having to make them an admin.

    The way that you do that is you just go to business.facebook.com and you hit sign up and it will link through your Facebook account and link your page to your business manager, where you can share your page with other people without having to add them manually and without having to give them so much access. You can choose what they’re going to see and what they’re going to do and send them actual invites. So that’s a little bit easier.

    Automated Messaging

    Next, there is an option to set up basic automated messaging. You can add the messaging in the advanced messaging tabs, where you can actually set up different messaging parameters for when people are sending messages to you.

    This is where you would connect your ManyChat or other Facebook chat software. You can also request different features.

    Hop into the “other messaging” tab where you’re going to be able to set it some basic messages and settings for the messages. If you were to want to show a greeting, you just go ahead and turn this on, and then you can type in what it’s going to say.

    For example, the generic version is, “Hi, first name and last name. Thanks for getting in touch with us on Messenger. Please send us any questions you may have.”

    Some other things that you can do are add Messenger to your website and set up automated responses.

    You can set up little tabs that they can select that say, like, “Learn more about our business.” And they can press it, and then you’ll tell them more about your business with an automated bot.

    I would suggest if you’re going to do stuff like that, ManyChat is a really good platform to get used to and to add that it’s a little bit easier to build on their platform. Another thing that you can always do is take the link for your Messenger and share that if you have people who want to reach out to you.

    Just copy and paste it and people can click on it and message you from there without having to go to your page and then go through messaging. They can just click on that little link.

    From here on out, you’ve got your Instagram that you can connect. You can obviously connect WhatsApp. You’ve got different platforms that these can kind of go together with.

    Then, if you have any messages coming in, you can access all that up under “inbox.” You can also manage any of the posts that you’re posting just by going over here to the more and going to publishing tools.

    It will bring up past posts. You can go into the Creator Studio and make different posts as well. It’s a little bit more seamless, a little bit easier to schedule posts for the future.

    I’d suggest grabbing all of your Carrot blog posts that you’re getting or the SEO that you’re doing, and come into Creator Studio and start creating these. And say, “Hey, I want these scheduled out.”

    You can do this on the homepage too, but I just find it a little bit nicer to use the Creator Studio. It seems to flow a little bit easier. You can upload multiple videos at once, you can upload multiple pictures at once and assign those out to different posts.

    So it’s really simple.

    How to Create Posts

    Start by clicking “create posts.”

    This is where you would paste your Carrot information. Next, you can click the schedule, backdate, and saved draft. If you schedule, you’re scheduling for the future. If you backdate, you’ll backdate up until the day that you created the Facebook page. So for this example, we created it today, we can’t backdate anything.

    If you had created a Facebook page a year ago, you could backdate all your posts, so you can put a bunch of posts in the past to give you an essence that you’ve been around, been posting on the page longer. Or you have a little bit more social proof for people to go back in this scroll line with.

    Just in case, I want to show you again, if you don’t want to use this Creator Studio, you can just go back to the main page and post this right here in the beginning.

    If you’re posting on your own Facebook page, use write post. In the end, it will give you the option to schedule your post.

    If you guys have any questions about how to set this up, we’d love to help you and make sure that everything’s working well and that you’re on a great path to get success from Facebook.

    Be sure to check out our other videos about how to set up ads, what ads we’ve been using, what KPIs we use, and how we’re getting more leads for our clients by using Facebook.

  • EP 220: How to Master Your Real Estate Follow-Up with Gary Boomershine & Robert Syfert of RealEstateInvestor.com

    EP 220: How to Master Your Real Estate Follow-Up with Gary Boomershine & Robert Syfert of RealEstateInvestor.com

    How to Master Your Follow-Up with Gary Boomershine & Robert Syfert of RealEstateInvestor.com

    What you are doing today will be the results you see in 4 or 5 months.

    – Gary Boomershine

    How to Master Your Real Estate Follow-Up with Gary Boomershine & Robert Syfert of RealEstateInvestor.com

    As they say, the fortune is in the follow-up. Gary Boomershine and Robert Syfert have mastered it. From flipping properties, offering turnkey rentals, and creating some of the most robust software, these guys have done it all.

    Today we will learn about their scripts, sequences, and how creating great habits have improved every aspect of their lives. If you are struggling to convert the leads you’re bringing in, this episode of the Carrotcast is for you! 

    Read the Full Show Notes Below…


    I’ve known Gary and Robert for several years and I have seen their businesses grow and evolve. They have now partnered up to create a wealth of solutions for investors and agents using their incredible software programs.

    For our Carrot members, they will integrate their software into your site without any fees. So what is the focus of their software?

    Follow-up.

    And here is why it is so important… 

    Per Robert, If a phone lead comes in and you don’t follow up within the first 15 minutes, you are 400% less likely to close that deal. They have moved on. The time is even less with online leads. If you haven’t responded within 5 minutes, they are likely on another website, likely speaking with someone else. 

    The Art of Following Through

    What if Michael Jordan quit? What if Bill Gates became discouraged by all of the people saying no, that he just gave up? So many people fail to follow through when they are so close to getting the gold.

    For investors, the follow-through comes in the follow-up. You can’t reach out to a person one or two times and expect a sale. Many people you speak to won’t be ready to sell the first time you talk to them. In fact, most sales occur after the 6th contact or later. 

    Persistence Without Annoyance

    Gary and Robert use a very specific follow-up sequence. They do what works for them, but you will need to set up a follow-up sequence that works for your business and personality. Above all else, it is important to be genuine. 

    Their system involves three key touchpoints to start. 

    They will reach out using all three methods for the first couple days, then sow down a bit. If there is no response, they follow up with direct mail. Everything is massively sequenced and set-up in advance. This is the only way to be consistent which is the most important part of the process.

    Remember, there’s a 90% chance you won’t close the deal on the first call. Following up is the only way you are going to close the deals you want. And keep in mind, it costs ten times more to generate the lead than all of your follow-up combined. 

    Shaking The Skeletons

    Robert and Gary use an overseas call center to manage and screen leads. At first, they didn’t think it was possible. But once they found the right people who were sharp, professional, and determined, there was no stopping them.

    Many business owner feel a call center will turn into an objection from potential sellers. If they hear a foreign accent, they will question the credibility of the company. However, they’ve come up with the perfect solution.

    If someone questions where one of their representatives is located, the rep will say: “Yes, I am in the Philippines. I was hired to help with calls so that we could pay you the most money possible for your property. How am I doing? Is there anything I could be doing better or do you have feedback for my boss?” 

    Once these words are spoken, the potential seller is disarmed. By openly stating who they are and why they are calling, they are building trust and making the call more personal. Once the rep has qualified the lead, they are then transferred to a team member in the US to close the deal.

    These are two different roles that require two different teams. So anything you want to hide about your business, any skeletons in the closet, get them out there and make those skeletons dance. 

    Creating Habits To Improve Accountability

    Just like staying consistent in your follow-up, it is important to stay consistent in all aspects of your life and business. We often talk about staying disciplined and creating good habits and just recently, Gary completed a challenge called 75 Hard.

    This challenge helped him not only develop good habits but to also dive into psychological patterns he didn’t even realize he had. It isn’t about working out, it is about creating discipline and ending your excuses. The challenge goes like this: 

    For 75 days in a row you must: 

    • Work out twice a day for 45 minutes. One of those sessions needs to be outside. Even if you live in Florida like Gary and it’s raining. 
    • Drink one gallon of water every day. 
    • Read 10 pages of a personal development book. 
    • Get on a diet program – any program, and stick with it, no cheat meals. 
    • No alcohol whatsoever. 
    • Take an accountability picture every single day whether you feel like it or not. 

    If you miss any aspect of the challenge, you have to start over. Gary learned that even though he thought he was so focused on growth, he really wasn’t. He made excuses and put things off. Doing this challenge has helped him look within and change those habits. 

    Doing something like this can be difficult without the right support. Getting a coach can be a great way to do it. There are coaches out there that can help you with business, fitness, and personal matters.

    Look around until you find the right one. To gain the support of those around you, don’t tell them what you want. Instead, lead by example. As my coach says… Be the lighthouse, not the tug boat.

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