Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast and Subscribe Below!
Focus on progress, not perfection.
Trevor Mauch, CEO of Carrot
Meet Troy. Troy is a 10-year real estate investor, so he kind of knows his stuff. One day while driving to work, Troy thought
“I’m not getting any leads through my Carrot website, I think I’m just going to cancel.” But Troy’s not a quitter, so he decided “Ya know what, I actually like making money. Maybe I’ll give it another shot.”
So Troy started ramping up his marketing through PPC and got some help from the Carrot folks. It turns out his work paid off… Troy made over $50k last month by closing 4 deals he got through his site.
Now Troy is getting results. Now Troy is ramping up his business. Now Troy is happy! Here’s how he did it…
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The Conversation
2:29 – Troy’s started out 10 years ago as a real estate investor and house flipper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Right now, he’s averaging about 8-10k per PPC deal and closing roughly every 1 in 5-10 leads. Get in touch with the PPC experts he used HERE.
8:41 – What one thing is costing you the most money? Lack of follow-up with your leads. Consistent follow up is key to closing your deals. Sometimes we think we’re bugging people by calling, texting, and emailing him. Without his persistence through 8-10 phone calls, Troy would’ve missed out on $30k from someone who wanted to sell their house.
13:12 – How he plans to ramp up his marketing this next year. Doubling down in online, optimizing his website, and committing to larger direct mail campaigns.
17:32 – How much can you afford to spend per deal? Figure out your max cost per lead and max cost per deal by watching this video: https://carrot.com/blog/max-cost-per-lead/
18:16 – When something is not working, make a mindset shift and ask yourself “Have I truly given this a real chance?” Troy knew his time could be better spent on getting deals done so instead of going the DIY route with his website and marketing, he outsourced it and hired experts, and switched to Carrot’s advanced marketer plan.
21:15 -Suggestions for success from a Carrot customer. Commit to finding a way to drive traffic to your website. There’s a reason why we repeat ourselves at Carrot… the model works! Implement and educate, implement and educate.
The Secret To True Happiness For Ambitious Entrepreneurs w/ Seth Buechley: CarrotCast
My Struggles And 8 Success Lessons Learned… From Paying Taxes With My Credit Card To Multi-Million Dollar Businesses:CarrotCast
What’s Your Credibility Score? The Top 5% Of Earners Are Doing These “Simple” Things To Build More Credibility In A Cluttered Market w/ Trevor Mauch: CarrotCast
We want to hear how we can make our products better and what we can do to help you! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast and Subscribe Below!
Prosperity comes from purpose. Knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing will give you the strength to endure.
Trevor Mauch, CEO of Carrot
I invited my mentor and close friend Seth Buechley out to my house this past weekend to talk about what we’re learning on our journeys as entrepreneurs, some of the growing pains with scaling Carrot (#599 on the Inc 500/5000 & Oregon’s fastest growing software company) and what we’re doing in order to lead our teams well and continue building valuable businesses.
Seth has sold multiple companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is the CEO of Cathedral Consulting, and the host of the Business Done Right podcast.
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast
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The Conversation Between Seth Buechley and Trevor Mauch
3:36 – Once you have a vision for your future, your dreams will begin to materialize quicker. Think long term for your family and your business – create a life list! Where do you want to wake up in 5, 10, 25, 50 years? The life I was living as a serial-entrepreneur and freelancer actually wasn’t the life I wanted.
7:27 – If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you tend to “cycle” every 3-5 years or so and get bored or distracted by the next big thing. We need to practice patience and persistence and focus on what resources that we have right in front of us in order to be successful. Become an expert in one thing before branching out and focus on niching down in your industry.
15:59 – Make yourself “less relevant”. Being a great leader sometimes means taking a step back and empowering your team to step in. Learn how Trevor has created systems and processes that have allowed him to gain more freedom and flexibility, while still being the voice of the brand.
23:31 – Leaders must make tough decisions. When we avoid them, we put the successes of our business, our team, and ourselves at risk. Hear why turnover is a sign of a healthy culture… to a certain point.
28:17 – What’s the difference between transactional leadership and transformational leadership? Transactional leadership worked for Trevor until Carrot hit around the $1 million revenue mark. It’s reacting and delegating. It’s creating basic processes for how to complete tasks. Transformational leadership is empowering and unleashing your team, ultimately freeing you up from small tasks. It’s done by asking “What’s the outcome we’re looking for? and What’s the way we measure success? And “What’s blocking you?” Write down where they’re blocked and invest in the time to train them on decision making – design a process that guides them through the right questions to ask.
46:20 – I used to say I wasn’t a morning person. A habit tracker is the key tool that helped me change that…. and I’ve never even been good at habits!
52:34 – Accountability is misconstrued. You can create it for yourself through social pressure, measurements, and honesty. Habits that get you thinking about things differently.
ADDITIONAL CARROTCAST EPISODES
The Secret To True Happiness For Ambitious Entrepreneurs w/ Seth Buechley: CarrotCast
My Struggles And 8 Success Lessons Learned… From Paying Taxes With My Credit Card To Multi-Million Dollar Businesses:CarrotCast
What’s Your Credibility Score? The Top 5% Of Earners Are Doing These “Simple” Things To Build More Credibility In A Cluttered Market w/ Trevor Mauch: CarrotCast
We want to hear how we can make our products better and what we can do to help you! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram
This blog post will explore how real estate wholesalers can make the most of virtual real estate business opportunities.
What is Virtual Real Estate Wholesaling
Real estate wholesalers traditionally relied on physical interactions with properties, buyers, and sellers to conduct their business. However, with the rise of technology and changing times, virtual real estate businesses have become the new norm.
Virtual real estate wholesaling is a method of buying and selling properties without physically visiting them. It involves using technology such as virtual tours, video conferencing, and other online tools to evaluate and market properties to potential buyers.
Virtual wholesaling is a natural fit for the current technological era, where people are increasingly comfortable conducting business virtually.
Real estate wholesalers who operate virtually have fewer geographical limitations and can reach a broader audience. They can market properties to potential buyers from anywhere in the world, which can help them close deals faster and more efficiently.
Virtual wholesalers can also save time and money by avoiding traveling to properties physically or meeting with clients face-to-face.
The virtual real estate wholesaling process typically involves finding properties that are in distress or need significant renovations. Virtual wholesalers can find these properties through online listings, public records, and other online resources.
They then negotiate with the seller to buy the property at a discounted price and market it to potential buyers. Virtual wholesalers often use virtual tours and other online tools to showcase the property to potential buyers.
Once a buyer is interested in the property, the virtual wholesaler uses video conferencing to negotiate the deal and finalize the sale. This process allows wholesalers to close deals quickly and efficiently without needing physical meetings or travel.
Virtual Real Estate Wholesaling Pros and Cons
Virtual Real Estate Wholesaling Pros
Virtual real estate wholesaling has several advantages that can benefit both wholesalers and their clients. Here are four virtual real estate wholesaling pros:
Broader audience: Virtual real estate wholesalers can reach a broader audience because they are not limited by geographical location. They can market properties to potential buyers from anywhere in the world. This can increase the chances of finding a buyer quickly and closing deals more efficiently.
Lower costs: Virtual real estate wholesaling can save time and money by avoiding physical travel to properties or in-person meetings with clients. Wholesalers can conduct business from anywhere with an internet connection, reducing overhead costs and increasing profitability.
Efficient deal-making: Virtual real estate wholesaling enables wholesalers to close deals quickly and efficiently. They can use online tools such as virtual tours and video conferencing to evaluate properties and negotiate deals with potential buyers. This can save time and resources, enabling wholesalers to close more deals and increase revenue.
Increased flexibility: Virtual real estate wholesaling allows wholesalers to work remotely and operate on their own schedules. They can conduct business from anywhere with an internet connection, giving them more freedom and flexibility in their work. This can increase job satisfaction and help maintain a healthy work-life balance.
These benefits make virtual real estate wholesaling an attractive option for anyone looking to enter the real estate industry.
Virtual Real Estate Wholesaling Cons
While virtual real estate wholesaling has several benefits, it also has some potential drawbacks that should be considered. Here are four virtual real estate wholesaling cons:
Limited personal interaction: Virtual real estate wholesaling lacks the personal touch of in-person meetings, making building relationships with clients challenging. Wholesalers may struggle to establish trust and rapport with potential buyers and sellers when they are not meeting face-to-face.
Limited property evaluation: Virtual real estate wholesaling relies heavily on online tools to evaluate properties, such as virtual tours and photos. This can be challenging, as these tools may not always provide a comprehensive view of the property. Wholesalers may need to rely on third-party professionals, such as inspectors, to provide more detailed property assessments.
Technology limitations: Virtual real estate wholesaling depends on technology such as video conferencing, virtual tours, and other online tools. Technical issues can occur during online meetings, which can cause delays or make it challenging to communicate effectively. In addition, not all clients may be comfortable using these tools, which can limit the pool of potential buyers and sellers.
Competition: Virtual real estate wholesaling is growing, and competition can be fierce. Wholesalers may need to work harder to differentiate themselves from their competitors and build a strong reputation in the industry. This can be challenging, particularly for new entrants to the market.
Limited personal interaction, limited property evaluation, technology limitations, and competition are all factors that can affect the success of virtual wholesalers.
5 Things to Know Before Committing to Virtual Real Estate Wholesaling
Virtual real estate wholesaling can be a lucrative and rewarding career, but it is essential to prepare carefully before jumping in. Here are five things a real estate wholesaler needs to know before trying virtual wholesaling:
Familiarize yourself with local regulations: Real estate laws and regulations can vary significantly from state to state and even from city to city. Researching and understanding the laws that apply to your area before starting your virtual wholesaling business is essential. You should consult a real estate attorney to ensure you comply with all relevant regulations.
Build a strong online presence: Virtual wholesaling relies heavily on online tools and technology. Building a strong online presence through a professional website, social media, and other digital marketing channels is essential to attract clients and establishing credibility in the industry.
Understand the local real estate market: As a virtual wholesaler, you can operate in any market, but it is essential to understand the local real estate market where you will be working. Research the area’s market trends, demographics, and property values to identify potential opportunities.
Develop a network of industry professionals: Virtual wholesaling requires working with a network of professionals, such as attorneys, title companies, inspectors, and contractors. Building relationships with these professionals is essential to ensure your transactions go smoothly.
Invest in the right technology: To succeed in virtual wholesaling, you need the right technology tools. These can include video conferencing software, virtual tour software, CRM software, and project management tools. Investing in reliable and high-quality technology is essential to ensure that you can conduct business efficiently and effectively.
Conclusion
Overall, virtual real estate wholesaling is innovative in buying and selling properties. It enables wholesalers to reach a broader audience, close deals faster, and operate more efficiently. As technology advances, we can expect virtual real estate wholesaling to become an even more prevalent and essential part of the real estate industry.
Ready to build a virtual real estate business or transition your local business into a virtual one?
Use the above 5 steps to get started. And hit us with questions in the comments as you have em’. :-)
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast and Subscribe Below!
If you’re not coming up with ways to do deals more creatively, you’re wasting your sellers time.
Trevor Mauch, CEO of Carrot
Are you prepared for the changes up ahead? Investors, are you positioning yourself as the leader in your market?
The housing market tends to shift every 8-10 years and we’re already starting to see more change in 2019 than in the last 3-5 years. Last week, we gathered 12 top-earning real estate investors from around the country for our first ever 2-day long live Market Leader Summit to find out what they’re doing to thrive.
Here’s what we learned…
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast
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What a Shifting Market Means For Real Estate Investors in 2019
03:19 -Where the market is heading? Experts don’t predict a crash in 2019, but slower growth is anticipated and high-end markets will start to decline.
09:46 – Trends for real estate agents in 2019. Increasing time on market and more price appreciation, as growth starts to slow down.
11:59 – What about house flipping in 2019? With higher competition, slower closings and selective buyers, house flippers won’t be able to get away with as many mistakes in 2019. If you want to keep closing deals, you’re going to have to tighten up standards and pay attention to the details. Don’t underestimate fix-up costs and consider increasing repair expenses to compete in a more competitive market.
21:43 – With new iBuyer programs from Keller Williams and Coldwell Banker homebuyers will other options over real estate agents. I believe this could be a good thing… as long as you’re building credibility and creating content to stand out in your markets. What are you doing in your marketing to position yourself as the only solution for buyers and sellers?
28:00 – What one thing ruins successful real estate investors? Choosing to not get creative with making deals happen. Even with consistent, predictable leads, looking at every deal and trying to fit it into a “box” can cause you to go hungry. Other Investors like Tang Nguyen will be picking up all the leads you passed up.
37:39 – Remember that every successful investor started with zero deals and zero experience. It’s time to get creative. Which method is continuing to grow and prove sustainable over time? The ONLY marketing vehicle that keeps gaining momentum and continues to get better is online. RVM, cold calling, direct mail are all cyclical marketing methods.
ADDITIONAL CARROTCAST EPISODES
Negotiation Psychology: How To Talk With A House Seller to Close More Deals + Help More People w/ John Martinez: CarrotCast
100+ Deals This Year Turning Other Peoples DEAD Leads Into Deals / Tang Nguyen and the “Odd Brothers”: CarrotCast
What’s Your Credibility Score? The Top 5% Of Earners Are Doing These “Simple” Things To Build More Credibility In A Cluttered Market w/ Trevor Mauch: CarrotCast
We want to hear how we can make our products better and what we can do to help you! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast and Subscribe Below!
Don’t be so busy following other’s lives that you forget to be the author of your own.
Trevor Mauch, CEO of Carrot
Often times, when we feel really overwhelmed, and are just struggling to keep up, it’s probably because things are too complex. Maybe you’ve been trying to take more time off and get more freedom.
Maybe you’ve tried everything, but can’t quite seem to get there. The truth is, we can’t grow our businesses and gain more freedom unless we simplify.
On this mini CarrotCast episode I want to share with you a concept that has helped me de-clutter my life and get back more of my freedom and happiness.
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast
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Breaking Through the Ceiling of Complexity
02:26 – What the ceiling of complexity is and how it affects our happiness, our income, and our freedom.
03:28 – How simplification is the enemy of complexity.
05:56 – The first key to breaking through the ceiling of complexity: Process.
06:50 – Recognizing your productivity constraints and bottlenecks.
ADDITIONAL CARROTCAST EPISODES
Negotiation Psychology: How To Talk With A House Seller to Close More Deals + Help More People w/ John Martinez: CarrotCast
100+ Deals This Year Turning Other Peoples DEAD Leads Into Deals / Tang Nguyen and the “Odd Brothers”: CarrotCast
What’s Your Credibility Score? The Top 5% Of Earners Are Doing These “Simple” Things To Build More Credibility In A Cluttered Market w/ Trevor Mauch: CarrotCast
We want to hear how we can make our products better and what we can do to help you! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram
As in years past, Carrot and our members had an excellent year. Here’s a brief snapshot of some of the amazing stories and things that happened in 2018.
Our team grew by 10 this year as we continue to innovate and be the leader in our industry.
… and more!
Here we go!
Hundreds of Thousands of Leads … You’re Crushing It!
Our members made another big leap in lead numbers in 2018. With over 315,000 leads coming in this year (when you DON’T count phone call leads… which we can’t track in Google Analytics currently) you’re pulling in more AdWords, SEO, Facebook, and social media online leads as a collective group than any other real estate investor and agent lead generation platform… by far. Keep crushing it!
Carrot Member Goal Completions (Leads) January 1 – December 25, 2018
53% of Leads Came From Mobile Devices
53% of Carrot Member Completions (Leads) Came from Mobile Devices
Which States Converted More Leads? Well…
Carrot Member Completions (Leads) Per State – Top 10 –
Texas reigns as the busiest lead volume state in 2018. Compared to 2017, Missouri fell from the top 5 and Virginia cracked the top 10 overtaking Tennessee this year.
Major NEW Features Launched
A Core Value of ours is “Consistent Improvement and Innovation“… and both our members and Carrot continue to push this value. In addition to the features we released in 2018, we helped our members spend more time focusing on their business …
Here is a look back on some of the features our AMAZING team rolled out in 2018 (but not limited to)…
All of these while keeping our member’s needs in our focus.
Logo Credibility Bar
Hemlock Design
We Launched AgentCarrot!
For years, the way Carrot clients have dominated their markets online started with a highly optimized website (for SEO and lead conversion) then amplified with our content marketing tools and training.
We had been in the beta phase with AgentCarrot for the past year and after amazing, amazing feedback from our Agent members, we were crazy excited to release the full version in April.
Our vision is to continue to improve how real estate agents and investors grow their business leveraging the web.
We’d like to send a special thanks to all of those who contributed to AgentCarrot’s success. Both to our members and the Carrot team!
This year we were placed at the 699th fastest growing company in the nation according to the Inc. 5000 list. Major Kudos to the Carrot team and our members. We wouldn’t be here without an amazing product, team, and amazing members.
The CarrotCast podcast had over 97,000 unique downloads in 2018. Here are the top five episodes of the year.
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Negotiation Psychology: How To Talk With A House Seller to Close More Deals + Help More People w/ John Martinez
I see a lot of good, really good, salespeople and a lot of really bad salespeople. You can tell whose good by how often people talk and when they talk, what they say. So, real quick, the best salespeople in the world in all industries … they talk maybe 10% of the time and when they do open their mouths it’s with the question.
John Martinez
After 20 Years Tyler Was Going To Give Up Real Estate Until He Made These 3 Changes w/ Tyler Ford
Long story short, I had my main guy that had worked with for ten years, did all of my rehabs, totally trusted him. I was getting ready to go out of town and he was going to be finished with this job before I got back and I prepaid him and also loaded up a Home Depot card. I can home and no work was done and he was nowhere to be found.
Tyler Ford
How Krista Sold 144 Homes Last Year in One of the Hottest Markets – Her Strategy and Story w/ Krista Mashore
… Agents, if you’re out there listening, people need to like and trust you. I mean you’re going to have a much easier time of gaining clients if they know, like, and trust you. They get to know and trust you by seeing you. By you showing up everywhere. Why are you giving them value by you helping them and I’ll you value, value, value.
Krista Mashore
How to Stay Ahead of Current Real Estate Market Cycles to Build Financial Freedom w/ Ramon Gonzalez
You know guys, that’s a two-edged sword. Everyone talks about debt with things go right, but I’ve been there with that when it doesn’t go right. It’s like right now people say oh you know what I just start off the loan and take a little piece. What for? 12% sounds pretty nice and I still get to go hang out with my daughter. I want more life. I don’t want more drama or more headaches.
Ramon Gonzalez
What It Takes To Go From Being Broke to Closing 100+ Deals Per Year w/ Justin Colby
People talk about this a lot, you gotta believe it before you see it and I’m truly and example of this. I didn’t even really know how to do any of this but I believed I can make an impression in the real estate community. In the investment world I knew it could create an income that I would be happy with but I also knew I could create a life that I wanted.
Justin Colby
Hundreds of “Doses Of Awesomeness” From Our Members
We LOVE to hear stories from our members that are helping them change their businesses and their lives! So much that we have a dedicated #Awesomeness channel in Slack.
Here are just a few examples of the ones we get each and every week… not counting the hundreds that happen that we never hear about!
World-Class Net Promoter Score
Carrot 2018 NPS
How do you know if you’re providing value and happiness to your members? How do you know if you’re failing? By using “Net Promoter Score”. It’s basically a question that asks how likely you are to recommend Carrot to a friend or colleague.
With thousands of responses in 2018 the majority scored us a 9 or 10… leaving us with an impressive NPS of 68.8%.
To put that into perspective, here is what some of the most respected companies in the world have scored for their NPS:
One of our core values is to “Deliver WOW Through Great Service” we’ll continue to go all out in 2019 to make our clients excited, happy, and successful, and to change the way people expect companies to serve them in the future after they experience service the “Carrot Way”.
We Added 3300 YouTube Subscribers and Accumulated Over 2,500,000 Watch Time Minutes… That’s Over 1736 Days!
Two Carrot Team Retreats + Growing Our Team… Again
The Carrot team grew +10 this year as we continue to innovate and be the leader in our industry. Our first retreat took place in beautiful and at the time snowy, Sunriver, Oregon. Next, we took to the high seas. Well not quite. The Summer retreat was “boat access only!” in Lakeside, Oregon.
Retreats are a great way to pull back, celebrate wins, and deep dive into high-level planning for the future.
CarrotCamp (Spring and Fall 2018)
The 2017 CarrotCamp was such a hit, we had to double it. So, we decided to have one in the Spring and Fall of 2018. CarrotCamp is not like most events. It’s not just a workshop or seminar, nor is it a retreat.
We designed CarrotCamp so it fits more like an immersive experience where we deep dive into the campers world. It’s unplugging and getting out of the office and into nature. It’s also time to work with the Carrot team to get massive things done to uplevel marketing… all the while building relationships with other high-level real estate entrepreneurs that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Thank you again 2018 CarrotCampers!
Be on the lookout for CarrotCamp 2019 Editions. Kicking off May 20-21, 2019. Learn more about CarrotCamp Spring 2019.
What An Amazing Year. And We’re Grateful To Have You On This Journey With Us.
How Was Your Year?
How was your 2018? Let us know below in the comments section. The amazing, the fair, and the awful :-)
Also… fire up your 2019 and get momentum building?
These 2 resources are the most shared and commented we’ve ever made. They can change your life…
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast and Subscribe Below!
Most of us go into business for the freedom and finances, but if you don’t make the transition to impact and flexibility you’ll start to resent your business.
Trevor Mauch, CEO of Carrot
So you want to make a living in real estate? As a new investor, if you want to be able to weather the storms, you’re going to have to learn the tried and true strategies and tactics of the industry. Dylan has spent 15 years learning what works and adapting to the market in order to succeed. From private money to fix & flips to wholesaling, we’re going give you the tools and the advice you need to build a sustainable career as a real estate investor. Listen in!
Listen to the CarrotCast Podcast
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Secrets And Strategies From 15 Years of Successful Real Estate Investing
02:00 – Dylan Tanaka’s background as a Real Estate Investor
03:43 – How Dylan uses Carrot websites to help fuel his business.
07:29 – The first secret to his success as a real estate investor: private money.
10:13 – The strategy shifts Dylan made after the crash of ‘08 and how he got started in wholesaling real estate: private money, buying foreclosures, and fix & flips. 12:36 – The future of the real estate market and where it’s headed in 2019.
15:29 – Which marketing methods he’s using for his business, both online and offline.
16:31 – How to build credibility and earn people’s trust as a real estate investor.
19:19 – Why any old website for your business just won’t get you the results you need to run a sustainable business.
21:35 – Dylan’s current volume.
22:08 – Why you need to be involved in every real estate meetup in your local area.
25:12 – Strategies for investing and wholesaling in 2019.
29:56 – The best advice for new real estate investors.
33:11 – Tang Wynn’s story – Over 100 deals a year without cold calling or direct mail.
36:12 – Dylan’s “Why” behind what he does.
ADDITIONAL CARROTCAST EPISODES
Negotiation Psychology: How To Talk With A House Seller to Close More Deals + Help More People w/ John Martinez: CarrotCast
100+ Deals This Year Turning Other Peoples DEAD Leads Into Deals / Tang Nguyen and the “Odd Brothers”: CarrotCast
What’s Your Credibility Score? The Top 5% Of Earners Are Doing These “Simple” Things To Build More Credibility In A Cluttered Market w/ Trevor Mauch:CarrotCast
We want to hear how we can make our products better and what we can do to help you! Drop them in the comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Instagram
Your real estate landing pages could be costing you $10,000, $20,000, $50,000. That’s only one lost deal.
Relative to other popular 21st century industries (e-commerce, info product selling, affiliate marketing, etc) real estate is unforgiving. In many of those other industries, one lost deal might amount to $10 or $1,000 lost. But in real estate, players tackle each other on the pavement…
Without knee pads…
Or helmets…
Or teeth guards…
You get the point – one lost deal hurts. And it hurts bad.
But, that also means that one gained deal has an equally massive impact. And the fewer deals you lose to savvy market competitors, the more deals you gain.
In other words, you can turn that lost-deal dilemma into massive cash flow by transforming your real estate landing pages from an underperforming duds into a visitor-converting machine.
This is exactly why I’m going to show you how to optimize your real estate landing pages for conversion.
Follow these rules in your own market.
But first, a quick note about why your website isn’t converting as you want it to (the answer is simpler than you think).
What are Real Estate Landing Pages?
A real estate landing page is a standalone page, created specifically for a marketing campaign. It’s where a buyer, seller, or partner “lands” after they click on a link in ads, emails, or possibly organic SEO rankings.
The anatomy of a real estate landing page is pretty simple. You might be thinking:
Is there a specific design that always works the best?
How can we tell if a landing page is really working well?
What do I use to build my own real estate lead pages?
First, no, there isn’t a specific design that always works the best. What works really well for your real estate business and your market may not work as well as another design (or message) on another real estate website. But, there are elements that usually work well.
A clear and concise headline at the top of the page
A short description of what they’re about to get in exchange for their email address
A few bullet points listing out benefits of what they’ll get when they “opt-in”
An opt-in (a box where people can put their information in and submit it to you)
Really, those are the only elements that are extremely important and pretty much are needed on any landing page. Yes, you can use pictures and videos. Definitely test the video versus just the text with no video because you might find the one with just the text converts works better.
Are Your Real Estate Landing Pages Missing the Mark?
Someone arrives on your website…
Let’s imagine that they’re your ideal client.
They need the service you offer, they’re motivated, and they’re just looking for the right person to work with. After all, selling or buying a home is a big decision and they don’t want to make a mistake.
So they’re browsing around your website.
One of two things will happen in the end.
They’ll leave your website and find someone else to work with.
They’ll work with you.
Those are the only two options.
Assuming that this person needs your service, they’re going to work with someone.
Only one question remains to be answered, then…
Will that someone be you?
Or will it be your competitor?
How will that person make a decision?
Well, someone who needs your service – a motivated buyer or seller – is going to ask only a single question:
“45% [of consumers] said they have found something in an online search that made them decide not to do business with the person.”
If your business never gains trust, it’ll never get off the ground. If your business gains trust and then loses it, it’ll die a swift death.
But if your business gains trust and keeps it, the competition won’t stand a chance.
Not only will word-of-mouth springboard your business into next-level revenue, but online case studies and testimonials will create the same buzzing effect online – where growth potential is multiplied many times over.
More than likely, though, you’re having a different problem.
Namely, website visitors don’t trust you. They spend time browsing around your website and decide internally, “I’m not convinced.”
The good news, though, is you’re not doomed to repeat that trust-killing mistake over and over again.
There are tried-and-proven ways to build more trust, faster on any landing page.
6 ways, to be exact…
The 6 Rules of High-converting Real Estate Landing Pages
Rule Number 1 – Write an “I Have to Read More” Headline
Copyblogger reports,
“On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.”
If you’re going to convince someone to work with you, then you have got to start with a compelling headline. It’s the first thing website visitors read and it might be the last thing they read (especially if it sucks).
But, what constitutes a “good” headline?
Well, of course, a headline that makes people read more – that makes them feel like they have to read more.
To do that, your headline needs two elements.
Ambitious problem-solving offer.
Believable enough that your offer doesn’t sound too good to be true.
Strike those qualifying chords and visitors will keep reading.
Phrases like “You choose the closing date” and “Get a guaranteed ‘AS IS’ fair cash offer today” keep the headline ambitious and problem-solving enough to maintain the visitor’s interest, while phrases like “We buy houses in New York and throughout the Tri-state area” and “Hundreds of New York Tri-state area homeowners have sold the easy way with Sell Now Homebuyers” keeps it believable enough that the person will continue reading (or opt-in immediately).
It keeps interest and avoids the too-good-to-be-true curse of many other landing pages.
We do the same thing on our website.
Ambitious problem-solving: “Stop losing leads” and “Our real estate investor websites drive more qualified leads than any other platform.”
Believability: “Our members generated 60,088 real estate leads last month”
Don’t breeze by your headline without thinking much about it.
This is the most important part of your entire landing page. So make sure you include these two critical elements: ambitious problem-solving and believability.
Rule Number 2 – An Iconic Local Video or Image
Put yourself in the shoes of your target market for a moment.
Imagine that you type into Google, “Sell my house fast in Western Oregon.”
You click the first result and browse through the landing page. But something odd catches your eye…
There are pictures of palm trees…
And you know – being from Oregon – that there aren’t many palm trees here.
Is this person even from Oregon? you think to yourself.
Trust. Dead.
Well, the same thing can happen on your website, even if it’s not as big a mistake as putting palm tree pictures on an Oregon-based real estate website.
Something as simple as pictures that are irrelevant or unfamiliar to your target market can kill trust. This is why, for every city, you operate in, set up a new landing page with market-specific sales copy, images, and videos.
This is exactly what Dave Brown does on his website…
Or, here’s and real estate listing example. They use an image of the actual property as the background…
Even if you don’t live in the area, you operate in it.
And when people arrive on your website, they want to know that you’re familiar with the local market and capable of helping them in their specific situation.
City-specific images, videos, and landing page copy build far more trust than their vague or outright irrelevant counterparts.
Rule Number 3 – Sales Copy that Won’t Let the Reader Stop Reading
Your headline isn’t the only line that should make your visitor keep reading.
All of your sales copy should be like a slippery slope that people feel they have to keep sliding down. Each line leads to the next like meal cuisine at an Italian restaurant.
You just keep wanting more.
Here’s what this looks like on Home Downsizing Solution’s (another Carrot member) website:
Each phrase leaves the reader with a question… which naturally guides them into the following sentence… which then does the same thing. So on and so forth.
Before the reader knows it, they’ve read all of your sales copy and they’re convinced to work with you.
If you’re writing the words on your landing page and you start to get bored, so will your reader.
Change it up – use a surprising word or phrase, use a funny metaphor, or ask a compelling question.
Whatever you do, don’t let the website visitor lose interest.
Rule Number 4 – Big-promise Bullet Points
Everyone loves bullet points. In fact, a website’s visitors’ eyes tend to spring right to these helpful nuggets the moment they’re on screen.
Because, traditionally, bullet points tell us exactly what we’re going to get and that’s really what we all want to know when we’re going to open our wallets for something…
Okay okay… but what am I going to get?
Well, your target market is wondering the same thing.
This is why bullet points like this are so darn effective…
And this…
These easy-to-add (but crazy effective) black dots and blue checkmarks build massive credibility and make ambitious promises.
Remember, people, visit your website because they need a problem solved. And a bulleted list is one of the best ways to tell them how you’re going to solve their problem and why they should work with you.
Rule Number 5 – Proof of Concept
With a bulleted list, a compelling headline, and some unstoppable sales copy, you’ve made some big promises. Promises that – so thinks your target market – won’t be easy to keep.
Which is where proof of concept comes in.
You need to prove to your website visitors that the way you work, the promises you make, and the business you’ve created are all worthy of trust.
How do you do that?
Well, the best way is by using a past customer testimonial (video is best, but writing will do).
Consider, as an example, Dave Brown’s case study video… (WATCH)
Skip this step at your own risk.
The truth is… you can make all the ambitious promises in the world, but if you don’t back up those claims with cold, hard facts, people won’t believe you.
People are bombarded by more than 4,000 ads per day, which puts your target market’s trust for marketers at an all-time low. Everyone is making big promises and few people are keeping those promises.
Put another way, proof of concept is likely the most vital part of every single landing page you’ll ever create (in conjunction with a great headline).
Don’t skip this step.
Rule Number 6 – Include a Clear and Low-risk CTA
According to Protocol 80, Inc, 90% of people who read your headline also read your CTA (call-to-action)…
Because here’s the thing: after people know what you’re offering, they want to know what to do.
How do they take action? If they want what you have, how do they dive right in?
And a low, or no, risk CTA is exactly what they’re looking for. They don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars. They want to get started without pulling out their wallets and probably without even giving you a call…
Baby steps…
That’s why, at Carrot, we recommend a CTA that is something like this…
When someone fills this out, our system will send a lead notification via SMS text message straight to your phone. Then you can call the person and close the deal.
But you won’t be able to close much of anything if people land on your website, learn to trust you, and don’t opt-in because there isn’t a clear and risk-free CTA.
You can gain people’s trust all day long…
But that trust isn’t gonna make you any money until you ask those committed prospects to take action in your favor.
Conclusion
One, two, three lost deals…
It all hurts in the same way that gambling away $50,000 hurts…
Except you’re not gambling – you’re running a business.
And fortunately, running a business is far more predictable than visiting the casino. At least, it should be.
Remember, selling is science. And all you have to do to give your website a selling boost is add these 6 trust-building elements to each landing page, whether you’re a Carrot member or not…
But if you’re not…
We can get you moving in the right direction by giving you a high-converting website right now…
You’re working to build backlinks to your real estate website…
But after a few successes, you’re still not seeing an impact. You’re starting to wonder, “How many backlinks does it take to rank my real estate website in Google?”
After all, you’re busy building a business and you don’t have loads of time to guest blog for backlinks. You have better, more important things to do.
Still, it would be nice to outrank your competition on page 1 with some well-placed backlinks.
That’d mean passive traffic, high-quality leads, and less work/money to generate results.
Problem is, the way you’re building backlinks isn’t all that efficient and you’re not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel – which makes you wonder, “Will this ever work?”
That’s why I’m going to give you a general idea for how many backlinks you’ll need to start outranking your competition and then I’ll show you some quick, easy ways to build backlinks.
Let’s get started.
How Many Backlinks do you Need to Outrank your Competition?
While I’d love to answer that question with a specific number of backlinks… I can’t.
The answer depends on how many backlinks your competitors are building, your existing domain authority, your competitor’s domain authority, your overall SEO strategy, the quality of the backlinks you build, and a whole slew of other factors.
Having said that, though, there are a few things you should know about SEO in general when trying to increase your rankings with backlinks.
First off, the higher your current domain authority, the more difficult it is to increase your SEO power.
This just means that the more SEO authority you have, the harder it is to increase that authority with backlinks.
In the beginning, one or two high-quality backlinks might increase your domain authority and rankings significantly. As your website becomes more established, though, the competition gets increasingly fierce.
Of course, that also depends on how competitive your market is.
A friend and I put up a Carrot real estate investor website in Klamath Falls, Oregon – a low-competition market – and in just a week, the website was ranking 6th on the first page without us doing anything.
Since you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that didn’t happen in your market.
Which means you’ll need to put some energy into building quality backlinks. But here’s the thing…
Not All Backlinks are Created Equal
Some backlinks are more powerful than others. And these are the factors that determine how impactful any given backlink is on your rankings.
Anchor Text
Anchor text is the hyperlinked words that a backlink sits upon.
Because Google factors in anchor text when determining what the linked-to page is about and in determining how relevant your page is to the phrase you’re trying to rank for.
For instance, a backlink with anchor text that says, “Sell your home fast” would have a more positive impact on your rankings than anchor text that says “the market is healthy right now” or something else vague and irrelevant to your target keyword phrase.
When building backlinks, try to get anchor text that is relevant to the keyword phrase you’re trying to rank for.
Domain Authority
The domain authority and page authority of the page where you receive a backlink from helps determine how impactful that backlink is on your own domain authority.
The higher the domain authority of the website you received a backlink from, the bigger impact it’ll have your website.
This is a good way to gauge how much impact each backlink is having. After you receive a new backlink, check to see how much impact that backlink had on your domain authority. Just make sure that Google has re-indexed your website, otherwise, the impact won’t show up when you check.
To request priority indexing from Google, go here.
Relevance
It’s not just anchor text and domain authority that determine the quality of a backlink, it’s also the relevance.
If you get a backlink from a website that talks about how to conquer the emotional struggle of divorce, that backlink wouldn’t have as much positive effect on your target keyword rankings as one from a real estate website.
Ideally, the backlinks you build will be from websites relevant to real estate.
I’m not saying you should reject a backlink opportunity from an irrelevant website – those could still drive traffic and help diversify your backlink portfolio.
But I am saying that you should actively work for relevant backlinks instead of irrelevant ones. That will provide a higher impact on the links you build.
How to Build More High-quality Backlinks in Less Time…
You do need to build backlinks. But the number that you need to build greatly depends on how competitive your market is online.
So don’t ask, “How many backlinks do I need until I outrank the competition?”
You need backlinks to help your SEO and the more high-quality links you build, the better.
Ask, “How can I build good backlinks quickly and with less effort?”
HARO (which stands for Help A Reporter Out) is a great way to build backlinks and market authority all at the same time. Journalists sign up for HARO to get quotes and expert contributions from market experts. And you can sign up for HARO (for free) to become a source of expertise for those journalists.
Often times, if they choose to quote you, they’ll also give you a backlink.
Heck, you could even outsource this to a VA if you want.
The hashtag #JournoRequest is another direct line to journalists who’re writing online articles, seeking expert contributions.
By searching the hashtag on Twitter, your page will populate with lots of different online writers who’re looking for specific types of contributions. Most of the time, they’ll have no problem providing a backlink in return.
Again, this is so simple that you could pay a VA to scour Twitter for you and look for backlink building contribution opportunities. You’ll just have to provide them with expert quotes when they find one.
3. Podcast Pitching
An oft-forgotten and easy way to build relevant backlinks is by being a guest on real estate podcasts. Many podcast hosts today record their episodes digitally over a video call, so you don’t need to worry about traveling.
And the easiest way to find these podcasts is by Googling something like “real estate investing podcasts” or “small-business entrepreneurship podcast.”
Remember, the smaller the podcast, the easier it will be get accepted as a guest. The more prestigious the podcast, the more difficult it’ll be.
Then, find an email on their website or a “Contact Us” form and use this template to pitch your idea (or have a VA do it for you).
Subject: Quick idea…
Hey [name of person or business]!
My name is [name] and I’m a real estate [investor/agent] in [location]. My business has [build credibility with revenue numbers, media mentions, or a testimonial from a past customer]. And I’d LOVE to be a guest on your podcast to discuss [pitch a relevant topic you’d be comfortable discussing].
What do you think? Is that something we could set up?
Let me know! I’d be happy to get it on the calendar. :-)
Cheers,
[Name]
4. Testimonial Offers
One final way to build your backlink portfolio in very little time (but with a big impact) is to offer testimonials for online businesses where you’re a customer.
All online businesses are looking for testimonials from their customers. And most of them won’t bat an eyelid at your request for a backlink in return.
Just make a list of all the online tools you use and love. Then send those businesses an email with your testimonial, asking for a backlink in return. Here’s your swipe-able template for that.
Subject: I LOVE your company…
Hey [name of business or person you’re pitching]!
My name is [name] and I’m a real estate [investor/agent] in [location]. I’ve been using your service for [length of time] and it’s completely changed the way that I do business. I love it so much that I wanted to send over a testimonial that you can use if you feel so inclined. :-)
“[Testimonial].”
I hope you can use that testimonial to encourage others to use your [service/tool/product]. It’s been absolutely amazing.
Thanks for building something so genuinely helpful.
And if you do decide to use the testimonial, it would be awesome if you’d include a link to [your website] when quoting me.
Either way, keep up the good work. :-)
Cheers,
[name]
Conclusion
So, how many backlinks does it take to start ranking your real estate website on Google?
The honest but terrible answer is…
It depends.
Fortunately, building backlinks do help your rankings. The trick is to build as many high-quality backlinks as you can and watch how those links improve your rankings. And with the time-saving (even outsource-able) strategies above, you can increase your domain authority without guest blogging.
So go get started. And don’t stop until you’ve beaten the competition.
