Combining my passion for internet marketing with real estate?

[John Carlstrom]

I'd really love to find a way to combine my passion for internet marketing with real estate. For 10+ years I've made most of my income from internet marketing (I've never had a "real" job), and I've done lead generation in some very competitive niches (home security, debt consolidation, etc.). 

I know I'm just a random stranger on the internet, but if you assume for a second that I am a great marketer, what do you think I could do to best leverage my marketing skillset with real estate? I'm a newbie when it comes to real estate investing, but I'm more than willing to put in the time to learn whatever I need to learn.

I've thought about becoming an agent. I live in the Seattle area so home prices are pretty high, so the commissions would be nice. But I realize that being a real estate agent isn't just about taking the course and "poof", you're an agent. It would be a lot of work (that part I'm fine with) but I'm not sure if I would enjoy the actual job of being a real estate agent. However, I am confident that I would be able to successfully generate buyer and seller leads at scale using Google/Facebook/Instagram ads, so I am tempted.

I've also thought about using my marketing experience to get leads for distressed properties and then wholesale them, but again I'm a newbie when it comes to investing in real estate, so I don't even know if that's practical in my area (Seattle).

Are there any other paths I could take that comes to mind?