Am I just doing what's easy?

Question

In my world, making and working on websites is easy. I'm learning about SEO and applying it to my site, and (as far as I can tell) am doing so in leaps and bounds. I'm also doing my own social media, and generating most of my own content using help and examples (not plagiarizing) from other sites. I've heard from several people now that they are getting most of their best deals from their websites. I do plan on doing direct mail as well, but the cheapest easiest thing for me to do as a "broke wholesaler" this makes sense for me while I get everything else going. I decided to jump into real estate investing 2 months ago.

Here are my questions:

1. Would you guys still consider working on a website to generate leads as being productive (one of my friends at work seems to think so).

2. Do you personally consider what I'm working on difficult?

3. What else should I be working on?

4. How can I be more productive (I have been using lists with action items)

I've been working on this during nights and weekends, and have yet to get a real lead. Any suggestions? My site address shows up in my signature below if you'd like to check it out. I'm going for functionality before aesthetics, those will come later. Thanks in advance!

Aaron Montague · Answer

@Dante Nava

You have a good start.  My next step would be business cards with your site address on them.  Grab a map and start canvasing neighborhoods.  Put your card under doors with a personal touch "I love the grand front porch" or "Great location, I have people who'd like to buy this house!"  Mark each place you've hit up.  If you don't get any hits from the cards (they will be rare) find out who owns it and send them a note or give them a call.

Your goal is to find places that are going to make other people money.  Become the all knowing guru of real estate in your city.  And make sure everyone knows that you are the man to find when it is time to turn over some real estate.

Put that website out in every conversation you have.  Hand out business cards and ask people if they are thinking of sell any property they have.  If they aren't, tell them to look for any future sales they might be interested in.  Put a personal note on each card, "looking for multis" or "cash for beat up homes" that is pertinent to the conversation you just had.  Everyone knows someone that has something to sell, make sure they come to you with that information.

Your information if your business.  Make sure you know the names of every banker, broker, agent and buyer within 5 miles of your house.  Then expand that to 10, 25 and 100 miles away.  Go out of your way to send them cards, emails and questions.

Dev Horn · Answer

We have a guy in NC that put out bandit signs and got a single call from a woman who had 30 rental properties.  So, all the online stuff is great, and you should do ALL of that, but unless you're going to do pay-per-click, the volume of leads from SEO will be limited.

What can you do to get your message out in the PHYSICAL world - door hangers, flyers, signs, business cards, etc.?  And, what can you do to connect with like-minded people - REI clubs, etc.?  Meet with an investor-friendly real estate agent and get them sending you new listings (REOs, distressed properties, etc.) that pop up on the MLS...

That's my thought.  Many people try to play this game behind their computer screen and Google Voice number.  It's won by the guys that get out there and make sh*t HAPPEN!  =)

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Wendell De Guzman · Answer

I agree with @Dev Horn ...nothing beats face-to-face interaction and deal making. And I also agree with him that SEO takes too long. PPC works (I've done PPC marketing on a different business and I was able to put that business on page 1 of Google).

Now...here's a shocker. I don't even have a website for buying houses...and I am buying 1 house a week.

I have a blog for selling them but that's about it.

I am not saying you should not have a website. It gives you more credibility and you can use it to save yourself time in dealing with unmotivated sellers.

But here's the thing: I am sure a lot of the oldies here on BP still do a lot of transactions and they probably don't even have a website or even a blog. Websites are not mandatory to do a real estate transaction...but talking to people is.

Dev Horn · Answer

Yeah, Account Closed - I see your point.  Our website is awesome and I love the URL and all that, but our workhorse is direct mail and on those pieces we offer:

- Website
	- Toll-free 877 number
	- LOCAL phone number under the picture of our investor

Guess what 98% of people do?  They call the LOCAL NUMBER - because they assume they will connect to the investor immediately, vs. going thru a website or a "call center in India" (what people assume about toll-free #'s).

Do we think there is value to the website and toll-free number?  Heck yeah.  It gives us credibility.  But we KNOW the seller behavior is to call our LOCAL PHONE NUMBER.  If you have one of those  =)  you can kick a** in RE investing.

Dante Nava · Answer

Thanks everyone. I took your advice and placed an order for 2500 business cards with my name, number address and they say: "I want to buy your house". There's an offer on the back for referrals, and some extra space to write additional comments. Once they come in, we're grabbing the kids and going for some loooong walks down some streets I've been eyeballing and wanting to farm. They also have my web address on there, so we'll see if that gets any hits.

I don't plan on depending on the website to generate all of my leads, and I know the SEO takes time, for me though working on a website is just a matter of time and about $20. I just spent about $60 (with shipping and everything) for the business cards, which next paycheck (maybe as late as next month) I'll be able to do something else to add to my marketing, unless I'm able to bring in a deal with canvasing.

The "easy" and "cheap" marketing seems to run anywhere from what I spent above to a few hundred bucks. Either you're paying for signs and stakes, or you're paying for lists, postcards, postage and ink. What would you guys do for the most "bang for my buck"? Thanks!

-Dante

P.S. I'll be going to a TREIA (triangle real estate investors association) meeting this week too.

Dante Nava · Answer

@Dev Horn  and @Aaron Montague

Moving forward that is the plan. We just moved into our new place last month and am now moving stuff around with my 401k and ESPP at work so that I can put more money towards canvassing and direct mail marketing starting next month (including pay-per-click). Your recommendations are all easily actionable items they just do require, though small, some kind of money at least more so for Dev's ideas. Any recommendations on what to put on door hangers, post cards and business cards? Does each one have a more specific purpose, in so much as what you put on them (pictures, copy, colors)? Thanks again guys!

Am I just doing what's easy?

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