How I Grew A Real Estate Business All Through The Internet

Moving to a big city to begin a career in real estate was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. I moved to Dallas, TX without knowing a single soul all in hopes of becoming a successful real estate agent. Little did I know at the time, to get going in real estate, you had to have a network. In the real estate business, this is commonly known as a “sphere of influence”. I remember sitting in my first real estate training class listening to the instructor give recommendations on how to get going fast. He said things like “Call your database, send handwritten cards, ask for referrals” I quickly realized what I had gotten myself into.

I questioned myself over and over again and wondered how would I make it in this business if I knew no one? The only thing I could think of was to become popular on social media.

Before I got my real estate license, I worked in marketing. I started a company back in Georgia where I built websites and did graphic design for other companies. Both of those trades were self-taught. I spend countless days and nights just researching the internet. I researched things like SEO, blogging, and lead-generating so that I could provide those services to others. I became super familiar with what worked and how to turn a company from unknown to well-known all through the internet.

That’s when I discovered my advantage. I was finally going to make the internet work for me and my new business. Fast forward to today, my real estate business is booming. I’ve sold millions of dollars in residential real estate. I remember when I cashed my first commission check how nostalgic it was knowing that it started all online. Now, I won’t say it was quick and it definitely wasn’t easy but it happened. If you’re reading this you probably want to know what I did.Well, here’s how I did it:

Step 1: I Established myself on search engines. I knew this was going to be really important. I wanted to make sure that if anyone decided to Google my name, that they would find relevant information about who I said I was. People turn to the internet for pretty much everything these days. Even if someone gives you a recommendation, you’re probably going to search the person or company to see exactly what is out there about them. I got to work making myself “available” online. This wasn’t easy but I did it. It took lots of time and research but my goal got accomplished.

Step 2: I set up clear and consistent marketing. It wouldn’t help just being on the search engines if no one knew to look for me. So, I had to put myself out there. I started creating marketing pieces and began circulating them online. It wasn’t just dropping images in places, I had to create clear and well thought out marketing plans that would attract others to me.

Step 3: I built a network on social media. This is when things got fun. I first had to add myself to all of the social media platforms. There are way more social media networks than most people know. I, of course, started with the major ones but then I made my way to the smaller ones as well. I made friends and got connected with other people in my industry and with the general public. With doing this, though, I had to make sure I was targeting the right people and approaching them the right way. This is where I began building my “sphere of influence”

Step 4: I grew a fan base. The fans or general public were the ones to skyrocket my popularity. I didn’t just grow a fanbase in my local area, I did it nationwide. This is a step that most don’t do. What this did for me was it put me in the position to receive referrals from just about anyone. I had to do this step last because ultimately, people were going to do their research beforehand and I had to make sure everything was in place first.

Today, I’m proud of the success that I have had. I have literally gone from not knowing a soul to an email list of thousands of people nationwide. My business grew exponentially in a short period of time simply because of this. Getting to this point, again, hasn’t been easy. There was lots of trial and error involved. There was also a lot of research involved. Luckily, it has worked out for me so far.

Things are to the point where many other agents in my industry are asking me how I did it. It’s humbling to be looked at as an expert, especially in marketing. For this reason, I decided that it’s time for me to help others. I am at a comfortable place where I feel my knowledge should be shared and I’m more than happy to do it.