Hi fellow MMMers
I'm more of a lurker than a poster, but I wanted to post about my YouTube Channel I just launched today.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdRtqnqBSq4GY7DGiYICu5gI'm trying to document my experience as a small landlord and RE investor in London Ontario. I started investing in RE just over 6 years ago and found myself having a very similar conversation over and over again. "That's so cool what you're doing with RE, I'd love to do it, but I wouldn't know where to start" etc. I'd usually refer them to my favourite blogs (MMM, ERE, Canadian Money Forums and Bigger Pockets mainly) as well as recommend books (Like Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Early Retirement Extreme etc) but no one ever seemed to take action. They'd be very pumped up about the idea but would never (or very rarely) follow through.
I'm hoping that by creating video content (that's hopefully engaging) that I can point people that I have that conversation with in the future to it, in the hopes it will be more effective in motivating them than a list of books and blogs to check out.
The first video (of a 6 part series) I just posted today about how I'm implementing the BRRRR (Buy Renovate Rent Refinance Repeat) investing strategy in my market.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeNqZOSbF0IAre there currently any other RE investors that are using YouTube to educate/market/for whatever purpose? Feel like sharing your channel? - I'd love to check it out and see what sort of content you're creating.
I'm not exactly sure what my end goal, or definition of success would be in regards to my channel, but my general thoughts were:
-I think video marketing (in conjunction with a social media presence) can be a very valuable tool to establish ones credentials and experience in the Real Estate market. In addition in my opinion, it's still a relatively untapped resource by most investors.
-It has several potential upsides (with the only major downside being the investment of my free time in creating the content)
-It seems plausible that long term it may help me generate potential joint venture partners or deals.
-It's forced me to learn a completely new skill set (in a field that I could see increasing in demand)
-It's fun and a complete change of pace from being a CPA
For those who are interested in potentially starting their own RE investing channel here's some details about what I used and how I approached it:
-a Cannon T4i DSLR camera (bought used off of Kijiji) - for under $600
-approx $500 in misc camera hardware (a second lense, two tripods, 2 memory cards, two cheap microphones mini-shotgun and lapel etc)
-I used a trial version of Premiere Pro to edit the films (and watched a Lynda Course on using Premiere Pro through my library membership)
-Pic Monkey and Canva for channel art and thumbnails etc
You don't need to spend $1000 though to start video marketing (I only did because I knew I wanted to commit to this project, and by spending my hard earned money I knew it would force me to make it a priority). Just start with your cellphone and walkthru one of your properties or a property your viewing as a potential investment or even just talk about one of the neighbourhoods in your market. 8 weeks ago (before deciding to start this channel) I didn't know what a DSLR camera was and didn't have an active Facebook or Instagram account... There are a million amazing youtube tutorials showing you how to create your own channel and how to shoot and edit film.
It was a lot more work than I had expected, but I've learned a lot about video marketing and social media in general as well. I think as RE investors we need to really embrace social media and video marketing in particular. Develop a niche and commit to it!
If you do decide to check out my channel - I'd love to hear your feedback. Are the current videos too short or long? Too in depth or too fluffy?
