BiggerPockets has become synonymous with real estate investing. You can learn about just about any topic under the umbrella of real estate if you’re willing to explore. There are bootcamps, calculators, articles, and a variety of other helpful resources that can help you get ahead.
And there’s an even more valuable asset readily available and waiting to be discovered: endless networking opportunities that can help you find your next business partner, team member, mentor, or confidant.
In an industry where relationships are paramount, establishing connections with peers proves indispensable for success. BiggerPockets facilitates this vital interaction through its platform. By harnessing the collective wisdom and expertise of a community of like-minded individuals, investors can deepen their comprehension, fine-tune their approaches, and ultimately propel their real estate endeavors to new heights.
Follow these six steps to leverage various elements of the platform and make meaningful connections. By following these steps, next-level investing is right around the corner.
Craft a Friendly and Professional Profile
When someone clicks your profile, what do you want them to see? First impressions mean everything. A BiggerPockets profile is every real estate investor’s digital business card. It’s your opportunity to showcase everything you’re working on and tell people more about yourself.
There are a variety of ways that you can optimize your profile to get more interaction from peers, including:
Add a picture of yourself
There are so many questions that come to mind when your profile lacks a picture. Is this person legit? Are they a bot? A profile picture lets other investors know that you’re a real person. In a world that continues to be overtaken by technology, simply adding a picture increases your trustworthiness.
Showcase your background
Everyone loves a good story. Sharing yours will make you more relatable to others. It gives context into who you are as a person, where you came from, and what you hope to accomplish in the real estate space.
When crafting your story and showcasing your background, here are a few pointers:
- Highlight your expertise: When getting started, many investors wonder how they can get people to work with them or lend them money. Put yourself in a potential lender or partner’s shoes—what would you want to see? Those with real estate experience can explain exactly what they do within the industry and how they fit into a transaction. But even if you don’t have a background in real estate, remember: Skills in other industries matter. For example, you could have sales experience or be great with numbers from your day job as an analyst. People viewing your profile are always looking for those with skill sets that complement their own.
- Share your deals: Take a few minutes to upload pictures of deals you’ve done and add a bit of a backstory. This will let profile viewers see your work and investment strategies and even gauge your experience level. If you’re just starting out, you might not have any deals to share. Don’t let that stop you from setting up the rest of your profile.
- Integrate keywords: When someone has a specific goal in mind, they tend to skim for related terms. For example, a person skimming your profile might be looking for other flippers. If they don’t see terms like “fix and flip” or “flipping houses,” how would they know what you’re doing?
Try to add related terms where they fit naturally into your profile. It doesn’t need to be forced.
Share your information
Your BiggerPockets profile is a launching pad. People will look at your profile and then check you out on other platforms. Add information that you feel comfortable sharing, such as your:
- Company website
- LinkedIn profile
- Other social media accounts
Even if someone only looks at your BiggerPockets profile once, they might start following you on social media or email you as a result of this information. The more exposure you give yourself, the higher the likelihood of making connections.
Another tip on this topic is to keep the end goal in mind. If you’re a real estate agent, you probably want people to see the success you’ve had selling properties so they work with you when it’s time to list. As a contractor, you want to showcase high-quality work to entice value-add investors to reach out. Adjust your profile and related information according to your objectives.
Level up your membership
Another way to make your profile stand out is to upgrade your membership. This tier comes with distinct benefits from a user experience perspective. It shows onlookers that you’re serious about investing and helps you stand out when commenting.
For networking purposes, remember that the blue or gold color indicating your membership level will draw people to your profile.
Establish a Company Presence
In an industry where trust and credibility are paramount, cultivating a strong company profile on BiggerPockets can be a powerful asset. Bolster your reputation and expand your visibility within the real estate community by creating a company profile.
For real estate investors representing a company, a robust presence on BiggerPockets is not just beneficial; it’s imperative. By developing a strong company profile on this platform, companies can effectively showcase their expertise, professionalism, and integrity to a wide audience of potential clients, partners, and collaborators.
Position yourself as an industry expert
In a crowded space, the best way to stand out is to put your expertise on display.
At the heart of a compelling company profile lies the provision of comprehensive information that paints a vivid picture of the company’s values, mission, and areas of specialization. From detailing the company’s history and achievements to highlighting its unique selling propositions and service offerings, every aspect of the profile should be carefully curated to resonate with the target audience and inspire trust and confidence.
Moreover, a robust presence on BiggerPockets not only enhances credibility but also expands visibility within the real estate community. With millions of active members engaging on the platform, companies have the opportunity to reach a vast audience of industry professionals, influencers, and decision-makers.
By actively participating in forum discussions, sharing valuable insights, and offering expert advice, companies can position themselves as trusted authorities and attract attention from prospective clients and partners.
Reviews build credibility
When you go out to dinner, chances are you look at Yelp or Google to research the restaurant.
Rave reviews are social proof that the restaurant is worth going to. Bad reviews do the opposite. And when there are no reviews for an established business, potential customers will likely be skeptical.
Customer testimonials are equally important as a real estate business owner. Ask your customers to give you a review and build up your reputation on BiggerPockets.
Dig Into the Forums
The heart and soul of BiggerPockets lie within its forums—a treasure trove of knowledge and insights waiting to be uncovered. Whether you’re a fix-and-flip expert or a buy-and-hold aficionado, there’s something for everyone.
Most people use the forums to get their questions answered or learn more about a given topic. Both are excellent ways to level up your knowledge. However, to stand out as an active community member, you need to start answering questions and commenting on forum posts. This is where you can add tremendous value to your peers.
How to get started in the forums
The hardest part of commenting on forum posts is knowing where to start. Depending on your experience level, here are some suggestions for how you can participate:
1. Look for topics and categories that you have expertise in: For example, a multifamily investor can probably answer questions about analyzing a deal, discuss the best cities for this strategy, or share anecdotes from personal experiences.
2. Sort by location: This is the most impactful strategy because it allows you to connect with like-minded people in the same geographic location. If you’re from or invest in certain markets, you can help those trying to break in. There might be intricacies of an area that spreadsheets don’t account for or new building projects that a municipality recently announced that change the outlook in an area.
3. Focus on unanswered questions: By being the first to respond to a question, the person asking will be grateful. It also puts your ideas (and your name) atop the list as more people begin to build upon what you already said. As such, it increases the likelihood that people will reach out to you for more advice or simply to thank you.
4. Become the BiggerPockets community welcome party: As a newbie, you might not have much to add in terms of specific investment knowledge. However, you can still provide tremendous value to others. You can upvote people’s posts that you agree with or feel gave insightful responses. Even by welcoming new members to the community, people will feel heard.
How to comment on forum posts
Contributing meaningfully to forum discussions on BiggerPockets isn’t just optional—it’s where the real magic happens. Active participation and engagement within the forums are essential for building connections, sharing knowledge, and establishing yourself as a valuable community member.
Every investor brings a unique perspective and set of experiences to the table. By actively participating in forum discussions, you can share your insights, offer guidance, and provide solutions to fellow investors who may be grappling with challenges or seeking advice. Whether it’s sharing lessons learned from a recent deal or offering strategic advice on market trends, your contributions have the power to make a meaningful impact on the community.
Here are some rules of thumb you’ll want to keep in mind as you begin commenting:
- Maintain a positive tone, or don’t comment at all: Cultivating a culture of support and camaraderie is crucial. We’re on BiggerPockets to lift one another up, not to pick fights. Even if you disagree with someone, make sure to do so respectfully and with supporting evidence.
- Give detailed answers that further the conversation: Be sure to read the question and try to address each of the points. It’s also crucial to provide a unique perspective rather than repeating what others say.
- Always tag the person/people you’re addressing: That way, they see that you answered the question.
- Upvote other contributors who provide valid points: This small gesture goes a long way!
Why create content on BiggerPockets?
Content is such a valuable resource. It helps you educate the audience and positions you as a subject-matter expert. Over time, this can make you a go-to authority on topics that you write about.
If you’re trying to build your personal brand, this is also a great way to start conversations with your audience. They might see your post and comment or even reach out to you directly. The key here is to do it consistently enough to start getting people’s attention.
The other great thing about blog posts is that you can recycle content elsewhere. For example, you can repurpose your forum content into social media snippets. Break down the main points and spread them out over the course of the week. This can be the start of your social media posting schedule, which you can build upon.
Nurture Meaningful Connections
Over time, you’ll begin to see familiar faces in the forums and elsewhere around the platform. Those same people will see your name come up a lot as well from your interactions in the forums.
At this point, some people will reach out to you (inbound) to start conversations, while you may have to begin dialogues with others (outbound). This is where the magic happens. By showing genuine interest in others, you will begin to make meaningful connections.
Outbound connections
BiggerPockets allows you to connect with other members. When you find someone you’re interested in reaching out to, the best thing to do is send them a connection request with a short two- to three-sentence message. A note might look something like this:
Hi John,
I really liked your comment about the 70% rule in the flipping forum. Just wanted to connect because I see that you operate in Dallas, which is a market that I’m interested in. Would you be open to a 15-minute call next week to discuss the parts of town you like to invest in? Let me know what times work best for you.
Thanks,
Kyle
This is a highly targeted message with a great chance of getting a response. It starts with a personalized compliment and context for where I discovered John. My message also shows John that we have common interests: flipping and Dallas, Texas. Finally, it has a clear call to action with a definite time frame.
By using this template, you’re sure to get calls scheduled.
Inbound connections
Over time, you’ll also start to get inbound messages. When you do, you want to respond in a timely manner. If people seem genuine, try scheduling a call and seeing what happens. Pro tip: Having a calendly makes it easier to facilitate meetings/calls than going back and forth.
Stay Motivated and Focused with Networking Efforts
Networking on BiggerPockets is an ongoing process. Continue to engage with the community, share valuable insights, and nurture relationships to expand your network and grow your real estate business.
By following these steps, you can unlock the full potential of BiggerPockets and take your real estate journey to new heights. Whether you’re seeking advice, partnerships, or opportunities, BiggerPockets is the ultimate platform for real estate enthusiasts to connect, learn, and succeed.
Final Thoughts
At its core, BiggerPockets is more than a platform—it’s a vibrant ecosystem designed to empower and enrich real estate enthusiasts of all types. With its robust community, abundance of resources, and myriad networking avenues, BiggerPockets is the ideal place to build your network. It’s time to harness the power of BiggerPockets as a networking tool.
Ready to succeed in real estate investing? Create a free BiggerPockets account to learn about investment strategies; ask questions and get answers from our community of +2 million members; connect with investor-friendly agents; and so much more.
Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.
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