Does that phrase sound familiar?
It should. The craze that’s still hitting the nation is Pokémon-Go – this video on the linked page can show you some highlights of how this game is played.
Sure, Pokémon-Go seems like a kid’s game. Sure, you’ve probably heard of people walking off cliffs and getting hit by cars playing it. Most investors want tech ideas in these articles that will lead to more money. Pokémon-Go might seem a little immature…
But check out these facts as well:
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The average Pokémon-Go player is a 25-year-old, college educated white woman making $90,000 a year
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46% of players are between the ages of 18 and 29, and 45% of them make over $50,000 per year
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'Pokémon-Go' is about to surpass Twitter in daily active users on Android (if it hasn’t already as of the writing of this lesson)
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It is also more popular than Facebook
Think about some of these facts…
Pokémon-Go is fitting in the sweet spot of people who might be first-time homebuyers. Or great potential renters. And with more people playing Pokémon-Go than checking out Facebook or Twitter, it has a huge potential audience for advertising.
More women play Pokémon-Go than men. Guess who makes the big decision on where to live when couples or families look at houses?
So How Can I Use Pokémon-Go?
You don’t have to be a Pokémon master to understand how to use Pokémon-Go to build your business. There are ways you can interact with the game to help bring Pokémon-Go players to you.
Pokémon-Go players try to catch as many Pokémon as possible, and use the Pokémons to win battles at ‘gyms.’
Pokémon-Go is a very active game using a sort of virtual reality. You move your character by walking around in the physical world. The game uses your phone’s GPS coordinates to figure out where you are, and then puts Pokémon characters and other prizes around you.
The trick for real estate investors is to be where the good stuff is. The good stuff includes:
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Pokestops where players can collect more Pokeballs and other prizes. Pokeballs are used to capture Pokémon creatures.
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Gyms where players can battle other players.
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Rare Pokémon that are hard to find and collect.
A website called PokemonGoMap.info can show you where these attractive items can be found.
If you happen to have a property on one of these sites, you’re in luck. You will have people coming by on a regular basis. If you’re not so lucky, you can still use Pokémon-Go to get people to your property.
Say you have an open house to sell a property. Or you want a bunch of college kids to come check out your rentals. Why not put a sign at a gym location or where rare Pokémons hang out? Your sign can say ‘free cookies’ or ‘free sodas’ nearby. As people search for Pokémons, they will see your sign.
By going into the game itself, you can purchase coins ($0.99 for 100) that other players collect. You can offer to transfer them to the other players if they come see your house.
Still not finding good places to put your signs or advertising? Pokémon-Go can help further. Once you buy your coins, you can purchase a ‘lure.’
The ‘lure’ does what you think it would do: It lures Pokémon creatures close to it. Those creatures, in turn, lure players (potential buyers and renters).
There are many videos and articles on how to use lures to bring potential customers into their businesses.
Why should real estate investors be any different?
The folks at Niantic, the creator of the game, are constantly updating and upgrading the game. They are also trying to make it more helpful to businesses (for a price of course). It may be worth keeping up with these developments.
It’s always good to get traffic through your houses. Not only does it give you more potential buyers or renters, but the extra traffic helps people think there is a lot of interest in the home.
More Interest = Higher Prices
You Poken’ Around?
We’d love to hear from you if you’ve used this strategy to grow your business and get traffic to your properties. Share below.
Always Be Testing – See what kinds of marketing works and what doesn’t. Double down on the good stuff. Cancel the bad stuff.
Have Fun – Don’t make real estate investing drudgery. Play around with it. People like to associate with others who love what they are doing.
Don’t Neglect the Tried and True – Some fads might help you out, but don’t neglect your core business plan chasing the latest shiny object. Keep testing, but don’t neglect the stuff that works.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.