3 Best Online Lead Generation Strategies for Mortgage Brokers
Across the mortgage industry and virtually all types of enterprises, leads are the lifeblood of business. It’s pretty difficult to sell a product or service if you don’t know anyone who needs it.
If this were 1998, you’d hear all about “cold-calling” and “buying lists” and other traditional marketing strategies. However, it's 2020, so focusing on digital strategies and digital selling tools like websites, Instagram, and Google is a must. In fact, by activating online lead generation, you’ll generate leads for home loans in your sleep.
How to Generate Leads for Your Independent Mortgage Shop
Ready to build a steady pipeline for your business? Let’s take a look at a few lead generation strategies that will take your mortgage shop to the next level.
Local SEO
Once you’ve put in the hard work establishing your brand and building your website, it’s time to put it to use. Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a mandatory inclusion in your lead generation strategy. When done well, SEO can help you advertise your mortgage broker business and services to local buyers at the exact time that they’re searching for you.
Your website will typically be represented in the search results by its title and description, so you’ll want to make sure you include keywords, like ‘local Austin mortgage broker’, and terms that are relevant for your local market.
Here’s a quick example of how this works:
Your buyer searches for “mortgage companies near me.” As it is with many industries that conduct their business within the community, the first few search results will likely be listing sites like Angie's List or Zillow. After these mega listing sites, the homebuyer will see local mortgage companies. Maybe even before the mega listing sites, considering that the local Google map is likely the first thing read on the page.
Search engines aren’t biased toward any one business or brand. They serve the end-user (your client) who is scouring the web to find the most relevant answers to their most pertinent questions. A local SEO strategy allows you to use this “level playing field” to your advantage. If your mortgage broker business is the most relevant answer for local mortgage questions, search engines will drive new prospects to your site again and again.
Content Marketing
Remember those web searchers we talked about earlier? With content development, you’re able to speak to their interests and concerns directly. Google is processing 3.5 billion searches per day. It’s safe to say you’re ideal borrowers are among that pool, asking questions about how mortgage interest rates are calculated or if it’s safe for them to open a new line of credit.
As you begin to answer more mortgage-related questions for your community, they’ll start to rely on you for that knowledge. With a bit of consistency and time, you’ll build a reputation for yourself as a thought leader. By producing informative financial content for your audience, you build a long-distance relationship that encourages them to reach out when it’s time to buy. Having your site optimized for local SEO pays off here too, as local prospective homebuyers are more likely to see your mortgage broker website.
There are plenty of options for types of content you can create, and the best way to figure out what will work for your audience is to try them all.
Here are a few options to consider:
Blog posts
Videos
Infographics
Mortgage newsletters
Content development is the space to let your creative side shine. Have fun. Be yourself. And, stay compliant.
Social Media
In a few short years, social media has evolved from the latest fad to a fully-integrated part of our lives. With statistics showing social media users across the globe spend about 3 hours on social networks per day, this platform presents a major opportunity for you as an entrepreneur. Social media isn’t too far from traditional networking, the pace is just quicker. There are still networks and circles. There are still friends and friends of friends. The key difference is that it’s digital.
When you post a picture to congratulate your client on their mortgage closing (and tag them in it), they’ll see it, and so will their aunt who wants to refinance, or their wife’s work friend who’s curious about investment rentals. It’s all about providing value to the network, becoming an active participant, and letting the algorithms show that value to the right people.
There are a few options to choose from when it comes to social media, with Facebook and Instagram being the major players at the moment and Twitter maintaining its’ niche user base. As you experiment to find the right mix of content, you’ll want to test social platforms as well. You might be surprised by where your audience hangs out online.
Start Your Lead Generation Strategy Today
Hopefully, you’ve picked up on the theme here. If you want to generate leads online for your mortgage broker business, you’ll need to do three things:
Show up when your audience searches for you
Offer engaging informational mortgage content
Become an active member of your digital community via social media.
If you do this with consistency and help your clients become homeowners, the leads will come rolling in.
Are you ready to jump-start your career in the mortgage industry? Our team at BeAMortgageBroker.com is here to help you every step of the way.