Being a successful loan officer, real estate agent, or broker means continually expanding your business. 

The best way to do that is to put marketing strategies to work for you.

A successful mortgage marketing plan can help you generate leads and nurture and convert them into paying clients.

Getting started with a digital marketing strategy can be challenging if you’re unsure which tools will help you achieve the results you want.

Let us be your mortgage marketing resource today, as we show you the top tools and tips to attract leads and grow your business in 2022.

Marketing for loan officers vs. mortgage brokers

Before you work on a mortgage marketing strategy for your business, it’s important to distinguish the marketing needs for a mortgage loan officer vs. mortgage broker. 

While both roles are similar with common functions, the marketing approach you’ll take for each will be different. 

Mortgage brokers

Mortgage brokers deal with multiple lenders simultaneously, without a dedicated commitment to any particular lender. This means you’ll want to market yourself to both homebuyers and loan officers/lenders. Mortgage brokers focus on each unique loan application and strive to broker the best possible deal commissions. 

Mortgage loan officers

Unlike Mortgage brokers, loan officers work exclusively for a single lender. Loan officers work to facilitate deals based on that lender’s mortgage products only. In this case, you’ll market solely to homebuyers.

Shine a light on your individual strengths.

Both a mortgage broker and loan officers have unique strengths worth focusing on in a successful mortgage marketing strategy. 

Mortgage brokers work with multiple lenders. Because of this, they often have a larger potential client base to market to. 

There are many different types of marketing that brokers can take advantage of, as well as loan officers. But again, you’ll want to differentiate your content that markets to lenders vs homebuyers. 

This just means you’ll have to keep your audience in mind with each piece of content you create. You could produce a batch of articles directed at homebuyers for your website. And then work on marketing yourself and your services on social media, for example, to the lenders you want to partner with. 

While mortgage loan officers will typically only have products from a single mortgage lender to market to borrowers. The strategy will remain the same, however. Find out where your target audience is and market in those places. 

Whatever the case, build a quality client base

When you’re actively working at growing your business, the impulse to get as many potential clients as possible can be very tempting. 

Who doesn’t love a fat potential client list? 

Initially, it might seem like a strong move, but when it comes to clients navigating the mortgage loan process, it’s the quality that counts, not the quantity. 

To grow a successful mortgage business, the ultimate goal shouldn’t be strictly to have the largest client list. But instead, focus on achieving a quality client base. 

You’ll see greater benefits when every name on your list is a potential fit for your mortgage business rather than leads that fizzle out quickly and waste time. 

Resource: Analytic tools

When you set up Google analytics, SEM Rush, or other tracking tools, you can zero in on the information that your target audience is searching for. 

For example, which blog posts and content on your website get the most traffic? Which keywords are your target audience searching for online? How can you capitalize on them?

This data is a great indicator of what potential clients are looking for. Expand on these themes in other content areas to attract more visitors to your site.

Choose a niche to focus on

Finding a niche as a mortgage loan officer can help you stand apart from the competition. 

In addition, demonstrating expertise can be a great mortgage marketing strategy for growing your mortgage business.

Home buyers can be almost anyone — not everyone has the same needs when it comes to buying a home.

People are wonderfully diverse, with different household dynamics, not to mention interests, work/work-from-home demands, and personal preferences.

When a home buyer has a specific need, is in a specific financial situation, or is looking for a house with particular characteristics, they look for someone experienced with that situation. 

And that’s your chance to shine.

Start with a few questions, such as:

• What type of buyers do I generally prefer to work with?
• Which type of homebuyers do I work with most often?

Look for commonalities among recent successful clients. What characteristics do they share? Cultural? Financial? Geographic? Retirees? New Americans?

When you identify an area(s) you can specialize in, you’ve found your niche.

Resource: Target the niche

If you’ve decided to specialize in VA loans, for example, you’ll want to position that message in your marketing efforts.

Once you decide on your focus, you’ll then use tools like Surfer SEO to find appropriate keywords for you to include in your website’s landing pages and in the content you produce (which you should definitely be doing.) 

Content with these words included will improve the ranking for your website on Google, allowing more prospective clients to find you. 

Create and optimize a personally branded website

A personally branded website is arguably the single most effective marketing tool you can have in the mortgage industry. 

It’s the baseline that most consumers use to evaluate whether they will do business with someone. If you don’t have a website, you are losing out on business.

Think of your branded website to be your permanent home on the internet.

Clients and referrals can always find you through your website, whether you work now or in the future.

Even if you work for a national mortgage lender, having a simple one-landing-page website can help past clients keep track of where you are and what you’re doing as you move through your career.

Websites are also ideal for collecting contact information. 

By being active on different social media platforms, you can direct potential clients back to your website, where you can ask them to sign up for your newsletter. Every email address you get this way is a warm lead you can follow up with in the future.

At Kaleidico, we can help you create a branded website to suit your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for a basic webpage style or a more comprehensive website, we partner with you to create a website that represents your brand.

Create (and consistently update) a blog

Next to having a branded website, having a blog on that website is one of the best things you can do as part of a digital marketing campaign.

Not only does a blog help with lead generation by allowing search engines (and therefore potential clients) to find you, but it can also help you establish yourself as an expert in your industry.

By offering content on your blog that offers factual, actionable information for visitors, you’ll not only attract new visitors to your site, but you’ll begin to turn them into clients.

Another benefit to creating a blog on your branded website is creating a community of followers you can engage with on other social media channels.

When visitors to your site find your content has value, they will share it with all their friends and contacts on social media sites. That “referral” is another way to attract warm leads for your mortgage business.

Create video content

Video content can offer real value that corresponds with your blogs. 

You’ve already written about these topics, now just summarize the same points on camera. 

It almost goes without saying at this point that online users respond overwhelmingly to visual content. Videos optimize your content and provide another way for prospective clients to find value in your product.

Videos are also highly shareable. Post them to your website, share it on your social media, even create special email campaigns to go out to prospective and existing clients.    

The key to a successful video campaign is to focus on providing pertinent information your email recipients will use — and not ask anything in return.

Tools: your smartphone 

The concept of video can sound overwhelming. But the blog, and therefore your video content, is already created. 

Then it just comes down to equipment. 

We really don’t recommend anything more complicated than your own smartphone. 

The camera and sound quality on both iPhone and Android cameras are perfectly fine for professional filming needs. 

You could go above and beyond and purchase a ring light or lav mic, but you shouldn’t worry about extensive edits with filters and other effects. 

Even as far as editing, you could get more sophisticated with editing apps if you have the time. But again, these videos don’t need to be feature length films. 

Some rehearsal is all you need to shoot a short video in one take and upload it wherever you want. 

Utilize email automation

Email automation programs can be a mortgage loan officer’s best friend.

When combined with an email list of quality clients, an email marketing campaign can be a highly effective mortgage marketing strategy for a mortgage loan originator. 

Email marketing allows you to personalize your communications while increasing brand awareness. It also boosts your authority and credibility and is a great way to follow up with existing clients and attract repeat business. 

To get the most out of an email marketing approach, you’ll need to create comprehensive campaigns focused on providing the right information to the right audience at the right time. 

Rather than write emails begging for email recipients to book an appointment or tell customers about how smart or consultative you are, show them instead. Kaleidico recommends the following approach: 

• Start by identifying key questions and create an email sequence to address each question. 
• Create content that gives a deep dive answer to each question
• Ask your email list to reach out to you with any remaining questions

It’s simple and effective for creating a lead generation (and referral) system to grow your business. 

Focus on referrals

Referrals are a great starting point when it comes to mortgage lead generation.

These warmer leads are one of the least resistant, most effective mortgage marketing ideas—because you aren’t starting from scratch. You can leverage your pre-existing relationship and get great results by reaching out to past clients.

Tools: Reviews and Testimonials

After successfully helping a client buy a home, ask for a review or testimonial. Let your client know how much you value their business and that their review or testimonial will help you continue helping others buy their dream home.

Touch base with past clients on the anniversary of the client’s home purchase. Whether you record a short video or send a personalized email, remind your former client of the positive experience they had working with you—and that you’re available if they have future needs.

Reaching out to past clients is an easy way to let them know you still care about them, mainly because they probably don’t need your services right now. It also keeps your name on their radar in case friends or family might be in the market for a new home.

Adopt a multichannel approach to sales

Continual mortgage business growth depends on your ability to constantly develop your network. 

You need to get your brand—your name, details, contact information—in front of the right people. 

From potential clients to real estate agents and local businesses to referrals, they can’t reach you if they don’t know you’re out there. That’s why a multichannel approach to networking is so effective when it comes to mortgage marketing.

The more you can meet others where they are—rather than have them come to you—the greater the potential to open a dialogue. 

For example, if you begin with an introductory email, consider following up with a phone call or a quick “great to meet you” video.

From there, consider connecting via social media platforms, like Twitter or Facebook. 

And don’t underestimate the power of a thank you card. 

In today’s all-too-digital world, a physical card, sent through the mail, can help people remember your name (it also gives them something physical to pass along to a friend looking for a referral so be sure it includes your contact information). 

Take advantage of interactive tools

Automation can not only help you save time, but it can also make the customer journey more efficient. This is thanks to interactive tools like chatbots and custom calculators on your website and social media pages.

Of course, a potential client can call you or submit a request through your website’s contact form. 

But by offering potential clients answers to basic questions before they reach out, you help them along their journey, while ‘weeding out’ those who aren’t actually interested.

Chatbots, calculators, and FAQs are a great way to provide direct information to clients for repeat questions. Embed them right on to your website. 

Mortgage rates (digital) sheets

Printed rate sheets used to be the primary marketing tool for mortgage loan originators. They used to spend precious hours delivering paper rate sheets to real estate agents and mortgage lenders. 

The goal was to provide the time-sensitive rate information to real estate agents before home showings and hope that would make its way into the hands of qualified home buyers, who would, in turn, submit loan applications. 

Resource: Digital rate sheets

Digital rate sheets save time and streamline the process of getting that information to real estate agents and potential home buyers. 

This can be as simple as a Google doc or something designed with a free creation tool like Canva. 

Many loan officers take digital rate sheets up a notch by offering a landing page on your website that is constantly updated with current rates.

Kaleidico — Your top mortgage marketing resource

Digital marketing for mortgage professionals doesn’t have to be complicated.

When you partner with Kaleidico, you benefit from our 15 years of mortgage marketing experience. 

We work with you to create the right marketing strategy for your business and help you implement the tools and resources we discussed. 

And it all starts by telling us about your project.

Contact us today for a discovery session. We’ll discuss your goals and talk about how we can work together to help you leverage the best marketing resources for the mortgage industry.