Even as the economy dove into a pandemic-induced recession following lockdowns, 2020 was a good year for real estate. As many people have spent more time at home, qualified buyers have been applying for mortgages at the highest rates since 2006. Your well-crafted digital mortgage marketing strategy can help you reach these potential clients. Use the following digital marketing tools to generate more leads and capture new home buyers.

This article covers: 

  • Why your company needs a digital marketing strategy
  • 10 ways to generate leads with digital marketing
  • Getting started

Why your mortgage company needs digital marketing

‌As a mortgage broker, your business operates in a volatile industry. The housing market ebbs and flows with the economy. When times get tough, people generally have less to spend, and your client pool tends to dry up. A solid mortgage marketing strategy helps you grow and maintain your consumer base during turbulent economic times.

Digital marketing is a great way to reach new buyers as well. Many are starting families and establishing roots. Older members of Generation X and younger Boomers are approaching or are at the empty nest stage, and many may be ready to downsize. Optimizing your digital marketing tools helps you reach these customers, many of whom are looking online for a mortgage broker.

10 ways to generate leads with digital marketing

1. ‌Enhance your SEO

‌Your most prominent digital marketing tool is your website. Applying search engine optimization (SEO) when writing the copy for your page and all of its meta descriptions helps your site rank higher in search engines. A 2019 study conducted by Backlinko indicated that less than one percent of internet users even look at the second page of Google search results. Strong SEO keeps you on the first page, allowing more people to find your business.

‌Use SEO best practices, including keywords, when updating your website copy and creating content. Brainstorm these keywords by thinking of what your clients would type into a search engine when researching your business. If someone in your area is ready for a mortgage, they might look for “mortgage brokers in my area” or “best mortgage brokers.”

‌Targeted keywords and phrases should be simple. Avoid using jargon and other technical words and phrases that people outside of your industry don’t know.

2. Revamp your website

‌You’ve already started evaluating the copy on your website as part of your SEO strategy. While you’re at it, take the opportunity to assess your site’s design, layout, and user experience. Check it out on mobile devices to see how it loads and if all of your pages can be easily read. Look at your fonts and color scheme to ensure that they are cohesive with your business’s logo and other branding elements.‌

If your website is already well-designed, making a few minor tweaks like adding more images or creating a separate landing page for your blog or video content can boost your visibility. If your website is older or sparsely populated, consider a revamp.

When your website and its content are useful and engaging, people are more likely to share it with members of their network.

3. Create and launch Facebook ads

‌Facebook is still a widely used social media resource for firms in most industries. Although some media outlets have reported a user decline, according to Statista, Facebook had 2.7 billion monthly users in 2020. Using Facebook ads as part of your mortgage marketing strategy lets you tap into this wide network of users.

Facebook ads are promoted posts that displayed on users’ timelines based on your desired campaign parameters:

  • ‌Choose your target audience
  • Set your price based on your desired number of impressions
  • Design an ad on your own or use one of Facebook’s templates
  • Use targeted keywords and include a call to action in your ad copy

With Facebook ads, you can identify your audience based on criteria such as age, location, and interests. Done effectively, these ads build your brand awareness and drive new clients to contact you.

To comply with industry regulations, Facebook will require you to create a “special ad audience,” eliminating potentially discriminatory filters for your ads like age or ZIP code.

This platform offers various posting options, including a carousel that lets users scroll through multiple images, a collection of images, a single image, and a video. You can create the sponsored post yourself, or you can use an ad builder like Constant Contact’s Facebook Ads tool, which helps you create ads that are more engaging and entice customers to click through.

4. ‌Engage customers with content marketing

‌Buying a home is a major investment, and people want a mortgage broker they can trust. Content marketing helps you establish your credibility in the industry and build a rapport with your potential customers before they ever call you or send you a message on your website.

As part of your digital mortgage marketing, publish high-quality content to share your knowledge about your industry and create a connection to your audience. Content marketing includes (but is not limited to):

‌To attract a wider customer base, mix up your content. Some people might prefer to watch a short, engaging video about a mortgage-related topic, while others may prefer to read a blog. Others might find that infographics resonate more with them.

Brainstorm different topic ideas and create a content calendar to schedule your posts across various channels. You can use analytics tools to see which posts are generating the highest level of engagement. If you notice topics with a higher level of interest, you could create a series of posts around them.

5. Use your social network

‌Along with paid ads, drive traffic to your website with organic social media engagement. Social media is an excellent tool for generating word-of-mouth. Post client testimonials to celebrate successes. However, before you post, ask permission from your client and keep their information generic. A first name and a city are sufficient.

‌Use Instagram to commend communities in your area where homes are selling, showcasing local businesses, parks, and other features that make the area feel like home. Share your knowledge of the area by posting links to local news and stories of interest to people who may be considering relocating to the area.

For best results, post content that is relevant and visually appealing. Don’t post pictures of people’s faces without their permission, but do aim for a composition that would stand out in someone’s feed. Make it easier for people to find you by using hashtags on your posts.

6. Pay attention to reviews

‌Client reviews and testimonials are an important part of mortgage marketing. Home financing is still largely driven by word-of-mouth, and people will likely look at your reviews when they are researching your company. If you know your customers were satisfied, encourage them to leave a review on Google or other review sites, and consider adding a testimonial page to your website.

Every business owner will have a few customers who aren’t happy, and some of them might leave a bad review. Use negative reviews as a starting point to improve service delivery for the unhappy client. First, apologize and then reach out to them and see if there is anything you can do to remedy the situation. 

‌Don’t react to a bad review by posting a nasty rebuttal on their review. Keep your response courteous and respectful. Arguing with a client on a message board can damage your credibility.‌‌

7. Educate your clients with a video

‌Like other financial professions, the mortgage industry includes a variety of topics that are complicated and confusing to some of your customers. Break a complex topic down into an educational yet engaging video.

With high-quality cameras built into most phones, creating a professional-looking video is easier than ever. There are a variety of affordable kits you can buy to enhance the lighting and sound quality. Make a list of frequently asked questions and brainstorm ways to answer them in an entertaining way. You could make the video more interesting by adding animation or graphics to illustrate different points in your topic.

‌Breaking down the topics that will most likely impact your clients communicates to them that you care. By helping them understand different parts of the mortgage process, you establish yourself as a reliable expert.

8. Partner with another company

‌If you work closely with another vendor or even with another financial services provider, find ways to promote each other. You could offer to create a guest blog for a realtor or a home builder or ask them to promote your business in their newsletter.

They will likely ask you to promote their business as well. You can cross-promote by sharing their social media posts to your company feeds or having their marketing staff write guests blogs for your website. Partner with a business that is mutually beneficial and whose audience likely overlaps your customer base.

9. Build your professional network for increased referrals

‌If you already have a large mailing list, start a referral program, and send out an email to inform your current and past customers. Your referral business is most likely to succeed if you are established and known for excellent customer service. But if you’re just starting out in the mortgage industry, use past business and personal connections to build your list.

‌You can start this program working with new real estate agents in your area, or partner with a home builder. Be active in the community and build a rapport with professionals in your industry to establish yourself as a reliable broker.

Keeping in touch with your past clients through email, newsletters, and cards on special occasions can also bring your business to mind when someone they know is looking for a mortgage broker.

10. Connect with people who reach out through your website

‌Once you have successfully utilized SEO and content marketing to drive people to your website, make it easy for them to contact you. Your contact page is one of the core sub-pages of your website. It should be easy for users to find, and it should be easy for them to sign up from a computer or a mobile device.

‌When people submit a request through your Contact Us form, get back to them promptly. Take some time to research the answers to their questions and send them a personal email or have a quick phone call. If you can, call a contact back within an hour. If you are with a client or otherwise indisposed, shoot them a quick note to show that you’ve seen their inquiry and will contact them shortly.

Feature a sign-up form prominently on your website to collect email addresses. Create a standard welcome email that is automatically delivered when someone joins your mailing list. If your sign-up form includes a section for comments, you can create a series of welcome emails to address various FAQs and other standard comments.

Start now and generate more leads

‌Taking advantage of the wide range of digital mortgage marketing tools available to your business will help you generate more leads and keep your client base more stable in a volatile industry. Start with your website and then take advantage of the mortgage lead generation tools at your disposal. You can use analytics to find your most successful web pages and utilize them to build your strategy.

‌When you’re comfortable with digital strategies like content marketing, SEO, Facebook ads, referrals, and other tools discussed, you can start getting creative. Create multiple Facebook ads and test them with different targets to see which generates more leads. Experiment with different types of content and use tracking tools to see which are the most successful.

‌Using digital tools to connect with your target audience can build your credibility and make it easier to connect with potential clients. If you’re wondering where to start or want to learn more about online marketing tools, check out our free marketing guideline, The Download, and establish your digital presence.