Summary: The most effective and most forgotten social media tips for any loan officer are:
- Be Creative
- Know Your Audience
- Use Mortgage-Related Keywords
- Write Well-Structured Content
- Keep it Short & Simple
- Be Consistent
- Add Images
- Use Hashtags
- Tag People and Followers
- Encourage Audience Engagement Often
Social media has grown to be one of the most integral parts of any strategic marketing plan across industries. Social media marketing has shown to increase brand awareness, gather promising leads, and develop customer loyalty. Another benefit of social media is that you can market organically for free. If you’re not a social media expert, don’t worry. Here’s a quick list of social media tips for MLOs to help increase your reach and grow your clientele.
1. Be Creative
First, get creative. Where previous marketing modalities kept businesses on the outskirts of everyday life, social media now allows businesses to be a part of broader community conversations that society is having. MLOs can use their creativity to gain access to these communities by crafting content that is unique and reaches audiences previously out of reach. For example, do you like to write songs in your spare time? Do you have a penchant for theatrics? Post an Instagram story briefly addressing the top three myths about mortgages using popular background music tracks. These facets of your personality are a great way to set yourself apart when it comes to marketing efforts.
2. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience is one of the most important social media tips for MLOs to learn. When you begin to think about the type of content you want to craft, you need to ask yourself who your audience is and who you’d like to attract. For example, you may currently have a traditional clientele, but are expanding your business hoping to serve more niche mortgage clients. You want to present content that will appeal to prime prospective clients for your niche, while also continuing to draw the attention of your more traditional—and loyal—clientele.
3. Use Mortgage-Related Keywords
Keyword marketing is the practice of incorporating words and phrases that prospective clients most often use when they conduct searches online, into your own digital content. Why is this social media tip so important for MLOs? By using the right keywords, you can almost guarantee that you will reach the right audience when they Google certain terms. For example, simply using the word “mortgage” would be harder to rank because it is such a general term with tens of millions of Google results that run the gamut from mortgage calculators to popular commercial mortgage lending sites. “Mortgages for bad credit,” on the other hand, is more targeted. Take a moment to review these distinct types of keywords to make sure you’re using the right ones, optimizing your chance of ranking high in search engine results.
4. Write Well-Structured Content
Have you ever clicked on a search result only to hit the back button seconds later because the page you were looking at was in disarray, full of grammatical errors, or otherwise unreadable? A poorly structured website can cause slow loading, higher bounce rates (the rate at which people leave your site), and poor rankings on search engines. They also detract from the credibility of your content. Well-structured content will compel visitors to remain on your website longer and increase the chances of them moving down the sales funnel. Make sure your content is easy to read, error-free, and easy for visitors to navigate.
5. Keep It Short & Simple
Users spent an average of 54 seconds on a website (across all industries), according to Contentsquare. On social media platforms, you have an even shorter amount of time to catch your visitors’ attention, as most people constantly scroll through their newsfeed. The best way to draw in a prospect is by making sure that your message is short and to-the-point. Avoid professional jargon and other language that may bore or alienate your audience before they have the chance to learn more about you or your business.
Remember: as the MLO, you are the expert, not your audience. You want to leverage your expertise to pique their interest but try not to lecture them.
6. Be Consistent
Consistency is crucial as it spans across several facets of your social media marketing efforts. The first, is tone. Once you realize who your target audience is, make sure to communicate your messages in a manner consistent with your audience. For example, if your target audience is baby boomers, you would want to avoid Millennial slang (aka, FOMO; all the feels; etc.). Consistency is also important in the types of content you share. Try to avoid spotty or chaotic content that isn’t relevant to your target audience. Again, if you’re trying to reach a baby boomer audience, try referencing a song by Jimi Hendrix, not one by Justin Bieber. Do not post simply for the sake of posting or you risk losing authority and authenticity. And finally, formatting consistency is also important, especially in digital content. Maintain the same posting style throughout your pieces to lend credibility to your business.
7. Add Images
Visual content has become more important than text in social media marketing. The engagement numbers for posts with images far surpass those without images. According to Brain Rules, humans will remember 65% of the information they hear three days later when that information is accompanied by a picture. Without a picture, only 10% is retained. In short, pictures and video have the dual benefit of allowing you to better connect with your target audience while also increasing the likelihood that those who see your content will remember you and your brand.
When choosing visual content, make sure to consider your audience and post images that are relevant to what they’d like to see. For example, if your target audience is empty nesters who are seeking to finance a vacation home for retirement, you wouldn’t post content that appeals to someone seeking a high rise in a busy urban metropolis. And always remember that visual content is a part of your larger social media marketing strategy; make adjustments across platforms to get the engagement you want.
8. Use #Hashtags
Hashtags help to label information on social media sites. Users can search for topics of interest by using a hashtag and have hundreds of thousands of relevant results populated within nanoseconds. But hashtags aren’t just random words with a pound sign in front of them; they are strategic. Using the right hashtags can keep you in front of your target audience more frequently. Two important social media tips for MLOs regarding hashtags are to think outside the box and to learn how many hashtags are most effective for each platform.
For example, according to the Digital Marketing Institute, using up to ten hashtags has been shown to be beneficial on Instagram. As an MLO, you may use “#mortgage” as one of your hashtags. But you could also use “#mortgagebroker,” “#mortgagetips,” or “#housingmarket.” Although you shouldn’t get carried away with using hashtags, the more relevant ones you use, the bigger the net you cast.
9. Tag People
Tagging is a great social media tip for MLOs. Using tags is how you get the attention of other people or businesses so that they can react to or engage with your posts. Because social media is more like a network, you can experience more engagement. If the person or business you tag shares your post, the users that follow them could, in turn, visit your page. This is also how you can gain new followers.
But, before you tag, be aware that there is a protocol. Make sure you have a valid reason for tagging the respective account. For example, you may tag another MLO who has a greater reach and posts content similar to your own.
10. Encourage Audience Engagement Often
Consistently engaging with your audience can often make up for any social media expertise that you lack. Although you may be on your smartphone or in front of your laptop, social media interaction can be as significant as face-to-face interaction. Try posting discussion-worthy opinions or posing hot topic-style questions. When your audience answers or makes comments, be sure to engage them by responding in a timely manner. If you get negative comments, that is an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, professionalism, and customer service skills. The crucial point is to remain active. If you’re busy or are concerned that your commitment to posting may wane, try scheduling your social posts in advance by using one of the many social media scheduling apps.
Learning how to become an effective social media marketer can be a feat, but the effort is well worth it. Whether you’re just getting your feet wet by starting with Facebook posts, or you’re ready to step up your efforts with highly polished Instagram or TikTok videos, MLOs have an array of options to help generate leads, make sales, and expand their professional network. The key to your success in social media marketing is to try several platforms, track your results, and keep refining your approach.
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