Marketing is a must for business success as a mortgage loan officer. But keeping up with the latest marketing trends and deciding where to focus your efforts to maximize results can be overwhelming.

These are the three most common questions we get asked:

• Where should I show up (platforms)?
• How should I show up (medium of delivery)?
• How often should I show up (marketing schedule)?

There is no one magic marketing tool for reaching your target audiences, building relationships, and ensuring lead generation. But the good news is that there are many strategies you can implement. We talk about some of them in more detail below.

1. Lean on Social Media Marketing

We wrote an extensive article about social media marketing for loan officers and created a free social media guide. You can download them both by clicking here.

The most effective marketing you can do is to target your existing customer base. Use every opportunity to stay connected with them. After all, these are the people who already know, like, and trust you. They should be your top source of future business—whether they bring you repeat business or refer someone else.

Social media is one of the best ways to maintain those connections. Just be sure to showcase your expertise in a way that isn’t pushy or sales-y. 

The best bet for loan officer marketing on social media is to pick the platform where your potential homebuyer clients and referral partners are hanging out. Maybe that’s Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or a combination of these channels.

Whichever social media channel(s) you use for your marketing, be sure to create and put out fresh and relevant content at least three times per week to increase reach and build awareness for your mortgage business.

2. Personalize Your Content

Here’s another tip for successful social media marketing: Create customized content with a personal touch.

This can be a video of you sharing tips for first-time homebuyers, such as what they can expect during the mortgage process. Or it could be a photo of you with a client that’s captioned with their testimonial on how you have helped them. People want to feel they know you, and using videos and photographs helps with that connection.

Remember, not everybody needs a mortgage on any given day. So adding a personal touch is a way to help your followers stay connected with you even when they’re not actively looking for a mortgage loan officer.

Engage with your followers on both their content and yours. Comment on their posts, respond when they ask questions, and wish them a happy birthday. These personal touches and interactions are meaningful and help to nurture relationships.

Then, when it’s time to buy a home, refinance, or recommend a mortgage loan officer to a friend or family member, you’ll be top of mind. That’s because you’ve built up that relationship outside of a business transaction while showcasing your lender expertise.

3. Start a Blog

Blogging is a great format for sharing mortgage expertise. Blog posts are versatile because you can reshare them in emails, social media posts, and videos. 

We suggest blogging on topics that affect your clients in the real world and giving them the information they need to make critical financial decisions. Here are some sample topics:

• How interest rates affect their homebuying options
• How homeownership leads to long-term wealth
• The pros and cons of the various loan options available

Here’s a pro tip: If you’re going to blog, it’s wise to invest your time and efforts into an SEO strategy, optimizing your content for search engines. Think of search engine optimization as free advertising (over time). Also, be sure to update your blog content regularly.

4. Create a YouTube Channel

If you provide information in a video format, consider setting up a YouTube channel—and posting to it regularly. Quick, casual videos are an engaging way to share tidbits of information in a way people can easily digest.

Search engine optimization is essential here as well. Pay attention to video titles, descriptions, and tags to make your content more discoverable. Use relevant keywords, and create thumbnails that stand out. A strong SEO strategy can significantly increase your videos’ visibility.

Like blog posts, videos are also perfect for sharing on social media and embedding on your website. You can also leverage videos for communication, consultations, reminders, education, and expert advice.

5. Use Email Marketing

Email marketing to your database—including your leads, past clients, and referral partners—is another wonderful marketing tool. This is a way to stay in contact with your target audiences, keep connected, and acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries, and homeownership milestones.

Once you have your contact records updated, segment them into different lists. For instance, you’d market to a group of homeowners differently from a group of renters or investors. Try to have at least five different segments, depending on the size and scope of your database, so you can deliver relevant information to them.

Also, consider adding a weekly email newsletter (written or video) to your marketing efforts. This could include customized, personalized, and breaking news content.

6. Add Text Marketing

Do you know what’s even better than email marketing when it comes to nurturing incoming leads from your realtor and online sources? Text and email marketing.

Incoming leads take a lot of nurturing, and setting up text and email campaigns to help get a reply and get more of your leads on the phone is one strategy you can’t afford to ignore. 

Texting isn’t just for new leads. You may find faster connections with clients and past clients by leveraging this effective tool.

7. Start a Podcast

A podcast can be a fantastic way to give your audience critical information about mortgages, but also more ways to experience getting to know you—with the goal of attracting new business.

As you develop your podcasting topics, consider spotlighting your community and some local businesses you want to recommend. Or you can talk with real estate agents, sharing funny and heartwarming stories about getting families into homes, promoting upcoming open houses, and more.

8. Hold Client Appreciation Events

A client appreciation event is a great way to connect with your clients in a fun atmosphere and interact face-to-face. These events can also be a chance to reconnect with referral partners or future prospects through a simple social gathering.

Tailor your events to the demographics of the clients for whom you are planning the event. Here are a few client appreciation ideas:

• Holiday celebrations: You can do many activities around the holidays. The opportunities to incorporate your clients and create a memorable experience are endless.
• Weekend donation pickup: Create a central drop-zone for people to bring clothing items they don’t want anymore. You get to see them and provide a service by offering to take their donations to a local charity or Goodwill.
• Ice cream social: This is an enjoyable one for families. Have a wide variety of ice creams and toppings, and hold the event outside on a warm summer day. 

9. Create Educational Workshops and Resources

Get into the education space with webinars and classes that provide tips and solutions for preparing for homeownership, buying an investment property, and other topics related to home loans.

All clients—past, present, and future—should view you as their most valuable resource for financing and education. Offering free courses and resources cements your position as a mortgage expert and ensures that people will come to you when they need help.

Create a library of free checklists and courses for people to download or view on your website. Here are some ideas for topics:

• How to improve your credit
• How to save up for a down payment
• Renovations that increase a home’s value
• Financial information and documents needed with a loan application

Expert tip: Don’t forget to create a sales funnel and follow-up system for staying in contact with all the leads you generate through your workshops and resources.

10. Market to Your Referral Partners

Loan originators know that marketing to real estate agents is necessary for referrals and mortgage lead generation.

You can attend open houses (for both brokers and home buyers) to answer questions about the lending process, sponsor realtor training classes, or host lunch-and-learn events, sharing information with realtors on things they need to know.

If a realtor hosts an event, offer to help market it. You can post about the event on your social media or email your contact list to help spread the word.

11. Get Involved in Your Community

Being active in your community is great for building relationships with potential clients and referral partners. You can get involved with a local charity, school, sports team, or other cause that matters to you.

Involvement can be donating your time, money, or both as a means of giving back. You can also look into community partnership and sponsorship opportunities to promote your loan products and services.

12. Track ALL Lead Sources

Understanding where your clients come from is crucial for evaluating your marketing efforts. Tracking also provides insight into your marketing performance and where you should focus your marketing and budget moving forward.

Choose Your Marketing Tools

There are many great ways to market yourself as a mortgage loan officer, and you won’t be able to do all of these. So it’s essential to pick the activities that you’re most passionate about—and that align with your skill sets.

Loan officer marketing is all about putting yourself out there and showing up consistently. So our advice is to choose a few tactics, set goals for yourself, and dive right in.