HARNESS THE POWER OF FACEBOOK & WATCH YOUR MORTGAGE BUSINESS FLOURISH

I ran into someone I went to university with a couple of weeks ago, and as we were both pressed for time and not able to catch up for more than a nano-second, we agreed to hook up (translation in Facebook speak: “Friend” each other) on Facebook.  We didn’t exchange business cards, telephone numbers or any other form of contact information, I simply asked if she was on Facebook, she replied that she was and we have since been in constant contact on this most fascinating of Social Media platforms.

Since we did not have a chance to even find out what the other was doing in terms of employment the day I saw her on the street, I was actually a bit surprised to find out that she was a big-time, very successful mortgage broker!  I was impressed.  But, even more impressed were two of my other Facebook friends, who both happened to be in the market for mortgages – one, a first-time buyer and the other, looking to renew.

Upon viewing Maddy’s Facebook Page, both of my friends have now hooked up with her and are pleased with the job she is doing for them.  Maddy has thanked me for the business, but in reality, I had nothing to do with setting her up with my other friends – that was all through the power of Facebook.  And, Maddy, like any other progressive-thinking mortgage broker, was smart enough to optimize a Facebook business page to help her business succeed.  And, voila – I saw how networking on Facebook worked for her firsthand!  Maddy has been singing the praises of something about which I already knew, being in the business of social media – that she obtains over half of her business via social media platforms, most specifically, Facebook.

So, if you’re new to the social media game, why not consider harnessing the power of Facebook to increase your bottom line?  Here are some unique advantages of Facebook marketing for the mortgage professional:

1. Facebook provides you with exposure to a very wide network of potential clients – Rather than being an annoyance, trying to “sell” your business to random people, you become a welcome “friend”. Facebook allows you to get in front of your existing clients’ friends as well as your referral partners’ friends and all of their families, colleagues, associates and clients, too – and it allows you to position & intersperse your marketing message alongside the Facebook updates of all of the people in your network and theirs!  Facebook closes the gap between blatant advertising and the social connection that you have with people.  It allows for social interaction, while at the same time, still relaying your message in terms of your products/services and what you can do for these people.

2. Facebook enables viral marketing – Use Facebook to send out your industry news, updates & tips to your friends and fans – and in doing so, you are able to have your message posted to the same News Feed that these people check out on a daily basis to find out what’s going on with their Facebook friends. There’s magnificent power in that, as it is customary among Facebook users to “share” things they “like” with their friends, therefore allowing your messages to spread virally, reaching hundreds of people you would not have otherwise been able to connect with if not for the viral essence of Facebook marketing.

3. Facebook allows you build a vast network of “friends” and “fans” – Facebook is all about building a following for your business – a following of people whom you like and trust and who feel the same way about you.  As a mortgage professional, it’s essential for you to grow your following to as many people as you can in order to gain the highest level of connection and trust possible.  Remember, once you gain mindshare, bank account share is soon to follow!  And how do you gain mindshare?  You simply keep in touch with frequency and repetition, all the while providing helpful information, tips and insight that enrich the lives of the people in your Facebook network.

4. Facebook is completely free of charge and can be very profitable if used correctly – Have you ever spent a ton of money on traditional advertising only to attract rate shoppers and to later realize that the ROI was not as lucrative as you had expected?  Well, what have you got to lose by setting up a Facebook account and creating a business or fan page (see below)?  All you have to invest is your time in optimizing the account/page and you’re off!!

I just wanted to make the distinction here between a Facebook account and a Facebook Page:  Your account displays your personal profile, but you can also create a Fan/Business page where you can showcase your products & services and offer industry related news, facts and tips to people out there who are looking for mortgage guidance. People can “like” your page and this is how fans are generated.  Earn people’s trust and develop solid connections by offering helpful and informative advice to mortgage seekers and realtors.

A few things to keep in mind when creating your fan page:

·         Ensure that fans can post to your wall so that the page is completely interactive (this is the default setting when setting up your page – be sure not to change it).

·         Ensure that your page includes a “call to action” – i.e. “Need help making sense out of all the mortgage options out there?  Contact me/us today (and provide contact info such as telephone number or email address).

·         Ensure that you page includes an identifiable photo or logo.  Remember, the concept is all about branding yourself and your business.

If you need help getting started on Facebook, we can help.  Why not attend one of our informative and innovative Social Networking for Business or Facebook for Business workshops.  Simply click on the link below for a schedule of workshops in your area.  It’ll be worth your time!!

http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

INCREASE YOUR MORTGAGE BUSINESS’ BOTTOM LINE WITH BLOGS

Blogging is probably the most underrated of all the social media.  Everyone has a Facebook account; everybody tweets and, as a mortgage professional, you hopefully have a LinkedIn profile set up by now (if not, then you’ll need to see some of my other blogs extolling the virtues of LinkedIn for the business professional).  But, blogging, although certainly coming into its own more and more, is not a social medium that as many people take advantage of as should.

Blogging is an excellent way to further develop your online presence as a means of establishing your brand.  In fact, your blog is, arguably, your brand!  Creating a blog and maintaining it by posting regularly is a great way to put yourself out there and demonstrate to your clients and prospects that you are a cut above the competition. 

Your blog positions you as the industry expert – one who truly takes the time to educate and impart crucial knowledge on others.  It’s really not enough anymore to simply post information on your website – your website is not updated on regular basis and it’s simply not feasible to include a wealth of updated information within your website.  A blog will offer you the capability of thoroughly branding yourself and lets you make a marked impression on everyone who reads it.  This, in turn, builds a sense of trust and reliability in you and your services.

Blogs are furthermore a great way of generating traffic and establishing your business online.  It’s therefore imperative that you post updated, fresh content on a habitual and frequent basis.  This will ensure SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your brand, making you more visible to existing & potential clients, again, positioning you as the authority of the mortgage industry.

And, best of all, blogging, unlike traditional advertising & promotional methods and maintaining a website, will cost you nothing other than your time.  Yes, your time is valuable, but once you get going and start to become established, you’ll soon find that you have so many brilliant ideas for content, that you’ll actually have some fun with it! 

If you really want to look like a pro, try including some photos and/or videos within your blog posts.  Visually enhancing your blog will add an element of depth and increase interest among your audience.  You can use educational videos or photos illustrating your content as visual aids. 

To fully boost your SEO, be social!  Don’t forget to include links to your blog on your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.  Doing so will substantially increase traffic to your blog and, of course, your brand.

So, go ahead – get started, because the sooner you do, the sooner people will be searching you out for information on all things mortgage!   Need some help?  Just join one of our Social Media for Business workshops and we’ll teach you all you need to know to put together a truly remarkable blog that will be sure to ultimately increase your bottom line! 

Please visit  http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20  for a schedule of upcoming workshops in your area!

MORTGAGE PROS INCREASE BUSINESS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Some nay-sayers out there are still of the antiquated belief that the mortgage business is not particularly suited to social media – who still maintain that social media is of no benefit to mortgage professionals.  Well, let’s dispel that myth once and for all!!

As the mortgage industry is primarily a locally-driven, customer-facing business, on-line marketing and in particular, social media, are categorically imperative tools for business and brand promotion.  Social media are in fact rapidly becoming an integral part of most areas of operation within the mortgage industry.

Given that the majority of the expansion of social media is motivated by the mass market, social media have become the ideal platform to address the everyday mortgage shopper.  Social networking sites are by their very nature conversational and you, as a mortgage broker, can surely recognize that social networks are first and foremost a new and innovative channel for communication.  Social networking sites allow you to reach out to more prospects than ever before and so much more expediently than ever before.

Social networks are furthermore interactive and what this means for you is that you can now instantaneously receive feedback from those to whom you are pitching.   In fact, these platforms enable you to very easily and effectively track consumer response via looking at numbers of hits, numbers of visits, “likes”, comments, etc.  All of this information can be studied and can in turn be extremely useful for you in terms of productive experimentation.

Social media are a great way to craft your own message with respect to your brand and to promote it – get your message out there to the greatest number of people in the least amount of time.  Social media turn information into a free market and as a result, you are now effortlessly able to connect directly with consumers.  In the days of yore, businesses had to rely on being able to garner traditional media coverage but with the advent of social media, media coverage has become a do-it-yourself task, made easy and accessible!

Each of the social networks has its own unique features and advantages:

·         LinkedIn can be best utilized as a professional networking tool – for prospecting and recruiting

·         A Facebook fan page can be created as a means of keeping your contacts up to speed with respect to educational news – i.e. special offers or homebuyer tax credits

·         Twitter can be used in order to alert followers to news displayed on your Facebook page or in your blogs, as well as to get short bursts of news or motivational quotes out there

·         Blogs are your way of positioning yourself as an industry expert – sharing valuable news and information with your audience and letting them know that you are the guru of all things mortgage

Social media are the way of the future and can help you grow your business and its success.  Let us show you how to make the most of your social networking experience.  Come and join our Social Networking for Business workshop and you’ll never look back!  For a schedule of workshops in your area, please visit:

http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20