Guide to Marketing for Loan Officers

Today’s borrowers are educated, well-informed and are able to find multiple loan officers with a click of a button (or a swipe of a finger). Borrowers are doing their own research, and we know they start their search online. In our fast-paced, technology-centered world, it’s essential for loan officers to master marketing their business.

When people come to you online, they are not looking for TV commercials. They are looking for information to help them make a decision.

– David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Content Marketing, Podcasting, Social Media, AI, Live Video, and Newsjacking to Reach Buyers Directly

But how do you know where to focus your time and energy to maximize your impact? What platforms should you use, what should you post, and how often? I’m going to break down my top tips for marketing, mortgage social media posts, and ways to boost your traffic.

Let’s tackle platforms — there are many: Clubhouse, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, each with its pros and cons. Clubhouse is new and trending, Facebook has the most active users, LinkedIn is the top choice for B2B marketers, and YouTube is a well-known powerhouse. Picking the ones that work best for you depends on the demographics you’re wanting to reach. Where are your people hanging out? That’s where you need to be.

When picking platforms, another angle to consider is, “Where can you be most active and consistent?” For instance, YouTube may seem like a good idea, but can you consistently pump out engaging video content? Social media is your way to maintain connections with your existing customer base and expand it too. That can only be done by sticking to regularly posting and staying active on the platform(s) that work for you and your customers.

Social Media for Loan Officers

To be consistent on social media, you need to have a plan. Don’t ghost your audience. Going from posting every day to once in four months is not a good look for your business. It’s better to scale back to posting two to three times a week consistently than having long dry spells after a media blitz.

Here are some tips to increase reach:

• Tag locations
• Tag people
• Ask questions (polls are great, too!)
• Use hashtags

Create a content calendar and schedule future posts, pencil in all the major holidays, and keep a running list of ideas for future use. Mortgage social media posts can be anything from industry conferences and meetings to closings and mortgage news. Don’t be afraid to add a personal touch – authenticity is always in.

I love it when career professionals I follow share about their personal lives. Mix up your content with a good balance of personal life, business updates, and industry and company commentary. A variety of content gives you multiple angles to approach your audience. You’ll learn what works while building a deeper connection.

Build a relationship by interacting more often. Engage with your audience by commenting and liking posts regularly. You can send occasional messages (birthday wishes can go a long way) and even invite people to like your page. When messages come in, respond quickly. Taking advantage of these opportunities can be the difference between turning a potential client into an active client.

Facebook and Instagram Advertising for Loan Officers

Ads are a way to build your brand, increase your reach, and generate leads. With the sophisticated tools on Facebook/Instagram, even a modest ad budget can have an impact on reach and engagement. I suggest watching a few YouTube videos to familiarize yourself with the different ad types and best practices. I find ad creation on Facebook to be very user-friendly and easy to navigate, even for first-timers. But, if it feels out of your wheelhouse, consider hiring a marketing professional to help.

Facebook Business pages generate little organic traffic so ads are the best way to drive traffic from your existing base (those who already like your page) and beyond. Give it a try and see. You have to pay to play but even a small budget on a boosted post can do wonders. If you’re struggling to create content worthy of a boost or ad, research your competition and see what they’re up to. Sometimes outside inspiration is all you need for motivation.

Email Marketing for Loan Officers

Email marketing is a great way to share helpful articles you’ve written, offer valuable courses, educate about refinance opportunities, and more. Some may look at email marketing as a thing of the past, but your email database is an invaluable resource. Email marketing is a great way to store and organize leads, stay in contact with past clients, and stay fresh in the minds of potential clients.

I suggest segmenting your database into different lists for each type of contact and cleaning up your list for maximum efficiency. Most email marketing services like Mailchimp have easy to use tools for removing emails and maintaining updated lists. Keeping contacts in the right segmented list will streamline your marketing process and make it clear who your audience is (marketing to homeowners vs. marketing to realtors) so you can focus on creating content that lands.

Offline Marketing for Loan Officers

Offline marketing isn’t just passing out your business card or distributing mailers. You can plan a social event for some face-to-face interaction. Host a homebuyer workshop, holiday party, charity drive, or mortgage education event with a realtor. In fact, working with a realtor to co-market joint events can be extremely beneficial for potential customers while generating leads for you. If you can’t meet in person, consider hosting a virtual homebuying workshop instead.

I’m a big fan of creating content with multiple uses. For instance, blogging is not only a great way to build up your website and SEO, a finished blog is an easy social media post you can share across platforms. A YouTube video is ultra-shareable and can be repurposed into an Instagram reel or TikTok video. Even a quick photo shoot with a few different backgrounds and outfits can be used in different ways throughout the year.

Establish yourself as a leader in your field by creating tools that will be valuable to your customers. A list of free checklists or materials on how to improve your credit, things to know before getting a mortgage, and how to refinance a home are some ideas. You can also use these materials on your website to capture emails and build your list.

What are your favorite ways to market your services?

About the Author

My name is Rosalind Prieto. I am a mortgage sales leader passionate about building high-performance teams that drive revenue, and creating a culture of diversity, inclusion and collaboration. I write about marketing, mortgage, sales, personal brand, productivity, goal setting and time management.

I’ve served on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations, where I leveraged my background in marketing to lead social media and publicity, as well as contribute to fundraising efforts. I later took a break to focus on my family and career, but hope to return to the non-profit world someday.

I have over 13 years of experience in financial services, working for Fortune 500 companies such as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley. I received my MBA from California Lutheran University with an emphasis in Marketing, and my BA from UC Santa Cruz in Economics with an emphasis in Accounting.

I am a proud Mom, and happiest when spending time with my husband and our two kids. We love cooking, food adventures and trips to the beach (especially living in Southern California). I enjoy creative projects such as writing, photography, and making short videos on social media. Sometimes, I manage to pick up a book and actually read it.