In the modern age where social networking and other online tools are so prevalent, mortgage professionals need to be conscious of their reputation online.
It is important to manage your mortgage business’ online reputation to give you a competitive advantage against others in your industry, build your reputation as a thought leader and expert in your industry, and drive engagement and credibility for your business.
The world of social media consists of friends, but it’s also full of strangers. The bottom line is that you need to create a good reputation online.
Here are my top 10 tips to elevate your brand name on social media.
1. Stay updated
Social media channels are continuing to grow in numbers, so do your research.
Research each option to decide which would be most beneficial and fitting for your mortgage practice. The number of Twitter users only grew an additional 9 million users in 2016 in comparison to the large increase of 43 million users during 2014.
People will constantly jump between different social media channels to match their likings; it is up to the business to track the location with a majority of their target audience. These websites are constantly adding new features, hence the importance of learning to adapt to these changes. Stay updated with your competitors in regards to their successes and downfalls. Notice the good things they do to boost performance and make improvements to your business style based on their past mistakes.
2. Be consistent
If posts are uncommon, the audience has nothing to look forward to. The simple trick is to update on a regular basis. It is similar to adapting to a healthier lifestyle. You need to follow a set routine with a healthier diet and active exercise, otherwise you will end up stuck in the same old unhealthy lifestyle. Many people like routine, nevertheless a consistent schedule proves to customers that the business is considerate of them. This is the beginning of establishing rapport in the relationship between the firm and audience.
3. Focus on a platform
Every business is different with varying purposes that must be focused on. This being said, a mortgage professional may post on LinkedIn quite often for promotional reasons, whereas another mortgage professional may focus on updating their Facebook page.
Select a social media channel that provides the proper tools that suit your mortgage business best. If a new social media channel offers the opportunity to record and send videos through email, you may choose to focus on using this app to rehumanize conversations online.
Efficiency will only decrease if you attempt to be active on every single social media channel. Instead, choose one channel to focus a majority of your efforts. This will maximize the productivity by channelling efforts towards a specific social media platform.
4. Encourage participation
Even though you are part of a professional mortgage business, the audience understands that you are human too. Naturally, humans interact with one another.
Instead of hosting a one-sided conversation, people should be interacting in two-way conversation on social media. People are going to have questions, comments, complaints and inquiries, which they expect a response to. This is when reviews come into the story.
As a mortgage professional, you should be taking the criticism and replying to consumers with respect, whether they shed a good or bad light on your company or your service. Addressing your audience’s concerns is a huge step that is essential for the creation of a stronger relationship with your target market.
5. Entertain your audience
People follow your business on social media because they see value in your posts. Content must be created in such a way that it satisfies your target audience.
When people spot meaningful relevant content, they show appreciation through positive word-of-mouth. This, in turn, will allow your mortgage business to grow its network. The goal is to post content that matters to people and encourage your audience to share and talk about it with their friends and family, therefore improving reach.
In fact, 74 per cent of users admit that word-of-mouth mainly convinced them of their purchasing decision, so be careful with your reputation.
6. Be passionate
What you put into your social media status is what you get out of it.
If you are someone extremely passionate about your work, people will be able to tell from your quality posts and messages. However, this also means that the audience can identify indifference from your tone. Adjust your attitude to post content authentically, consequently drawing in people who share similar values.
7. Remain professional
Social media serves two main purposes: business and personal.
Each of which must always be treated separately in order to avoid further problems. It sounds like common sense to many, but people frequently overlook this idea of keeping different parts of your life divided.
An Instagram post showing a silly night out with friends should stay within your inner circle, as leaking the post can be detrimental to your status. Simple details, such as using proper grammar and appropriate pictures, holds a tremendous amount of power as well. A professional outlook needs to be consistently maintained at all times to gain recognition.
8. Provide a solution
Consumers seek solutions to their problems and that is exactly what you have to convince them that your business offers. Every business has a vision to work towards a certain goal; this purpose needs to be revealed to possible future customers.
The importance of tackling the right target market cannot be stressed enough as you will only be able to provide solutions to certain issues. When the audience does experience a success journey, they are likely to become loyal customers who spread the good news.
9. Avoid over-promoting
Don’t get me wrong, promotion is critical in terms of gaining exposure. However, there is a limit that people commonly breach when it comes to promoting their own business.
In fact, approximately 46 per cent of users unfollow a brand that posts too many promotional messages. To avoid getting on people’s nerves while still reaching to a larger audience, apply the 80-20 rule of marketing. 80 per cent of your online activity should not be focussed on self-promotion, while the remaining 20 per cent should be used for self-promotion. This creates a perfect balance of promotion to satisfy both, the business and the audience.
10. Use widgets
Now that you have a specific social media channel in mind, you need to become the master of it. Research the channel and discover its helpful tools to use for your own benefit.
Don’t be frightened to try something new, like sending video emails about the latest mortgage tips, updates or commentary instead of the usual plain-text emails. Use the platform’s features to help improve customer experience, interactions and boost sales. Be the expert in your own space. This can only be done by taking a leap of faith as you put maximum effort into trying new advanced technology.
When your name pops up on Google, you want to be one of the top search results, but also appear with a prestige outlook. Building a good reputation does not happen overnight.
It is about developing positive relationships online, which takes a great deal of time and effort like any other relationship in real life. You need to view the world of social media through your own eyes as if you’re wearing your audience’s shoes. Establish your values through consistent, quality posts that offer solutions to your target market.
Building a reputation can break it or make it for your business, so choose a social media platform to master showcasing credibility through your skills.
Websites used for Statistics:
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/
https://www.getambassador.com/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics
Guest column article marketing mortgage marketing social media social media mortgage
Last modified: December 23, 2021
