If you work in the mortgage industry, you know that inbound marketing is becoming a hot topic.
With inbound marketing techniques (as opposed to outbound marketing through cold calling or advertising), mortgage professionals often find that they are better equipped to have an authentic conversation about the best options for borrowers. Mortgage lenders also have ready-to-go resources to offer educational guides related to financing to potential borrowers.
In today's world of fast-paced technology, inbound marketing is a way in which mortgage professionals can become more visible in the online world. Here's more about what it is and how it works to improve mortgage lead generation!
What Is Inbound Marketing for Mortgage Lead Generation?
Inbound marketing is about attracting and converting mortgage leads with relevant content to turn them into paying customers (or new loans). The strategy involves using social media platforms, blogging, email newsletters, video marketing campaigns, and other online methods to bring in interested buyers and provide them with valuable financial information to earn their trust and future business.
This relevance in inbound marketing allows people to think of you positively and even view you as an authority in your field (which leads to them wanting to learn even more about your perspective on things). It also creates value for potential customers by giving them relevant information before they are ready to talk or make a decision. Imagine new prospects who don't dread the idea of going through the mortgage application process because they already know your company and feel confident that you are the best choice to make their dreams of homeownership come true!
When it comes down to it, inbound marketing has to do with making yourself known in your industry through relevant content. You have the opportunity to build trust and relationships through inbound marketing—which means that borrowers will be looking at your products as viable choices when they are ready for one!
Is Content Really Relevant to Generate Mortgage Leads?
Effective inbound marketing creates an in-depth, engaging blog that people in your local community find interesting and relevant. This could be in the form of how-to tips for potential homebuyers in addition to lending-related topics.
Content helps drive interest in your services and sets you up as a mortgage broker authority for homebuyers in your area. How can mortgage professionals create engaging content? You might be really good at helping borrowers find the best loan options, but maybe creating a blog post about it isn't one of your specialties. However, simply writing a few words about a mortgage lending industry topic won't help prospective clients find your content or become a new mortgage lead.
To identify relevant topics for blogs and your inbound marketing strategy:
- Start by analyzing different industries within the mortgage space and look at what their blog posts are about, then incorporate those as well into your own content. Google's Webmaster Tools offer helpful information on keyword searches within your geographic area.
- Once you know what you want to focus on and how to structure your keywords, start looking at different inbound marketing tools to get the message out there, in addition to creating posts for your blog.
Blogging is an excellent way to establish yourself as a leader in your field and give people more information about what you have to offer in terms of products and services. A well-thought-out, SEO-strategized, and relevant blog post will move readers further down the funnel on their buyer's journey.
Is It Important to Focus On SEO for a Residential Mortgage Website?
Yes! SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it is a great inbound marketing tool for mortgage brokers. SEO helps your website rank well in search engines like Google in the mortgage industry.
SEO is the primary reason why simply writing a blog to create content won't work in your favor. Any web content needs a well-research keyword strategy to help your blog and website land higher on search results pages. The key to using SEO in today's world is not only creating keyword-rich content but also paying attention to the titles of your blog posts and the meta tags in the HTML code of your website.
How Does Social Media Help Me Generate New Mortgage Leads?
It's not enough in today's world to just have a website with a blog. Success for loan officers in the mortgage industry in terms of inbound marketing means that it's essential to get your message out there through social media.
We're not talking about posting selfies for likes and shares! We're talking about more leads. An SEO strategy to boost your inbound marketing efforts requires using a combination of third-party links that boost your credibility and relevant hashtags on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest for people searching for information related to residential mortgages to find you in the sea of online information.
While a good selfie can help social media visitors see the humans behind the loan options and services your company delivers, likes and comments are not the most crucial aspect of an SEO-driven inbound marketing strategy to generate new qualified leads and grow your business.
What About Paid Ads (PPC) for Lead Generation?
Yes, in the mortgage industry, inbound marketing is about more than just content creation in addition to reaching out through social media. Use all of the inbound marketing tools at your disposal to reach your target audience cost-effectively and generate leads. One more tool to consider as part of your inbound strategy is paid advertising (PPC). Google Ads, in addition to Facebook Ads, offers fantastic opportunities in terms of inbound marketing for mortgage professionals.
When you're ready to start analyzing and comparing different inbound marketing tools in your search for finding what will work best for your residential mortgage business, you should always begin with the end in mind. Establish your goals and your budget before you turn on any paid ads. Make sure your ads are structured in a way that they can be approved by the platform you're using to avoid losing valuable time in your marketing efforts.
Mortgage Professionals Need an Inbound Marketing Strategy to Generate Leads!
Your ideal client might be just around a corner! To increase your reach through mortgage marketing, it's time for an inbound marketing strategy. For an effective plan, make sure you utilize all of the inbound marketing tools we've mentioned in this blog post.
Getting started is as simple as you would like it to be. Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress. You don't have to do it all at once or even all on your own! Take your first step toward marketing domination with our Inbound Marketing Starter Kit for Mortgage Professionals, or reach out to our team to schedule a free consultation today!