Homebuyers and remortgagers might know they want a mortgage broker – but how do you persuade them that you are the one they need? In a crowded market that your customers may not fully understand, it can be hard to stand out and differentiate your brand. The answer, however, is simple: increasing your visibility and client engagement. We’ve put together our top 15 marketing tips to help you boost your profile.
One of the best ways to boost awareness of your mortgage broker services is to build a large professional network. Even if you’re not able to get out to industry events, virtual networking using sites like LinkedIn is an excellent strategy.
You’ll be able to keep up to date with key industry news and developments, chat through challenges and successes with likeminded people and, potentially, enjoy a few references from your new associates, particularly if you forge global connections.
An experiment by e-commerce entrepreneur Charles Duncombe found that a single spelling mistake on a website could cut sales by an extraordinray 50%. In an ideal world, it’s best to revamp your whole website and ensure it’s optimised for both mobile and desktop traffic. (Did you spot the spelling mistake?)
However, if you have budget or time constraints, focus on making your conversion-crucial pages shine. Include informative, easy-to-understand content and make it clear to the reader how they can reach you to find out more. Making sure your key landing pages are typo-free and easy to navigate could improve your chances of converting more visitors.
Reaching out to key figures in your local community, such as estate agents, solicitors and accountants, will help you continue to spread the word about your services. You could agree to build a mutually-beneficial relationship with other professionals, which will make sure you’ve always got a passive way to cross-market your business to their clients.
Building and maintaining active social media profiles will help you spread the word about your services. Unlike blogs, social media posts are short and sweet, meaning you can quickly engage with followers during even the busiest periods. You can also schedule posts ahead of time using software like Hootsuite, letting you engage with your pool of potential and existing customers without needing to set aside time for it every day. The key to mastering social media is consistency; if you keep showing up on people’s feeds with value-adding content, you’re more likely to leave a lasting mark.
Having a flawless website, excellent blog posts and witty social media posts isn’t much good if new faces never see them. That’s where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes in. At its core, SEO is about incorporating popular search terms, keywords and hashtags to boost your search engine position, giving your content more chances of being seen.
For example, you could put the term ‘mortgage broker manchester’ in the introduction section of your website so search engines are more likely to bring up your website when people look for it. SEO can be complex, so it may be worth enlisting some expert help to make sure you get it right.
Some social media platforms, such as Facebook, will allow you to ‘remarket’ to people you haven’t managed to convert. Essentially, this strategy targets consumers who have visited your website but left without taking the action you’re looking for (such as making a purchase or signing up for your newsletter).
Research has found that just 2% of first-time website visitors actually make a purchase or engage the services offered. Enticing an already-engaged audience back for a second look could help you seal the deal, or keep you at the front of their mind for future reference.
In contrast to overt adverts and paid promotion, inbound marketing is the opposite, complementary marketing strategy. Rather than reaching out to customers and actively selling yourself to them, inbound marketing strategies encourage readers to come to you. Content marketing is one of the best ways to covertly (and affordably) entice new customers onto your site.
Rather than screaming ‘buy me’ at your reader, content marketing offers them interesting content before subtly encouraging them to find out more about your business. It’s a win-win for both parties; your potential client can learn something about a topic that interests them, and you can enjoy new leads without having to cover high advertising costs.
One legitimate way to capture potential clients’ details and add value to their visit is to create a series of ‘lead magnet’ content pieces. Here are just some examples of titles you could try as a mortgage adviser:
Basically, you want your titles and content to be as enticing and genuinely helpful as possible. ‘Click bait’ may be a cliché, but there’s no denying that a catchy, provocative title will pique your reader’s curiosity and encourage them to view your article or download your guide. You’ll position yourself as a trusted expert, offer your client crucial industry insight and get their details in a legitimate, GDPR-compliant way.
Being part of a reliable, trusted lead generation platform is one of the simplest ways to make sure regular clients are coming your way. It won’t just help you boost your pipeline; joining a well-respected, trusted platform will show new customers you’re trustworthy and have the right credentials for the job.
Using a service like Unbiased Pro will allow you to connect with potential customers in your area and market your business without any of the hassle. You’ll be free to concentrate on other areas of your marketing or business growth strategy.
A great alternative, or addition, to being part of a lead generation platform is joining a local directory. The more exposure you get, the more likely it is people are going to find you and want to use your services. Try and join reputable directories that are both industry- and location-specific, as you’ll benefit from exposure to people seeking local and sector-specific help.
You may feel a little awkward asking your clients to review and recommend your services, but it’s a simple way to keep new business coming your way. 93% of people say the recommendations of their friends and family influence which companies they trust their money with. By getting your happy clients to pass your name on to their friends, colleagues and family, you could enjoy a steady stream of new business.
It’s tempting to abandon a marketing strategy if it doesn’t immediately pay off, but it’s important to be patient and give it time to produce results. Experts suggest you should stick with one digital marketing strategy for at least six to twelve months before changing tack. And if you haven’t fixed other areas of your new customer experience, such as a website that’s slow or has a number of typos, it may take even longer to see results if you’re not addressing these other potentially off-putting issues.
Make sure you’re reviewing how well your marketing strategy is performing on a regular basis, as this will allow you to see which part of your work is proving the most effective. For example, if your social media posts are drawing in a high volume of new leads, you’ll know to prioritise posting as regularly as you can to capitalise on this captive audience.
Not sure how to test the effectiveness of your marketing efforts? Our next tip will help you do just that.
Keeping your eye on a selection of key marketing metrics, like your website traffic, bounce rate, engagement and CLV (customer lifetime value) will help you get a better idea of whether your marketing strategy is working. It’s also a great way to gauge the cost-effectiveness of any outside help you’re receiving, as it will show you whether the investments you’re making are boosting or harming your profit margins. We’ve put together a list of the nine best marketing metrics that every business owner should be monitoring, so check out our in-depth article for more information.
If you’ve got a tried-and-tested marketing strategy that has apparently begun to fail, and your tweaks and reviews haven’t made any difference, it may be time to switch your strategy. This tip may sound a little contradictory but stick with us here.
Changing your strategy every week on a whim and not giving each one time to bring in results isn’t the best idea. However, sticking with the same ineffective marketing plan for years because you’re not sure what else to do isn’t good either. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new approaches, but give them a fair amount of time to work. For this reason it helps to have several on the go at once, both the established and the more experimental, so that when one is starting to go stale, another should (hopefully) be just coming to fruition.
Find out how an Unbiased Pro plan can provide an end-to-end marketing, lead generation and client conversion solution.
