As loan officers, we know that having an online presence is valuable. Especially in the current climate, so many borrowers are using the internet to find their loan officer. They’re not just looking for a contact number or a static webpage though. These things aren’t going to catch their attention and make you stand out. To build an engaging online presence that encourages borrowers to actually reach out, one of the most important things loan officers can focus on is consistency. Here’s what I mean:
Choose Your Sites
Maintaining your online presence requires a time investment, so rather than spreading yourself thinly over a bunch of different social-social media sites, you might start by prioritizing the one or two that seem the most relevant to your target audience. Chances are, Facebook will be one of them. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t branch out and try new things. But it’s worth building slowly so that you can really establish yourself on these platforms before expanding to new ones right away.
Get to Know Your Audience
If you’re going to be consistent on these platforms, that means you’re going to need to share content on a regular basis. Not just any content is going to catch borrowers’ eyes. With so much content out there competing for their attention, loan officers really need to home in on what it is potential clients want to know about. Who is your target audience? Who is your average borrower? From there, it’s important to monitor your posts and pay attention to which one performs the best so you can model that focus and style going forward.
Focus on Value
The best performing content tends to be content that offers some type of value. As you learn about your audience, tune into their common questions and concerns. Which parts of the process can you break down? Where can you offer some expertise? By prioritizing valuable content, you’ll be attracting the right kind of followers. When you combine your commitment to consistency with a commitment to value, you supercharge your online presence.
Be Concise
Valuable content doesn’t mean it needs to be a long formal essay though. In fact, these days, that really the most valuable form of content when it comes to building your online presence. And if you’re planning to post consistently, you probably don’t have time to be creating that much lengthy content anyway. You want to focus instead on sharing consumable content – things that are easy to read, don’t take much time, and quickly get to the main point. This type of content is more likely to grab readers’ attention and it makes your content more enjoyable for them to consume.
Is consistently sharing content a part of your online marketing strategy? Have you noticed the impact of consistency in your own business? If you’d like to discuss this and other ways loan officers can improve their online presence and ultimately grow their business, I’d be happy to set up a time to talk.
Don Riggs
VP – Retail Market Leader
NMLS 132702
303.249.8274