Mortgage Influencers

Three Common Mistakes

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Staff Writer

Converting clicks to leads and leads to funded loans is the entire point of social selling, but sources say it takes more than good content to get borrowers across the finish line. If an originator has been consistently putting out content but not generating leads, they need to take a step back and ask themselves what problems need to be addressed.

1 . Is my content going to the right audience?

Content needs to reach an originator’s target borrowers. If the originator is licensed in multiple states, it’s wise to make content involving those specific states so that borrowers in those states are directed to those videos, Nguyen said. Using hashtags and keywords in the video description – #California if that’s where the originator is licensed, or #FHA if that’s the borrower demographic – also helps refine content.

The creator’s choice of platform may be another reason for not building enough leads.

“TikTok is where you find all your content because they build out like more of a Google version of finding content. Instagram’s more hashtags,” Nguyen said. And, stop using LinkedIn for consumer-targeted content, he added. “LinkedIn’s more for brand building… but you’re not gonna get the business that you want to get out of it.”

Many people assume to know what the audience demographic is for each app, like Gen Z uses TikTok, millennials like Instagram, and older generations prefer Facebook. Those user trends are generally true, but it’s not the whole picture. Faulty assumptions mean missed opportunities, as Phillips learned when she first started posting content. Originally, she thought TikTok was for kids.

“I’ve had borrowers in their, you know, fifties, sixties — I think even one in her seventies — that found me through TikTok. So, you know, I was totally wrong,” Phillips said. “I was really surprised at the range of ages that I ended up attracting.”

Informing Phillip’s assumptions now is the fact that, since the pandemic, TikTok has expanded its footprint to reach a much broader audience of consumers.

2. Am I making magnet content and anchor content?

Magnet content, Nguyen explained, attracts people to influencers’ videos and channels. Anchor content, meanwhile, gets the audience to stay and interact with your page for a while. Without a balance between the two, originators may see their social strategy stagnate.

“They’re all doing anchoring content,” Nguyen said. “So the platform is not finding them a new audience.”

Overall, mortgage is not a sexy topic. And yet, originators’ videos compete for views with every other video on their chosen platform, including funny cat videos, celebrity gossip, and breaking news from around the world. How can mortgage videos be equally magnetic?

Nguyen recommends making short form content — 15 or 20 second long videos. Do memes, duets, or stitches (see graphic) about anything mortgage and real estate related.

“Unless you are this amazing presenter, like the real Wayne Turner or the mortgage kitchen, you’re not God’s gift to real estate mortgage. So do trends,” Nguyen said. “Don’t do all these talking videos… Do all the easy content that doesn’t even require you even being in the video.”

Anchor content is where the real substance lies, though. For this type of content, creators may discuss industry insights and provide advice to homebuyers. Creators may answer questions like: Should I use a broker? What’s an FHA 203K loan? What is The Fed doing? How do I get a lower mortgage payment in today’s market?

3. Are my videos aesthetically pleasing?

Mortgage professionals know that when they’re meeting a client or associate, they need to look nice. The same rule applies for video content. Some creators dress and act more casually online than they do in-person, which is okay, but the video should have some aesthetic appeal.

The location where the video is recorded should have good lighting and a pleasant-looking background. Avoid having anything in the video that may distract the audience. Don’t get too fancy with your editing, warned Phillips.

“I see a handful of loan officers or mortgage brokers put out content that is super edited to where it looks really aesthetically pleasing, but it is not connecting with the viewer because it looks too overproduced,” Phillips said.

Phillips said she’s made a few videos like that herself, but they didn’t get a lot of engagement. So, what’s the point of putting in all that effort?

Having great visuals is especially important when posting to Instagram, Nguyen said, whereas TikTok is more audio based.

Visuals also include captions, which can help users find your video if they identify or show interest with those key terms, such as FHA, DPAs, or first time homebuyers.

“So when you talk on TikTok and on Instagram too, if you put it in the captions and then the description, you’re telling Instagram and TikTok what you want,” Nguyen said.

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