This morning, I had an interview with a personality on our market’s largest local radio station to discuss the mortgage industry and housing market. It was a great interview and he certainly had great questions that consumers need to hear responses on. I have a passion for this business and love doing what I do, but I always have to remember to keep it simple in these conversations and adjust to the audience versus the mortgage professional which can be challenging. It’s important to answer questions in a manner where they’ll easily understand them and even to use analogies at times to put things into perspective.
It had been a while since my last interview and it got me thinking as to why I’m not doing more of these. I think it’s important that we all make a footprint in our local markets by being the expert in our fields. For me personally, I like to expose and share all of the things others don’t and what I believe consumers really need to hear and understand about the mortgage industry. My message might be different than others, but any way you can get your message and brand to the public, it can be very rewarding for your reputation and business if your goals and morals are in the right place.
It’s not always easy getting your foot in the door, but what are some ways that you can have journalists and others in the media contact you when they need a good story or have questions?
►Find the right contacts and e-mail them. Follow journalists in social media and message them with topics they might find interesting with feedback.
►Know what media outlets cover and make sure you have the right contact person for your field and topics related to your expertise.
►Be professional and don’t apply too much pressure. Have direct, clear and impactful messages.
►Be different and tell them something interesting that makes or builds a great story using facts and statistics they might not easily find elsewhere.
►Consider all written, audio and television outlets.
►If you have a story covered, make sure they have your information and remain in touch as a future resource.
Being a local expert with ties to the media can certainly produce credibility and attract new prospects. At times, you may even consider “paid” local expert spots in some media outlets if it’s a more consistent interview on your industry, but you should certainly be providing good information with the right intentions to the public versus self-promotion. Reach out as a local expert to your local media outlets. The worst thing that can happen is nothing at all, but it’s still worth the effort.
Andy W. Harris, CRMS is president and owner of Lake Oswego, Ore.-based Vantage Mortgage Group Inc. and past president of the Oregon Association of Mortgage Professionals. He may be reached by phone at (877) 496-0431, e-mail [email protected] or visit VantageMortgageGroup.com.
This article originally appeared in the June 2016 print edition of National Mortgage Professional Magazine.
