How do you generate more mortgage leads without using an expensive lead generation company?
The answer is simple: generate your own. All you need to do is develop a system for finding potential customers and then get in front of them with the right information at the right time.
Here are 15 proven mortgage lead generation strategies that will help in generating mortgage leads without having to buy them.
1. Create great content
If you don’t have anything useful to say, no one will care about what you are offering. Make sure that have a regularly updated blog on your website and that your blog posts and articles offer valuable advice or tips so readers can get something out of them.
People love lists too, so try creating top ten lists with actionable steps that address the pain points of your target clients - things like: how to save up a deposit, how to improve your credit score, how to avoid common mortgage mistakes, etc.
2. Optimise your website
Every day, thousands of people search on Google for advice and information about mortgages. You can increase your number of mortgage enquiries by making sure that your website is one of the ones people find when they are doing these kind of searches.
To do this, you need to make sure your website is optimised for search engines.
Having a website that is not search engine optimised will make it nearly impossible to generate leads. Make sure you have an SEO strategy in place and follow the latest trends and best practices for creating high-quality content.
With Google’s changes over the past decade, it takes more than just having good keywords. You need a site that loads quickly on both desktops and mobiles and which has backlinks from well-respected websites. So it's well worth investing some time in doing some link building (or paying someone to do it for you).
3. Run Google Ads for local mortgage broker searches
If you want to generate more mortgage leads, run Google Ads campaigns for the keywords “mortgage” and your city or town. You can target very specific phrases related to mortgages so when someone searches for a local mortgage broker they will see ads from your website in their search results. This is an effective way of generating new clients and you can learn how to do it yourself via this free training.
4. Run Google Ads for a mortgage niche
You can generate more mortgage leads by running Google Ads UK-wide for phrases related to specific types of mortgages. For example, if you are in the self-employed remortgage niche then run an advert that brings people into your website when they search “self employed remortgage” or other similar phrases. This is very effective because it will generally lead to lower click costs and attract the type of people who are more likely to turn into leads.
5. Use Facebook Ads to generate mortgage leads
You can generate more mortgage leads by using Facebook to target people in specific areas who are interested in buying or selling a home (or remortgaging). You can use various targeting options to reach the right kind of audience. These types of ads tend not to be as expensive as Google Ads but you need to be prepared to wait longer for results as people don't generally go to Facebook specifically to search for mortgage advice.
6. Join a business networking group
Joining a business networking group to build relationships with other professionals in your industry, such as estate agents, solicitors and architects, is an excellent way of getting in front of potential clients - both within the group itself and via the personal and business connections that other members of the group have got.
One highly respected business networking organisation is Business Networking International (BNI). By becoming a member of BNI, you'll have the opportunity to attend regular meetings with other professionals in the finance and property industries.
To generate the most mortgage leads from this strategy, you need to have your own personal brand and become known as someone who can help their target audience. You can check out this video if you want to know more about building your brand as a mortgage broker.
Don't expect instant results from networking. You need to commit to being a useful member of the group and helping people get to know, like and trust you - so that when they do need a mortgage you're the obvious person to turn to.
7. Network on social media
With social media marketing, you can generate more mortgage leads by using LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to network with people in your area who are interested in buying or selling a home (or remortgaging). A quick search of “mortgage” on any social media site will reveal local groups that you should join so you can offer advice and answer people's questions.
8. Answer mortgage-related questions on Quora
Quora is a great platform for you to reach a targeted audience without incurring a high mortgage leads cost. The site allows members to ask questions about mortgages and get expert advice from qualified mortgage brokers. You can generate more mortgage leads by signing up with Quora for free, answering people's questions in your area of expertise (be specific - choose one city or town or one niche within the mortgage industry), offering advice where you can and adding value.
9. Create a free Google My Business listing
You can generate more mortgage leads by creating a free Google My Business listing for your business which you can use to claim local search results. When someone searches for “mortgage broker” in the area where you do business they will see an ad with your telephone number and website address plus reviews that other people have left about their experience working with you.
10. Start a YouTube channel
Generating leads is also possible by creating a YouTube channel and uploading videos that answer people's questions about mortgages. You should create content that is helpful, interesting and easy to share - so get creative with your videos! If you upload regularly, this will help you gain subscribers which means the chances of someone finding one of your videos when they're searching for local mortgage advice goes up.
And if you like watching video content yourself, check out my YouTube channel where you'll find loads more ideas for how to generate your own mortgage leads.
11. Build an email list
You can generate more mortgage leads by building an email list. People are three times as likely to buy something from a business that they have an existing relationship with, so when you build your list you're creating brand advocates who will give your business credibility and refer other people to you too. You can generate new mortgage leads through opt-in forms on your website or simply ask for their contact details in exchange for useful information (a free report or video tutorial).
12. Gather online reviews for your mortgage business
Another way to get more mortgage leads is by getting online reviews for your business - like this one from one of the members of my group coaching programme:
These reviews will improve people's perception of you and make them much more likely to get in touch with you when they need a mortgage. Get customers, past clients and even former employees who are happy to talk about their experience working with you on Google Reviews, VouchedFor, Trustpilot, or other sites that allow people to leave feedback.
13. Develop an effective mortgage marketing strategy
Marketing your mortgage brokerage and generating more leads is much easier once you have a clear understanding of who your target audience is so you can reach them with the right message at exactly the right time, whether it's through social media, print advertising or email marketing campaigns.
Invest some time in creating a customer avatar and developing a powerful value proposition and you'll find it much easier to stand out from your competitors in a crowded marketplace.
A value proposition is a simple statement that sums up what you do, how you add value for your clients, and how you differ from your competitors. A strong value proposition will help you stand out from the crowd and convince potential clients to choose you over any other mortgage broker. Once you’ve decided what your value proposition is, make sure it is clearly displayed on your website and on other marketing material.
14. Use remarketing and retargeting
A great way to generate a steady stream of new mortgage leads is by using remarketing and retargeting to capture people who have engaged with your business but not yet made an enquiry. You can either use Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach people who have visited your website but not converted, as well as those who are similar in demographic terms to existing clients (so they're more likely to be interested).
15. Build a referral strategy
Unless you’re brand new in the mortgage business, you’re going to have a selection of past clients who you’ve helped find a mortgage for their new home or save money by remortgaging their existing property. When did you last ask them for a small bit of help in return?
A simple email or a phone call asking them to introduce you to any of their friends/colleagues/family who might want to cut their mortgage costs is likely to result in some new business for you.
You should also make asking for a referral a standard part of your sales process. By making a point of asking every client whose mortgage completes if they can think of someone else who might benefit from your advice, you could develop a whole new stream of enquiries.
Use these mortgage marketing strategies intelligently and consistently and you should find it much easier generate high quality mortgage leads from now on!
Good article. Now I am an advocate for Google, but, it does seem to be google orientated. What about using other search engines?
Google should be your main focus, in my opinion, as that’s where about 80% of the search traffic is. But it’s definitely worth looking at Microsoft Advertising (which delivers results on Bing) as well.