Social media survival skills—if you want to become famous in your little corner of the mortgage world, there are some things you simply must do!
• Be yourself and have fun. You are in the mortgage business, but you are also a person who has a life outside the biz. Share it with others.
• Read twice as much as you comment. Type in the words “mortgage blogs” and “real estate blogs” and the “name of your city” in the search engine box and pick four or five of them to follow.
• Comment twice as much as you blog. Make thoughtful comments, which either more information, questions or stories to make the other readers think.
• Imagine what you write is a conversation in real life, like you are talking face to face with a client or real estate agent.
• If you are new to the blog, say so! Ever walk into a party and didn’t know anyone there? You introduce yourself, right? It is the same thing with blogging.
• Acknowledge your biases. If you are passionate about something, say so.
• Be transparent. If you’re quoting a rate, be sure to comply with Reg. Z.
• Be consistent. This is where choosing a mortgage niche or two is critical. Comment on blogs and posts that will reinforce your niches.
• Be thoughtful. Don’t just say, “I agree” or “Thanks for sharing." Give the person your thoughts, helpful hints, links, etc to increase their knowledge of the topic you and others are talking about.
• Be credible; it’s easy for people to determine if you know what you are talking about or just a B.S.er! Back it up your comments with other links, facts and figures.
• Don’t lie; don’t say you are a top producing LO if you only close three deals a month.
• Go light on the soft sell. You can influence your readers to business with you, using the soft sell approach, like telling a story on how you helped someone refinance to a 15-year term, keep the same monthly payment, and save $32,000 in interest.
• On the other hand, no “hard” sell techniques either. Enough said!
Karen Deis is the publisher of
