Marketing

CRM companies are rolling out products to help originators get in contact with and convert purchase leads.

Home values in major metro areas across the country continued to climb in October, according to Quicken Loans.

With the right products and markets, loan officers can be better compensated even as they close fewer loans.

Make certain your loan officers do not go off on their own and cause your company to be disciplined by regulators.

We can't really talk about the millennial buyer until we talk about the baby boomer seller.

Here are 25 ways to honor a veteran on Veterans Day.

He founded and owned Myers Internet Services, which at one time hosted over 8,500 websites for originators and real estate agents.

National home prices are continuing to rise from a year earlier, but the rate of growth is slowing down.

Mortgage lenders need to pay attention because Americans are interacting with peer-based networks to make major purchasing decisions.

You can build a new book of business by returning to tried and true ideas which have worked for you in the past.

How are you planning to keep your loan volume up once the stimulus program ends?

Social media seems to be the new buzzword for commerce of all varieties these days. Big and small businesses are seeing the power of reaching out virally through social networking platforms. Consumers, especially those in the Gen X and Y sector, are seeking advice and information from these resources before making their purchasing decisions. If you aren't online, in a variety of ways, you may not be considered of value.

Marketing is the key to growing and sustaining a strong origination business. Too often, loan officers get so caught up in the daily grind of their pipeline that they forget to stay focused on this essential piece of their business.This is what usually causes the "feast and famine" cycles that are so frustrating in our industry. But it's possible to be fun and creative with attention-grabbing ideas that will bring you more business. Getting your marketing done while managing your loans can be tricky, but if you look at marketing as an actual appointment that needs to be met, you will find yourself making the time to get those tasks done. Marketing is important, but not necessarily urgent, so the urgent often takes priority over your marketing. If you are busy working on loans in your pipeline, it may take working an extra few hours that week. Consider going into the office two hours early one day a week to get caught up so you can spend quality time away from the office marketing. Your referral partners need to see you, hear from you and be reminded that you work on referrals. It won't matter how good you are or how low your rates are; if you don't stay on the minds of your referral partners, there is a pretty good chance they will forget about you. Do not just pop into their office without a reason. Take something with you of value that will reinforce who you are and what you do for a living. This can be information on a new program that can help their clients or a thank you gift for a recent referral. I love unique marketing... things that make the recipient take notice and remember who you are. They don't have to be expensive or take a lot of time. Your marketing just needs to get done on a consistent schedule. The possibilities are endless. Here are just a few creative ideas: