June 6th, 2018

A digital footprint is otherwise referred to as the trace left from a user’s interactions in the digital realm.  Imagine a normal footprint left behind. It is a trace of the places one has been, demonstrating things they’ve done and showing where they’ve been.  A digital footprint is exactly that. Anyone who has an online presence leaves a trace of themselves wherever they go. Digital footprints are helpful in terms of marketing, allowing mortgage professionals to take advantage of the trace they leave behind. Social media has become one of the best tools in a marketing campaign, and it is crucial for mortgage companies to realize this. In 2017, 81 percent of the US population had a social networking profile. Many of which were millennials, and this is why they need to be targeted.  Social media is by far the best way to optimize a mortgage company’s digital footprint.

Engage Your Audience

According to Inc, approximately 74 percent of all internet users engage on social media.  By engaging with potential home buyers and competitors on social media, there’s more of a chance they will engage back.  This could result in more traffic directed back to the mortgage company’s site. The main idea here is to take advantage of this opportunity and comment where necessary in order to reach the right people.  Not only will the mortgage company’s name be out there for all to see, but it’ll build relationships with potential home buyers.

Optimize Your Profile

In order to strengthen a mortgage company or a specific branch’s social media presence, they must start with optimizing their profile.  This will compliment the company’s professionalism and make them stand out to viewers.  Such as home buyers who are looking to interact with these accounts.  Naturally, these profiles should include a professional “headshot” of the loan officer that represents their credibility. A bad quality photo of them at the bar will simply not cut it.  Treat loan officers’ photos delicately as they represent their profile and career. In addition, relevant keywords in hashtags of posts are beneficial to increase traffic. If terms used are trending on the social media platforms being used, more users will be reached. Overall, a profile should be professional, respectable, and be able to optimize a mortgage company’s digital footprint.

Think Ahead

Be ahead of any competitors.  Don’t forget to be keeping up with all social media platforms.  There are tools such as TweetDeck that allow loan officers and mortgage professionals to schedule professional posts well in advance.  While it’s necessary to go online daily and engage the audience, professionals don’t have to worry about constantly keeping up with their profile posting multiple times a day when they could be doing other things. Your followers will see posts appear in real time, even if you scheduled the content weeks ago. The useful tool, Tweetdeck, always keeps you covered.  It’ll be okay if a loan officer or mortgage professional forgets to tend to their page for a few hours.  

More recently, mortgage professionals are discovering how imperative the digital footprint they leave is to their career. The face they create for themselves online is how home buyers will see them in the real world. Therefore, one of the most necessary ideas to grasp is how to properly optimize a mortgage company’s digital footprint.