Optimizing Your Social Media Profiles For Success
April 6th, 2018
Utilizing social media in the mortgage industry holds much value considering the many business opportunities it can provide you or your company. Optimizing your profile on all social networks not only increases your chances to attract and connect with new clients, but enhances your company or own personal brand as a loan officer or mortgage professional. Here are several tips for improving your social media efforts on the four most popular social networks.
Over the years, Facebook has become one of the first choices of many businesses because of its size, the SEO benefits of a business Facebook page, and its ability to communicate with customers. Loan officers must utilize Facebook in a way that their profile is somewhere in the range of 50 percent mortgage business and 50 percent personal messaging. Doing this lets profile viewers know you are professional while keeping it friendly and personable at the same time. Sharing videos and photos is a great way to get traction to your profiles. Posts that get shared end up in more feeds, which means greater exposure. It’s also important to maintain a regular cadence by posting a least once a day. You should also incorporate hashtags in your posts to increase chances of being found when users are searching for that specific hashtag.
For Twitter, you should consider using at least one visual, either a photo or video, for every post. This provides a bit more taste to each post which attracts viewers. You want to avoid excessive linked article sharing and focus on posting your own personal written articles. Doing this shows followers that you are knowledgeable in the industry and builds trust from afar. Make sure everything, including your bio, location and web information, is up to date. Too add more value, pin one of your favorite tweets– this becomes the first tweet followers see on your page, so choose wisely. Also, consider updating your headshot or profile picture. You always want your page to be as current as possible so you’re instantly recognizable to potential clients and prospects. This also applies for social networks such as LinkedIn, where professional contacts are trying to match faces to the business cards they’ve collected.
On LinkedIn, consider refreshing your professional headline. Many mortgage professionals and loan officers use this space strictly for job titles. Going a bit further in detail can set yourself apart from the crowd. For example, loan officers can include their company and the states they serve. They may also include their NMLS ID number, and emphasize a specific niche they may have. For example, a bilingual loan officer might have “Bilingual Spanish Loan Officer” in their profile. Next, consider updating your summary and experience sections of your page. Show off your expertise and let followers know what you do. If you’ve received awards or certifications, now is the time to brag about it. Also, don’t hesitate to highlight volunteer work. This lets your connections know who you are as a professional and a person.
On Instagram, posts do not always have to be business related. Keep it professional in the sense that you post industry related content while staying away from posting personal activities. Yet, too much advertisement of mortgage industry content can lead followers away. Consider posting content that includes branded items of your company, such as a coffee mug or stress ball. Also, when hash-tagging, be aware of the new algorithm Instagram owns. The current algorithm suggests you to use at least three hashtags in your post to let it be seen by followers. However, avoid excessive hashtags in post as this looks tacky. Work them into your posts organically. Finally, be sure to utilize Instagram’s story mode. Followers will see stores and if you have a lead-in to an Instagram post, they may head over to your profile to view more content which is what you ultimately want.
Loan officer or mortgage executive, the benefits from utilizing social media and all it has to offer are endless. Polishing your social media efforts ultimately leads you to connecting with new clients and new business opportunities. If you really think about it, it is the cheapest way to increase your business’ growth– and its free. Make the first step towards success. Optimize your social media profiles!