Mortgage Marketing via Twitter?

Below are some loose thoughts I posted at BrokerOutpost in a discussion about the role of twitter in mortgage marketing where I shared my findings about Twitter conversion.

Is anyone actually gaining clients from twitter? You bet, check out www.twitter.com/mortgagereports. Dan posts rate and market updates and people listen.

Why would somebody follow me? The same reason they would follow your blog, website or newsletter…. you are providing something of value. You mean I can’t just sign up and get deals? Nope, but the folks you are competing against appreciate your lack of effort / lack of understanding the medium… that’s for sure. This conversation is very similar to the one that occurred when websites were first used for mortgage marketing. Some folks were adamant that consumers wouldn’t trust a website, naysayers were sure that consumers needed to shake a hand before refinancing.

Bottom line: Marketers in virtually any vertical you can imagine are successfully marketing on twitter. The jury is no longer out on whether or not twitter is a viable marketing channel, the question is HOW it can be used in your overall marketing strategy.

Effort: As with any marketing tool, you get out what you put in. Signed up for twitter and didn’t get deals? You can’t be surprised at that, let’s be real. Twitter or ANY marketing channel takes work!

Strategy: Twitter can play a valuable role in any mortgage marketing strategy. It’s a great intro to eyeballs that you can then convert into becoming followers of your updates and industry news on your website / blog….where you can introduce them to your brand and value proposition or “why should I use you to refinance?”.

People that follow you on Twitter are real people, consumers. Twitter is simply a tool to get your message / value proposition / news & updates in front of those eyeballs. This is an opportunity to reach many folks you would never get an audience with.

How: There are so many “How to Market on Twitter” guides it isn’t even funny, everything you need to know has been written ten times over. Also, twitter doesn’t have to be about marketing, I am still able to network via my personal account ( twitter.com/tracerichardson ) where I share whatever I feel like, even if it isn’t business related.. Or I might post on business accounts I have such as @leadpress, @brokerscience @ipagio, etc….

I’ve learned a lot by taking part in the conversation and watching others. I’ve actually learned more by listening… The lessons learned are very similar to other mediums…. don’t spam, provide value, learn the rules of the game / etiquette, etc….

What is the point? The point is that the game is wide open. While a lot of peeps are using twitter in their overall mortgage marketing strategy, most are not. That equals opportunity.