In an era where digital presence often equates to professional prowess, the mortgage industry is having a tough time fitting in. Most good salespeople want to be on social media and are cognizant of the power it possesses. However, finding the right message and medium to send it can be challenging in such an arduous profession lacking a remarkable product to market. After all, loan officers are selling a service, not just a loan product that is offered by most lenders.

So how can loan officers transition from starting with no followers and mediocre content to building a strong online presence and trustworthy brand that customers can depend on? Rebecca Richardson, The Mortgage Mentor, has built her following through multiple digital channels. She knows the ins and outs of social media and how to establish your voice on highly saturated platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram.

Richardson was first exposed to the world of real estate at a young age. Her father was a real estate attorney, and Richardson herself started her career as a financial planner. After a poor first-time homebuying experience, she realized she could make a difference as a loan officer.

“We bought our first home before I became a loan officer,” Richardson said. “It was a good financial decision but not a positive experience. It really kind of killed that joy of buying a home, primarily because of the loan officer.”

Find Your Voice

Richardson’s early experiences with the mortgage process helped her find her voice and brand. As The Mortgage Mentor, she strives not to educate her clients on just their loans but to help them understand the entire mortgage process.

“For me, a lot of it comes down to empowering people so they have their own knowledge they can trust, instead of just hoping that they have somebody trustworthy,” Richardson said. “I think that comes through authenticity. Being genuine, being sincere, but also being strategic. It’s making sure the decisions that we make benefit us today but also will benefit us in the long run.”

Richardson’s videos on TikTok are clear, concise, and easy to follow. Of course, she covers all the typical loan officer topics, such as down payment assistance options, smart ways to drop PMI, and new programs for first-time homebuyers. So what makes her content unique?

Richardson is able to captivate her audience through her personality. Among the informative and educational videos covering the loan process or the mortgage industry, she posts funny, quick-hitting videos that help tell her story. These videos could be a life update or an honest reaction to industry news. Richardson even posted a video where she stitched together footage with another loan officer, setting their information straight in fact-or-fake style. (A “stitch” is a creation tool that allows you to combine another video on TikTok with the one you’re creating. Duh, right?) She says that by posting original content consistently, she was finally able to start seeing traction.

“Who are you as a person and why do you care about what you do? Then, what do you know and how can you help? That’s what it really boils down to,” said Richardson. “As long as that’s being done consistently then somewhere between that three to six months is when you start to get traction. Because in the simple act of doing, you get better at it. You can experiment.”

Richardson continued to emphasize the importance of adaptability and paying attention to what people are saying.

“Listen to what people are asking or what gets engagement. Not just views, but also likes and actual interaction,” she said. “Then you start to get that confidence of ‘Oh, this is my voice on social’.”

Camera Comfortability

If Richardson appears to be comfortable on camera, it’s probably because she is. However, even she will admit it takes some commitment. Not everyone is comfortable with picking up the phone, turning on the camera, and pressing that daunting red button while speaking to nobody but yourself. Richardson has advice for those individuals.

“Just turn your camera on, you know?” Richardson said empathetically. “It comes back to self-acceptance. An easy step is turning on your camera for video conferencing.”

Here, Richardson expressed the importance of desensitizing yourself to the camera.

“I think the second level of that is just experimenting [with] recording yourself,” she said. “I absolutely had this fear. I can’t tell you how many times I would have to do a take before I thought I could live with it. I wasn’t even happy with it; I could just live with it.”

Almost everyone struggles with seeing themselves on camera at first, and Richardson was no exception. But like she said, there’s always the next take!

“First of all, it’s not Facebook live, and it’s not like we’re going live on national news,” Richardson proclaimed. “So if you hate it, delete it! That’s also the beauty of editing. If you mess up, just do it again and cut out the bad parts.”

Niche To Get Rich

Richardson concluded that it’s important for loan officers to understand exactly what they’re getting themselves into before jumping into social media. There will be setbacks, ups and downs, and plenty of doubts. The right mindset, however, can propel you forward.

“Yes, we do this for business, but I think it is an act of vulnerability,” Richardson said. “So it’s important to go into it with that understanding. You’re being vulnerable, and it’s an act of service for your community. You’re spreading information.”

Richardson also urged loan officers to focus on their target audience and make content unique to them.

“Loan officers need to make content for their potential client, ideally their client avatar,” she said. “It’s good to have general content, but I think too many loan officers are scared to make specific content, whether it’s for investors, first-time homebuyers, Veterans, or whatever it may be. Have a couple client avatars and speak directly to them.”

Finding a distinct segment of the market that you are passionate about can help identify your target audience, or client avatars.

“It’s that whole ‘niche to get rich’ idea,” Richardson continued. “You need to let people know why you are their perfect match to solve their unique problems. If you only create general content, you’re not answering any specific questions.”

Many loan officers get lost in the mix of trying to attract every buyer with broad content. Others get distracted with the idea of making content to bolster their own image and gain followers, losing sight of the original goal.

“Don’t make content for yourself or to blow up your own image. What will your ideal client think when they see that content? I think that is the ultimate question,” Richardson said. “Can you solve their problem, or are you just trying to attract buyers?”

Social media can help loan officers expand reach and visibility, build trust and credibility, and generate referrals and repeat business. However, when used incorrectly and inconsistently, it becomes nothing more than a mere distraction, diluting brand presence and diminishing potential opportunities. Richardson underscored two important questions to ask yourself when building your online brand or simply before your next post.

“Who are you making this for, and what will they think when they see it?” Richardson concluded.