A surprising number of loan originators are trying to “do it all,” including running their own marketing campaigns. But if the lackluster mortgage volumes of 2023 showed us anything, it’s that loan officers may not have the time or skillset to moonlight as marketers, nor should they need to. It only makes sense that front-line originators are most productive when they stay focused on their core skill: advising your customers or members on home loans.
Contrary to popular belief, relieving LOs of their marketing burden does not require mortgage companies to install ad managers, content producers and social media managers at every branch. In fact, mortgage operations of all kinds — not just retail, but also consumer-direct and TPO — are turning to a centralized, admin-driven marketing model that leverages the latest innovations in customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation technology that works with the mortgage process.
Done well, this approach will help you to find new customers while staying in contact with your existing ones. After all, we’ve all heard that it costs five to seven times as much to attract a new customer than it costs to keep an existing one, so it makes a lot of sense to retain the customers you already have in your database while you start to build relationships with new ones.
What is admin-driven mortgage marketing?
You’re probably thinking that sounds like double the work! But really, it’s just a new approach that requires rethinking your marketing efforts and redeploying your resournces into an admin-driving model.
Admin-driven mortgage marketing centralizes key aspects of the marketing function at the branch, regional or corporate level, freeing boots-on-the-ground lending teams from the quagmire of managing day-to-day marketing activities. So instead of doubling your marketing workload, you’re actually streamlining the efforts of everyone involved.
What are the benefits of admin-driven marketing?
- Higher-performing LOs. When you centralize marketing, you free your sales force to do what it does best: sell. Most LOs will appreciate having one less thing to worry about — but nobody likes being kept in the dark, so you’ll want to keep LOs in the loop on all communications that will be deployed to prospects, in-process customers or past clients on their behalf. Surefire CRM and Mortgage Marketing Engine makes it easy for admins to alert LOs as new pieces of content are added to the Surefire Creative Content Library. LOs can even opt out of a specific workflow if they don’t want to participate.
- More consistent, effective marketing. Research shows that consistency and relevancy are the keys to effective marketing communications. In other words, to make an impact, mortgage lenders need to repeatedly deliver content that is meaningful to their audience. Few LOs can find the time to maintain a regular cadence of social posts, email marketing, direct mail, phone calls and text messages on their own. Admin-driven ensures contacts receive a steady diet of personalized content that is always on-brand at any part of the loan process.
- Scalability. With the right technology, a single marketing admin can easily create, automate and deliver marketing centrally on behalf of dozens of LOs. For larger teams, Surefire CRM offers flexible user roles and approvals management. For instance, an individual with admin rights usually has full control over marketing collateral and the ability to approve workflows. This individual — or team, depending on the lender’s structure — must sign off on all content. Other people, like graphic designers or marketing coordinators, can be granted the freedom and flexibility to create content but will need to secure admin sign-off before it can be deployed.
- Flexibility. Let’s face it: LOs are not all the same. Most originators will be glad to relinquish their marketing responsibilities, but there are exceptions. You may employ a superstar LO whose personal brand is as recognizable as the company’s, if not more so. Done properly, admin-driven marketing doesn’t muzzle that branding power — it unleashes it. That’s because Surefire makes it easy to customize access to creative content and marketing automation workflows at the individual level.
- Compliance. Admin-driven marketing provides peace of mind by enabling a top-down approach to marketing compliance A mortgage CRM with a well-designed approval management function, like Surefire, allows organizations to assert control where necessary while offering leeway where it makes sense. Surefire also helps lenders document marketing activities by automatically creating an audit trail.
Ready to get started?
To see admin-driven marketing in action, schedule a demo of Surefire, the mortgage industry’s most popular CRM. If you’re already a Surefire customer and would like to shift to a centralized marketing model, we can help. Talk to your account manager to learn more about Surefire Professional Services.