The mortgage industry is evolving, and traditional marketing and word of mouth alone aren’t enough to stay competitive. With over 40% of home buyers last year stating that the first step in their purchasing journey was to look online, the significance of the digital marketplace is unavoidable.
You don’t require a massive budget or a full-time marketing team to access marketing for financial services that is impactful. By focusing on the right strategies, you can generate qualified leads that engage meaningfully with your business, maximise conversion, and grow your mortgage business online in a cost-effective manner.
Below are six digital marketing strategies that every mortgage broker should start using today.
1. Take advantage of local SEO
Many mortgage brokers invest in general SEO, but local SEO is where the real opportunity lies.
The advent of digital transformation in the mortgage industry has changed the way consumers and brokers engage with each other. Homebuyers and refinancers typically search for mortgage brokers in their specific city or neighbourhood, making local search optimisation essential for ranking ahead of competitors. Google is also prioritising matching users with local listings to deliver more relevant and geographically tailored results.
Start by creating and then optimising your Google Business Profile (GBP) with accurate business details and high-quality images. Encouraging customers to leave reviews can also improve visibility in local searches by increasing your authority.
Next, incorporate location-based keywords such as “mortgage broker in [Your City]” or “low-interest home loans in [Neighbourhood]” throughout your website, blog content, and meta descriptions. This can improve your visibility in local search results and help attract potential clients who are actively looking for services in your area.
Finally, build local backlinks by partnering with real estate agents, financial advisors, and community websites. Backlinks are hyperlinks on other websites that direct traffic to your page. Building backlinks with other local professionals is a powerful way to enhance the authority of your website and improve local search rankings, as these will increase your credibility and send direct referral traffic to your website.
As part of your back-link building strategy, focus on fostering partnerships with trusted local professionals instead of generic link-building strategies. This will increase your authority as customers tend to trust businesses with strong, long-term connections in their community.
- Real estate agents often have high-traffic websites and community connections. Consider collaborating on homebuyer guides or local market reports to earn a backlink.
- Financial advisors serve clients who are planning major financial decisions, including home purchases. Consider leveraging content marketing by partnering with them to create blog posts about mortgage payments. This can direct relevant traffic to your page.
These local connections can not only boost search engine authority but also drive referral traffic from trusted sources, helping you attract high-intent prospects actively searching for mortgage solutions in your area.
2. Use niche targeting with social media ads
In Australia, lead generation for mortgage brokers is vital to attracting potential customers. However, securing qualified leads requires strategic and specific efforts to ensure your leads engage high-intent prospects.
Generic Facebook and Instagram ads can waste ad spend on unqualified leads, but targeted social media ads allow mortgage brokers to reach the right audience with precision. Instead of casting a wide net, focus on specific niches with tailored messaging.
- For first-time homebuyers, create educational content and highlight first-time buyer incentives to ease their concerns.
- Self-employed borrowers often struggle with mortgage approval, so ads addressing alternative income verification or flexible loan options can resonate with them.
- For homeowners looking to refinance, showcase potential savings through side-by-side comparisons or mortgage calculators.
To maximise conversions, leverage custom audiences and retargeting through Meta Pixel or Google Ads remarketing. This ensures past website visitors and leads see relevant ads that keep your mortgage services top-of-mind. By speaking directly to each niche’s pain points and financial goals, your ads will generate higher engagement and drive more qualified mortgage leads.
3. Utilising paid search ads for immediate visibility
Paid search ads, like Google Ads, provide mortgage brokers with a powerful way to gain immediate visibility on search engines, especially for competitive keywords. With Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, you can bid on specific terms related to mortgage services, ensuring your business appears at the top of search results when potential clients are actively looking for help. This method charges businesses only when a user clicks on their ad, making it a cost-effective way to reach targeted audiences.
To maximise effectiveness:
- Target high-intent long-tail keywords such as “mortgage broker in Parramatta” or “support with first time homebuyer loans” to reach clients at a cost-effective cost-per-click.
- Use ad extensions to highlight unique selling points, such as competitive rates or free consultations, directly in the search results.
- A/B test different ad copy and landing page combinations to refine what drives the best conversions.
Paid search ads can provide quick traffic to your website and give you the ability to track and measure your ROI in real-time, allowing you to adjust your strategies as needed.
4. Conversion-focused landing pages (Not just a Homepage)
One of the biggest mistakes mortgage brokers make is directing PPC and SEO traffic to their homepage instead of a purpose-built landing page. Unlike a generic homepage, a landing page is designed with a single goal in mind – converting visitors into leads. These pages are tailored to the specific needs or search intent of the visitor, with targeted messaging, compelling calls to action, and simplified navigation that encourages enquiries.
When traffic is sent to a homepage, visitors may struggle to find relevant information or take immediate action to engage with your business. This may result in them clicking off your page without taking action.
Targeted landing pages, however, can convert visitors into leads more readily. Consider creating separate landing pages that are specifically tailored to different services.
Understanding the utility of mortgage broker website templates or investing in services such as website packages for brokers can help this process by creating designs with the aim to turn website visitors into qualified leads and clients. The unique strength of website and marketing packages for mortgage brokers is that they tailor the scope and features of your website to suit your specific services.
- For example, instead of sending your visitors to a page that contains general information without clear calls to action, direct them to a sign-up or mortgage application page.
- A “First homebuyer mortgage guide” page can also make a valuable landing page that engages visitors while also capturing prospects through a simple sign-up form.
- A “Refinance your home loan” page can feature a free consultation offer, encouraging visitors to take action.
Targeted landing pages are a key part of ensuring your mortgage broker website has an architecture optimised for conversions.
5. Email campaigns for lead nurturing
Many mortgage brokers lose potential clients simply because they fail to follow up consistently. After you have determined a strategy for how to secure mortgage leads, a strong email drip campaign can keep them engaged and move them closer to conversion.
The key to this strategy is automation. Set up sequences based on lead behaviour to provide timely and relevant touchpoints.
For example, if a lead fills out a pre-approval form but hasn’t scheduled a call, send a friendly email or SMS reminder with a direct link to book a time. Personalisation is crucial – address potential clients by their name, acknowledge their specific mortgage needs, and tailor correspondence accordingly.
Alongside personalisation, using a local email hosting service can improve deliverability and help ensure your drip campaign emails reach inboxes rather than spam folders. Proper technical setup – including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records – also plays a crucial role in verifying your domain and building trust with email providers.
6. Strategic partnerships & co-marketing for more referrals
Traditional networking is valuable, but digital partnerships take referrals to the next level. Teaming up with real estate agents, financial planners and home insurance providers can provide access to highly relevant audiences and generate more qualified leads.
Effective partnership strategies include:
- Guest blogging – write an article on a real estate agent’s website about mortgage tips for homebuyers, or contribute a financial planning piece on managing mortgage payments.
- Co-hosting webinars or live Q&A sessions with industry partners can also drive engagement and establish credibility.
- Cross-promotions – such as featuring a financial planner’s advice in your email newsletter or offering exclusive discounts on home insurance – help build trust while benefiting both businesses.
By leveraging digital partnerships, mortgage brokers can expand their reach, increase referrals and strengthen their online presence.
No longer just a passing trend, digital marketing is now essential for ensuring your business stays relevant and reaches potential clients. It’s important to take a gradual approach – experiment with different tactics, track your results, and refine your approach over time. With a consistent focus on optimising your digital marketing efforts, you can build a strong online presence that supports business success.