This post is part 2 of our series on mortgage branding 101. You can read part 1 of mortgage branding here, but as a quick refresher, here’s why mortgage branding matters to your lead conversion:

• A mortgage brand provides an emotional anchor for your prospect to your lending business
• A mortgage brand creates a familiarity and trust, even when the consumer has never done business with you
• A mortgage brand expresses the value of your lending services
• A mortgage brand is a way for consumers to experience a positive interaction with your business; remember that consumers are likely to patron businesses that they have a positive first experience.

Now that we’ve reviewed how mortgage branding influences your conversion rate let’s move on to the fun part: developing the brand for your mortgage business!

How to develop a strong mortgage brand:

Most of the work is already done for you — you’re in the mortgage industry! An industry with a rich framework for you to draw upon for inspiration.  But if you want to create a strong and memorable brand, one that is uniquely your own, we need to expand it.

First, let’s figure out what your angle is in lending.

Your Angle.Your angle is your niche within the industry. It could be based on a location to serve, loan product, or any other specialties.

Here are some examples of “angles” for your lending business: mortgages for first time home buyers,  home loans for millennials,  a lender focusing on borrowers with less than perfect credit, home purchase loans and refinancing for self-employed, a loan officer focusing on VA and military personnel, digital mortgage loan processing, jumbo loan specialist.

Your Characteristics. Next, think about what characterizes your business. What is it that you are known for or would like to be known for? Write down adjectives that describe your business.

Here are some examples: helpful, reliable, available, fast, tech-savvy, outgoing, progressive, can-do, personable, budget, high-end.

Your Consumer. Then identify who your consumer and what their specific needs are. Many lenders make the mistake of thinking that their consumer is anyone that needs a mortgage product. True, you should consider everyone to be a mortgage prospect, but your consumer is likely someone very specific.

Think about your most recent clients. You may find that they share some common traits. Maybe they were from a similar geographic area or financial situation. Perhaps you focus on serving a specific ethnic community or may be with the same employer: educators and school employees. The point is that there is a type of client, at least the majority of the time, that you serve.

Once you’ve figured out who your consumers are, consider what worries them when it comes to home loans.

How could you communicate that you can relieve these fears? Why would they choose YOU over your competitors?

Mortgage branding example: CityWorth’s tagline is “Imagine the Possibilities.” Notice that from the slanted logo to the image of the super hero, it all reflects a movement forward, hope, strength, and a can-do attitude.

Congratulations! You’ve created your mortgage brand!

Now that you know your angle, defined 2-3 characteristics about your lending business and identified your customers, you can use this framework for creating:

• A Tagline
• Mission Statement
• Logo
• Color scheme
• Company voice on all content
• Social media posts and shares
• Standard for customer service
• Work culture, ethic, and team expectations

Remember that branding never stops.

Your brand is what sets you apart from competitors and has an undeniable influence over mortgage lead conversions. Infuse every aspect of your lending business with your mortgage brand. From your email signature to the guideline for contacting referrals, you and your team should be the biggest advocate of your brand.

 

For the mortgage professionals that are part of a larger organization, you can still brand for conversions! While there will already be a set guideline for the broader brand, you can personalize it with your voice, mission statement, social media shares and the like. The key is to work with the more general brand to find your mortgage niche within it.

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below and share it with a colleague too!