Company now in its 20th year
Celebrating its 20th anniversary after its 2003 launch, Open Mortgage has seen the various iterations of marketing, Gordon said. He agreed the labor-intensive nature of social media productions is daunting for many. “Loan officers like to do what they’re used to doing,” he said. In recent years, we’re automating more for them because they won’t do it on their own, although it benefits them.”
He said the collection includes a comprehensive suite of marketing tools designed to be easy to use, with customization capabilities to meet unique needs of individual mortgage professionals. Marketing Made Easy, he added, provides quick, simple training and access to an all-in-one solution for mortgage professionals seeking to increase their online presence and reach new customers. Gordon noted the company’s video editor once worked for the popular celebrity news show “Access Hollywood.”
In creating their social media presence, loan originators should think of themselves as miniaturists rather than muralists in their messaging, Gordon suggested: “Internally, we say we help create big fish in little ponds. You’re not trying to be Rocket [Mortgage] and do massive, national brand marketing, which most of us shouldn’t do. You should really be focused on your market and your referral partners.”
Toward that aim, coaching plays a key part: “Part of it is the coaching about the things they really need to do,” Gordon said. “There are multiple aspects to it. We have people creating current, relevant content and we have systems that help the loan officers disseminate the content but not put it out mindlessly, but in an effective way. Part of that is the coaching to help loan officers understand what things will be the most effective in their markets.”
Social media presence heightened amid tough competition
Having a robust social media presence has heightened in importance amid a mortgage slump slowed by higher rates, inflation and other market forces. At the Hall of AIME event staged earlier this year by the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts in Naples, Fla., speaker Gary Vaynerchuk succinctly laid out the importance of having a social media presence.