Maximize Engagement and Build Relationships: Social Media Strategies for Loan Officers

So loan officers, I know everyone's always looking for new ways to generate business, and social media is one of the most powerful tools out there. Let's face it. It can be a little intimidating if we're being honest. And I know all the millennials out there, they sometimes look at us and say, oh my gosh. You're doing things wrong. Okay. No. No.

No, shade at our millennial friends who are who are watching. But there sometimes can be a generational gap that we feel like, oh, gosh. I could never live up to this or I could never do this. So we're here today to talk with you about some tips and tricks on how to just get started, how to get out of your own head, how to stop looking at everything and everyone around you, and just focus on your business and your game. And we have our social media expert, Summer Boyd, here. She's our HMA social media manager. I'm Rach. And I'm Rinn.

So excited to talk with everybody.

What a great opener, Rach. I feel like you, really nailed it and I'm really excited to talk with Summer because Summer's specialty is social media, guys. The strategies on how to, connect with other individuals in the industry, get more bang for the buck online. So we're gonna dive in a little bit. I'll let Rach start off with some questions, but we're really excited to meet with you. And welcome. Welcome to the show, Summer.

Thanks. I'm so excited to be here.

Alright, girl. So a lot of people say social media is oversaturated. I would agree with that. What's and we do hear that from a lot of our loan officers and a lot of loan partners, lot of realtors. What would you say is a way that they can actually break through the noise? What what's your take on that?

I think, one of the most important things is just getting starting with engagement before you do anything else. You know, people tend to post and ghost is what I like to call it. So they will post things, and then they they won't ever actually engage with their audience. They're not following their realtor partners. They're not congratulating or or commenting on a closing or an open house. And, things like that really make all the difference. And and it can come before you even really get into creating custom video content, and it can make a huge difference. The more you are commenting and and, sharing post of your of your followers, your realtor partners, the more your your your content is gonna get shared, but, also, it's just gonna help with those relationships, which is the most important.

I love how you're addressing that, Summer. First of all, guys, I'm guilty. I totally posed in Ghost. I love to, like, share something on a vacation or share something about my family. And then I do enjoy reading the comments and I don't always do much with the comments or engage further. So such a great term there, post and go summer. I love that. I want everyone to write that down.

And, to take it a little further as you're mentioning engagement, you know, tell us a little bit more about the negative effects of it. So if you do post and ghost and you don't continue to engage, do the algorithm stop? Do you get less push? Tell us a little bit more about that, Summer.

Exactly. Like, think about who you see in your own personal feed. It's gonna be the people that you've liked their post or commented on. So the more you're doing the same thing, if you've liked it, watched the whole video, you're gonna see that content first. So if you wanna be be visible to the people that you're wanting to reach most, you need to start commenting and sharing their information. And and when I say commenting and sharing, the reason I'm saying that instead of liking is because we tend to all like posts and then just keep scrolling. And and and commenting and sharing does much more when the algorithm is concerned. So you wanna start taking a few moments.

Still likes like post, like a lot of posts from your audience, but go ahead and take some time to just even if it's just a couple of words, like congrats, you know, that's a great, open house, I love that I love that house, you know, things like that. Just short little comments, in the in the comment section. Share the open house to stories. That's a really big thing that you can do that's gonna help get the you know, help with your realtors, but also help with the algorithm too.

You know, it really makes a lot of sense. And and I think if people are listening, you can see that in your own social media feeds. You know, you wonder why you're friends with so many people, but then certain people constantly show up in your feed, and they're constantly engaging with you even if even if you haven't seen them in a long time. I mean, I have a lot of Facebook friends, followers, whatever it is, but there are that core there is that core group of people that we're constantly engaging and and talking. And, yeah, that makes sense. So that is a great, great tip. I wanna take that, a step further than Corinne's step further. We're taking it all a step further because this is really this is really good.

This is really good meat for people that just maybe they don't know where to get started. They don't know how to get started. Or maybe they have played and dabbled in the social media space, but then it's like, okay. How do I keep up with this? There are so many platforms out there, Summer. What would you say are maybe some underrated platforms? Because everyone hears Instagram, Facebook, maybe TikTok, if they play in that space or not. But those and LinkedIn. Those are those are probably the big four. What would you say, is the most underrated platform?

I think it it is actually LinkedIn, the one you mentioned. And that's because while most people have a profile, they're not very active on LinkedIn, and it's the third most popular platform platform for realtors, just behind, yes, just behind behind Instagram. So we've got Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And, you know, people usually think about LinkedIn when they're searching for a job or trying to hire someone, and then that's it. But if you think about it, most companies are always doing one of those two things, and there is a lot of turnover in the real real estate industry. So and we're in a business to business situation where you're trying to get those referrals. So if you have realtor partners that are on there, and since it's the third most, just posting maybe once a week on LinkedIn is gonna make a big difference. The reason that I say underrated too is because a lot of people aren't taking the time to post on on on LinkedIn.

So that's where you could maybe make a little bit more noise where it seems to be oversaturated on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. If you go to LinkedIn, if you're posting there once or twice a week, that's a great, great way to get yourself in front of those realtors. The it does say people aren't as active on LinkedIn, but when they are when they get on there, you might see someone's gonna be commenting or or or seeing your comments on their posts maybe a week later. And that that might put you off, but I'm telling you, it's a it's a big deal and people start noticing. I've seen a lot of changes since I've started working with HMA just interacting more with our LinkedIn. So I would definitely recommend getting on there.

I I I wanna slow down for a second if we could, guys, being that we've got such a great expert on today and also knowing, you know, experience with loan officers that we're all in different stages of where we're at with social media. Right? If we could just slow down and define a little bit, Summer, you know, should people be doing reels? What's the difference of making or posting on a story versus just posting onto your feed? Could we kinda slow down and define the differences a little bit there for our listeners? I think it's it's a lot to take in and also different platforms you might have different suggestions for of what you should really do on each platform and if maybe even if there's a different voice that you should have on on each platform. So I know that's kind of a multipart question, but if we could kinda start with, like, you know, explaining to our listeners the difference between doing a a real, posting on a story, just doing a general post on the feed, we could break that down a little bit.

Sure. Yeah. So a story is is, is, just twenty four hours. So it's up just for twenty four hours. And while that might seem like, oh, I don't even know if I wanna mess with that, those really affect your algorithm. So and that's where sharing some of your realtors open houses, things like that that are more urgent, you know, that you wanna do. So I really recommend just sharing content. That's a great way to share others con content is through the stories option.

And just, you know, information that is more short, you know, lived, temporary events, things like that, sharing those, keeping those forward. You can go back and share your own content as stories later on too. That's a great idea as well just just to regenerate it. You know, you don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time. Post, that's where you're gonna have a graphic or a carousel. Carousels are very effective. That's where you have more than one photo or graphic, and it encourages swiping, you know, so you wanna have some of those in your mix as well. And then reels are, of course, the short form video.

And then as far as where you wanna post those, you do see more reels on Instagram and TikTok. However, they're very popular on Facebook as well and becoming more popular. And then they're also becoming an option on LinkedIn. People are starting to post there. And if you get to be one of those early adopters, that's, you know, a great way to get your content out more in an area that's not oversaturated. So so, yeah, you can. And then I know you had also mentioned, maybe different tones for different platforms. LinkedIn is a little more professional, so I would stick to more professional content, you know.

And then, you know, your Instagram obviously, TikTok is gonna be your more fun content, you know. A little bit more laid back, you get a little crazy, let your hair down. And then Facebook and Instagram can be a mix of all those things. You know? So, yes, that's what my take on that. But just keep in mind, you wanna stay authentic to yourself and your brand across the board.

Something that we are driving home all of the time. And thank you for saying that because it is so easy to look outwardly, look at what everyone else is doing. I wanna do that. I want, but maybe that's not your audience. You know? Don't do a video for I always say I always pick on the first time homebuyers. I don't know why. But don't don't do a video for first time homebuyers if that's not your that's not your audience. I love that.

Being authentic is absolutely huge. And, you know, I think it's so important, that we do outline what each of these categories are because sometimes people feel a little silly to say, oh, wait. What's the difference between a story and a reel? They they feel like, oh, I should know that. But thank you for laying that out because maybe everyone doesn't know that. So that that makes it a little bit more tangible. I wanna get into, you know, building your social media strategy. The another big thing we're constantly talking about. Right? A a strategy, not just okay.

Posted, and I did a post. I checked a box and move along. You know, really having a strategy. I think some are a lot of loan officers just post generic content, you know, because they feel like they they have to. Again, checking that box. Right? How do you think people can make content that actually stands out?

I think, it's really important to define your audience first, you know, before you just start posting anything you can find. You know, you want to create a plan. And when I say create a plan, it doesn't have to feel overwhelming. You know, you don't have to think, oh, this is gonna take hours and days and months or anything. So just, you know, think about your target audience, your customer, the realtor partners you're wanting to to reach. So think about them. Think look on social media and focus on what they're sharing, what they what they seem to be engaging with. You know, look at demographics, like, what their age range is, what their interests are, and then that's what can inform the kind of content that you're sharing.

And then, yeah, you you definitely wanna make it your own. At if it is something that your company, for instance, can, you know, provides with you to you, you can add your own branding to it. But you I think it's important to keep in mind that it's more about quality over quantity. It's much more effective to post, you know, two to three times a week, with with, you know, custom videos and some custom graphics than posting every day with, you know, just stuff that you found on the Internet, basically. You know? So it's very important to to think about that. Think quality over quantity and what is every time you post, think, okay. Is this something that my audience is gonna like?

I like that. I think that that's really important to to remember, quality over quantity, guys. And, also, you know, it it sounds cliche, but we can come back to it on any podcast, any discussion when it comes to marketing, defining your audience. Slow down, define your audience. Who are you trying to reach, and what are the couple top products or services that are in your core that you actually work with customers and realtor partners on? You know, not to say that you're just gonna speak business, which I know Summer will cover, but, those are you wanna stay under that umbrella, when it comes to the the business speak and and who you're reaching.

I think a lot of people are going to feel a sense of relief to hear that, oh, you don't necessarily have to post every day as long as you're posting really good quality content. You're right. I think that's where the noise comes in. That's like just making everything oversaturated when there's just so much stuff, and it's it's just kind of fluff. So get rid of the fluff and focus on on the the good stuff, on the on the meaty stuff. I think that that's that's great. And I really I wanna back up to, the the schedule. What is a really good way that people can create a schedule? You just said, you know, keep it really simple.

It doesn't have to be hours of time. What would be maybe just a couple of quick things if somebody said, I've never done this before. I want to be more strategic. I want to create a schedule. What's something that you would you would say, okay. Do these two or three things first.

Once you find your audience,

I should say. Once you've defined your audience, then what's the next step?

Right. Yeah. So, loan officers love spreadsheets. Right? So you can actually find, content calendar spreadsheets for free. I think HubSpot has one, and there's other, you know, social media programs out there that you can download this spreadsheet. Canva has some. And it's basically just a calendar, you know, and you can add in the content that you wanna put. So so I would highly recommend that for the month.

Go ahead, sit down. You only have to do it maybe, let's say, twice a month. Sit down, look at your calendar, and put in, okay. I wanna post about this, this, and this over the next week, you know, and and write that in the calendar. Go ahead and come up with some captions and and and a graphic or a reel to go with it. And and there you go. You've got it set for the whole week. And as far as scheduling, there are all kinds of tools out there.

There are free ones that you can find, some programs that do free ones. There's ones you can pay for that are, you know, very inexpensive as well. And even just Facebook and Instagram through the business manager, they offer scheduling. So you can do it directly on there as well. So there's all kinds of options there so that you can go ahead and schedule it ahead. And while I I I think scheduling ahead is great, I always like to put that reminder in. Don't schedule and forget it. You know, go back in and and be every day checking in with your audience and looking at your post to see if you have any comments and respond to them.

So that set it and forget it is helpful, but don't forget to have the the the goal of this is social media, not not hide in a quarter media. This is this is to help you become more social, to create relationships, not just to again, I keep using that check the box. I think a lot of people do that. Like, oh, well, I I posted. I did it. But that's not creating the relationship. At the end of all of this, guys, is about creating relationships. And sometimes I feel like we have more technology than ever, yet people feel more distant than ever.

So don't just use this as a as a crutch of a tool. Make sure you're using it as a tool to further and deepen these relationships.

Nothing takes away from the the nothing takes away from the fact that there is still going to be some level of engagement and work involved. So, like, as Rachel pointed out and Summer pointed out, that word tool, everything we bring from a platform standpoint, including social media, is a tool. It's still something it's not something that you can, you know, not still check-in. Hey. What am I doing this week? What adjustments need to be made? What's relevant in the market that maybe I didn't take into consideration three weeks ago that I do wanna say something about? So it's still bucketing that time to take a look at your your social media strategy, but, of course, enjoying and using tools that help serve as reminders and ways to fill some content on those really busy weeks. Right, guys.

Yeah. I agree. Yeah. I I like having that that balance between taking a couple of sessions. You know, I think it's a good idea to have a couple of sessions a month where you're really doing all that strategy, scheduling things. But just make it a part of every day where you're checking in on social media. It could be over coffee in the morning as you wrap up your day. And let's face it, with everybody spending an average of two hours on social media, we're already on there, but we're probably scrolling, looking at reels ourselves.

We'll take a few minutes of your time while you're doing that and do a little work for your business.

That's true. And let's be honest, you know, it is very easy to go down the social media rabbit hole. So make sure that you are being very careful with your time. Intentional golf. Oh, intentional and careful with your time. My goodness. How many times? I did this the other day. This is terrible.

I went on, and I went to look for something on Facebook. The second I got on there, you know, Facebook did exactly what it was supposed to do. It caught my attention, brought me somewhere else. And I was sitting next to a friend of mine. She goes, did you find it? And I go, find what?

I don't even know what I was looking for anymore. We've all been there. We've all done that. Right, guys?

Yeah. Yeah. You get hooked. That's great. That whoever made those videos, they hooked you. You know? That's what what what they were doing. You know? So

So don't let that happen to you, everybody. Make sure even if you need to write it down, I'm a big fan of I have my little agenda book of what I wanna do, and I make lists and write it down so that if you go on to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and you're supposed to be doing something that you follow through and you're doing that thing. And it's the equivalent of walking into a room and then getting there and saying, wait. What was I looking for? You know? I there's so many things that make you go squirrel on the roof, and it just pulls your attention away. So make sure you are being intentional and not just wasting those two hours. Have it be part of your business. I love that, Summer.

Right. And, yeah, if you need to set a timer, you know, if you're trying to do it and being very intentional about doing it for your business, set a timer for five minutes. Just get in there, comment, and share a few things from some of your audience and realtor partners, and network with new, potential home buyers, like some of their posts as well. If you're friends with them, go ahead and do that. And then when you hear that timer go off, go back to doing what you, you know, do the next task on your your list for that day. That helps me a lot. I like to use timers a lot. I like to have a to do list that I can check off and see visually.

I'm a very visual person. I mean, that's not surprising being in marketing. So, you know, that helps me and helps me stay on track because, like you said, social media, there are so many rabbit trails. And, yes, it's very easy to get pulled in.

I just wrote it down. I liked headroom.

Set a set a timer, guys. Set an alarm like you get up in the morning. I'm gonna work on, liking, sharing, commenting for, you know, five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, and then wrap up and move to the next thing. It always comes back to time management, I feel like, too.

Yeah. Yeah. I have that timer, like, on my phone. I'll set a little timer, and while I'm scrolling, it'll go off on me. And I'm like, oh, okay. Now that's time to stop and move to the next thing. So helps with work life balance too, especially if you plan on doing this sometimes in your evenings when you're supposed to be doing, you know, being clocked out, not working. If you do wanna spend maybe five minutes doing social media engagement for your business, set a timer so that you don't get sucked into that rabbit hole and and miss out on some of those quality moments with your family.

Summer, you, you know, you do courses in the social media space. I know you keep up with articles. You keep up with tips and and some of the biggest platforms. Let me ask you this question, seeing where we're at with our with our session here. What is coming up in social media? What do you have your eye on that's trending or that's the next thing, to to come? Maybe a a teaser on on what's going on with social media in the future or upcoming.

Well, there's so many things. But but, yeah, one of the two there's two things that I'd like to mention. One is mixing it up. You know, a lot of the bigger brands are being very experimental with their content. You know, we do talk about staying consistent with your branding, but they're trying new things. They're being daring. They're trying some new things. They don't always work well.

We've seen some some of that recently in the news where some campaigns that vary, you know, around Super Bowl time, for instance. Some campaigns didn't work out so well for some people, and that happens almost every year. And and a lot of times, those will involve social media, you know, and, things might backlash. So, yes, you run that risk. And and as far as loan officers, you know, we're not gonna be doing things on that larger scale, but what we can think about is how can I do something different? Still saying authentic to myself, but how can I mix it up? Try something fresh. Try something new. Think about your background. Think about things that, you know, would make your audience laugh.

Try to entertain. It's more than just, selling on every post. You wanna mix it up and include personal stories, talk about your hobbies, some you know, have a good mix in there of entertainment as well so they can see who you really are and connect with you relationally.

That's that's such a great piece of advice, and I love that it's it's something simple that everybody can get on board with. You know, sometimes we hear these these actually, this whole session, I think, has been very tangible, bite sized pieces that, guys, if you start implementing this into your business, there's no reason that you can't start doing these things today. So everything that you've mentioned, Summer, this is this is very doable for people to get on board with. So thank you for making this very, straightforward. A lot of times, I'll listen to something, and I'm like, okay. That's above that's above my pay grade. That is a little too much. And this is what we do.

So I I know that it can be overwhelming for people.

I can. Yeah. And the second thing because I mentioned too. So the second thing is, you know, we've heard about UGC, right, user generated con content. So one of the new trends is, big brands are starting to actually you know, they're listening in on conversations and then actually commenting when they're mentioned, so they get involved in conversations now. And a lot of big businesses are seeing some some really great results by doing that. So so keep that in mind, and that's that's coming back to that engagement factor. But but they're actually kinda just poking their nose in, you know, more than just sharing user generated content.

They're actually commenting. You see people commenting on individual posts, you know, and and that goes over huge when you see a a brand con comment on, you know, a fan'scom you know, post. So and how that can relate into to loan officers is just, you know, again, you have, people that have, you've worked with in the past, people that you're hoping to be potential, you know, homeowners and loan you know, book with you loans in the future. Start paying attention to them as well. And when they're posting something, comment on it. You know? It it doesn't have to be mortgage related. You know? Congratulate people on a new baby, on, you know, a new job, anything like that. Keep that in mind.

You know? Try to just get into the conversations in a way that doesn't seem intrusive, of course. You know? But, but, yeah, on those posts that are more, public, that would be where I would say try that. Try that where you can just congratulate them when it's a big event. That's a great way to to put that trend in into action for yourselves.

That's very smart. Just insert yourself into the conversation. It's a public conversation. Just join in. Exactly.

Yeah.

This has been awesome. We we could probably have a couple sessions with you, Summer, to give our listeners some great ideas. Corinne, do you have anything else that you wanna ask Summer for for this session?

I think that this is, we we've covered, enough for this opening session, but I do agree, Rach. I feel like we'll probably have to have Summer back and do some, deeper dives, into social media. Maybe we'll do some coverage of each platform and and showcase new features and benefits and things that are coming out. So I really enjoyed this. Thanks for joining us today, Summer. I know that our listeners and viewers are gonna enjoy it. I hope that all of you at home, you know, share this, like, subscribe, all the things, and we can't wait to see you guys again on Lending Leadership the Creative Brief.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks, Summer.

Bye. Thanks, Summer.