Open Mobile Menu Close Mobile Menu


Complete Guide to Mortgage Lead Generation

By Chris Bibey
Complete Guide to Mortgage Lead Generation Feature Image
9 minute read
⚠️ Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate, neither its authors nor Aged Lead Store accepts responsibility for any errors or omissions. The content of this article is for general information only, and is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as legal advice.

Mortgage lead generation is the process of identifying and attracting prospects who are interested in obtaining a mortgage or refinancing an existing loan. 

In other words, it’s a marketing strategy used by mortgage lenders to find and connect with people who are in the market for a home loan.

While there are many benefits of mortgage lead generation, the primary objective is to build a pipeline of potential customers who are interested in a mortgage or refinancing, thus allowing the lender to contact the prospect and convert them into a customer. 

By generating a steady and somewhat predictable stream of leads, lenders can increase their sales, grow their business, and leave a bigger footprint on the mortgage industry. 

Buy aged leads and fill your pipeline with prospects already asking for a mortgage rate quote.

Mortgage lead generation methods

With no shortage of mortgage lead generation methods, there’s always something you can do to drum up new business. 

The key to success is knowing your options, comparing them, and carefully implementing each one based on available resources and company goals. 

Buying mortgage leads

This is the fastest and most efficient way to fill your pipeline with qualified prospects. Rather than wait for leads to come to you, you can purchase as many (or as few) as you want from a reputable provider.

Aged mortgage leads are among the best value, as you gain access to qualified prospects at affordable prices. 

For example, at Aged Lead Store, you can purchase mortgage leads that are 30-to-85 days old for as little as $.40/lead.

Buying leads may not be the only tactic you use, but it should be part of your strategy.

Tip: Some mortgage lead providers are better than others. Search for those that have a longstanding reputation for selling high-quality leads in bulk while also providing a high level of customer service. 

Online advertising and marketing

Just the same as any industry, online advertising can be among the most effective ways to share your products and services with interested prospects. Online advertising encompasses several areas, such as:

  • Pay-per-click advertising (PPC): PPC is a digital advertising model in which you pay each time a user clicks on one of your ads. PPC ads appear in many places, such as at the top of search engine results pages and social media platforms. 
  • Social media advertising: Through social media advertising, you can display ads to your target audience on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 
  • Content marketing: Content marketing is the practice of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content. Examples include blog posts, social media updates, infographics, video content, case studies, and webinars. According to HubSpot, 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. Don’t get left behind. 

It’s pretty simple. In today’s world, if you want to succeed in the mortgage industry, a strong online presence is a must. And that means having an online advertising and marketing strategy that generates leads. 

Tip: Don’t experiment with too many online advertising and marketing tactics out of the gate. Start with one, master it, and then move on to others. This will save you time and money in the long run. You can also look into lead generation agencies to offload the work and start generating leads quickly. 

Referrals

There’s nothing more exciting than referral business. Not only is it free, but referrals are often the easiest types of leads to convert. If you want to generate referral leads, continue to grow your network of:

  • Real estate agents: Agents help people find and buy homes. And those people are the ones who need a mortgage lender.
  • Financial advisors: Advisors often help clients find a mortgage lender for buying a new home or refinancing an existing property. 
  • Home builders: Home builders only stay in business if they can find enough people to hire them to build their dream homes. Their prospects are your prospects. 

Tip: A good referral partnership works both ways. Don’t take, take, take. Give back to your network whenever you can. This makes them more inclined to send business your way. 

Direct mail

It’s a common myth that direct mail is a thing of the past. Many mortgage lenders are spending more money here as it allows them to stand out more when compared to competing online. 

Direct mail campaigns involve sending physical mail, such as postcards, letters, or brochures, to a targeted list of recipients. This approach can be particularly effective for mortgage lenders for these reasons:

  • Direct mail allows lenders to target a specific demographic or geographic area.
  • Direct mail can be a cost-effective marketing strategy when compared to online advertising methods, such as PPC.
  • Direct mail can be highly personalized. 

70% of consumers say direct mail is more personal than online interactions. For this reason, you shouldn’t hesitate to combine direct mail with various online tactics in your search for a strategy that generates a steady flow of leads. 

Tip: Partner with a direct mail company that can help you with everything from design to geo-targeting. This takes a lot of work off your plate. 

Telemarketing

Telemarketing for mortgage companies is the practice of using telephone calls to promote mortgage products and services to potential customers. 

Telemarketing campaigns can be taken on by internal employees, such as agents or loan officers, as well as outsourced call centers. 

It can include cold calling a list of prospects and following up with warm leads (such as those that were purchased).

Tip: When outsourcing telemarketing for lead generation, compare three to five companies based on factors such as industry experience, success rates, and cost. 

Get mortgage refinance and home purchase leads.

Best practices for mortgage lead generation

If you’re going to spend time, money, and other resources on mortgage lead generation, you might as well do it right every time. These four best practices will put you on the right path to success.

Targeting the right audience

It’s not good enough to generate mortgage leads. You want to generate leads that fall within your target audience. Review your customer list to date to answer questions such as:

  • Where do your customers live?
  • What is their average age?
  • What is their average annual income?

Questions like these will help you define your target audience. 

Creating a strong online presence

A strong online presence starts with creating a professional mortgage lender website. It should include information on your products and services, along with testimonials, a team directory, current rates, and more. 

Outside of your website, build a strong social media presence. This is a great way to share company information, industry news, and professional advice. 

Building relationships with referral sources

As noted above, continually build relationships with referral sources including real estate agents, financial advisors, and home builders. The more people you have in your network, the greater chance there is of receiving referrals. And once again, do your part by sharing referrals with others when the opportunity arises. 

Utilizing data and analytics to optimize campaigns

By collecting and analyzing data on consumer behavior, you will better understand your target audience and their goals. 

Focus on tracking key metrics that include:

  • Click-through rates
  • Conversion rates
  • Cost per lead

As for data, consumer behavior and demographics are good starting points. 

With this information, you can refine your messaging and offers to better match your prospects. Subsequently, you will achieve a higher conversion rate. 

Challenges and solutions

By now, you realize that there are many steps you can take to generate mortgage leads. Does that mean it’s simple? Does that mean that it’ll come easy? Of course not. There are challenges and solutions associated with this process.

1. Effective lead management

Customer relationship management (CRM) software is critical to effective lead management and organization. 

A CRM system is designed to help businesses track and organize customer interactions. It can be particularly valuable for mortgage lenders who consistently generate and nurture leads. 

Another big benefit of a CRM is its ability to automate and streamline lead management workflows. This can include automated email marketing campaigns, lead scoring and prioritization, and task management tools to help loan officers keep track of their to-do lists. 

Automating tasks reduces the need for manual data entry, allowing mortgage professionals to focus more time on high-value tasks. 

2. Meeting compliance requirements

One of the biggest challenges of the mortgage industry is its ever-changing compliance requirements. For instance, when mortgage qualification standards change, so will your approach to lead generation. 

Mortgage lenders must comply with both federal and state laws and regulations. There’s no room for error, so this is a challenge that must be met with an effective solution. 

3. Staying current with industry changes

Staying current with mortgage industry changes is essential to providing quality and reliable service to customers and prospects. Some of the best ways to stay current include:

  • Reading industry publications
  • Maintaining membership in professional organizations
  • Attending mortgage industry events
  • Taking continuing education courses

4. Utilizing technology to automate and streamline processes

To date, technology has been a game changer in the mortgage industry. However, having access to technology and effectively utilizing it is easier said than done. 

When choosing new technologies to implement, focus on those that can help you automate and streamline processes. This saves you time and money, without compromising on results. 

Mortgage lead generation conclusion

If you remember nothing else, let it be this—there are multiple mortgage lead generation methods, that when combined with best practices, allow you to achieve the results you’re seeking. 

The most successful mortgage companies have a solid lead generation strategy that guides every activity within this area of their business. It can be the difference between reaching and staying at the top of the industry and falling behind the competition.

Visit our sales resource center for more guidance on generating leads, making more sales, and growing your mortgage company.

We Have a Question For You

What are you interested in?

With Aged Lead Store, get the leads you need and want. We aggregate a huge amount of recent leads monthly, regularly enhance them, and make these high value aged Internet leads of 8 types available to agents in 48 states.

About Chris Bibey

Chris Bibey is a freelance writer with 15+ years of experience in the insurance and finance industries. Clients include Sales Hacker, Outreach, Discover, PayChex, and Moran Insurance. He has also worked as Head of Sales for Verma Media.

Further Reading