How to Find Mortgage Leads Using Twitter

Raise your hand if you’ve ever logged onto Twitter and been at a loss for what to say. Maybe you’ve heard about people using Twitter to grow their business, but you’re not sure what to do. With 500 million tweets a day, how would you even begin to find mortgage leads?

It is a noisy space. But it is possible to find qualified mortgage leads and get new clients. It’s really a matter of knowing where to look, what to look for, and then following a process. Here’s how to get started.

Where to Look

You can start looking for mortgage leads by searching through Twitter. There’s a basic search function at the top of your screen, but that won’t get you very far.

Instead, head over to one of the advanced search tools such as Topsy or Twitter’s own Advanced Search. IFTTT, which stands for “if this, then that”, is another great online tool that can help you automate parts of your search. For our purposes, check out tips 1, 4, and 9, in this guide to ways you can use the service. Other tools, such as Google Alerts, TweetDeck, and Hootsuite, may also help you find the mortgage leads conversations you’re looking for.

Thinking about stepping up your game even more? If you happen to already use SalesForce to manage your client database, you might consider checking out their tie-in social media listening product, Radian6. This and a similar tool called Lithium are not your everyday social media monitoring tools in either price or function. But for a profitable business committed to high volume social searches, a higher powered tool may be what you need.

What to Look For

When it comes to searching Twitter for mortgage leads, your first thought might be the obvious keywords — house, mortgage, refinance, etc. You might find some leads with these terms, but you’ll miss a good number of others if you don’t get creative with your search terms.

Buying a house, remodeling, refinancing, moving. These are major life events and people are sure to talk about them online before, during, and after the event. But people tend to discuss their lives in more indirect ways.

Try putting on your psychology and anthropology hats and think about secondary conversations that imply the need for a new mortgage, refinancing, or homeowner’s coverage. You might discover some very strong leads when people are discussing:

Closing the Deal

Getting the keys on Friday!

So. Much. Paperwork. #newhouse  

Offer accepted!!!

So we’re officially in escrow now.

Found a buyer!

Settling In

Just picked up some paint for the new digs!

This dog’s gonna love that fenced-in yard.

So relieved! Kids love their new school.  

So nice being closer to the office.

House Hunting

Which is better Zillow or Trulia?

Looking for LA real estate agents. And go!  

Life Changes

We really need a bigger kitchen.

Didn’t think we’d need a bigger house this soon. #twins

Job offer signed. Now to find a house.

It’s official. Moving to Irvine in May.

The Need to Refinance

Guy says the furnace has to be replaced.

Thanks hailstorm, now we need a new roof.

First the foundation’s sinking, now the roof’s leaking.

Recommendations for HVAC contractors in OC?

People make posts like these every day on social media. Carry out your own social experiment. I’ve recently observed a stream of similar status updates and tweets from my own circle of friends and family on my personal social media feeds.

In conversations like these, people are looking for answers and they do intend to purchase the best solution they can find. That’s your “in” so it’s time to make the most of it.

How to Manage Your Search

Obviously sorting through a high volume of results like this could take a fair bit of effort. So having a system that works for you is the first order of business. Make sure you:

• Set aside a regular time each day to manage your Twitter lead generation.
• Choose one or two keyword phrases per search session.
• Cycle through your preferred phrases on regular basis.
• If you have too many results, narrow down searches by location and time frame.
• Have a system for qualifying leads.
• Save qualified leads to return to later. Twitter Lists or IFTTT could work great for starters.
• Come up with a few 100-character scripts for various prospect scenarios.
• Make contact. Follow, favorite, or reply to relevant tweets. If they follow you, send a DM. Direct leads back to your website.

How to Make a Good Online Impression

Once you’ve introduced yourself, interested leads are likely to visit your Twitter user page and google you for more info. In fact 85% of Internet users look up reviews of businesses before deciding to do business with you. So make sure the details they find impress them.

• Fill out your Twitter profile. A pic is must, as is a bio and a link to your website.
• Have a professionally designed website with up-to-date info and client testimonials.
• Write and share blog posts on mortgage tips or add your voice to the online housing market conversation in other ways.
• Use your Twitter for more than just cold asks. Share your writing or curate other industry articles that your client audience would find informative or entertaining.

How to Track Your Results

Don’t forget your metrics. You may be used to keep tabs on your ROI with your aged leads. It keeps you motivated to push yourself and objective about any lagging results. Likewise, social media has plenty of metrics you can zero in on to track how you’re doing. Pick only a few numbers to track to start, otherwise it can be overwhelming. Your chosen KPIs may change over time. At first, it may be activity or volume related stats. Later you may switch to ROI or CPA metrics.

Conclusion

I hope that gets you thinking on how you could make Twitter work for your own mortgage leads search. It is a noisy environment, but the key is to use the right tools to automate your search efforts, know what to look for, and have a go-to system for qualifying your leads and closing sales. In a few months, you might count Twitter as one of your favorite lead generation tools.