For mortgage brokers who are new to small-balance commercial mortgages, marketing your services is crucial to securing leads and closing deals.

At APEX, supporting our brokers so that they can succeed is a top priority, and that includes giving you the knowledge and tools you need to sell your skills. So, in that spirit, here are answers to some of the most common marketing questions we hear from brokers from our Marketing Coordinator, Emily Landgraf.

Q: Tell us about your role at APEX.

Emily: So, as the Marketing Coordinator, I’m basically managing all the marketing and advertising we do here. I work with a team to update and maintain our website, I handle our social media presence, and I take care of our email blasts. I do some design work, as well as organizing events and handling the logistics of any trade shows or conferences we attend. I make sure all our marketing and advertising accurately represents what we do here at APEX, as well as our values as a company. I also work with brokers to create branded marketing materials as needed so that they’re able to sell our products to their borrowers.

Q: Where should brokers start when it comes to marketing?

Emily: This is probably the most common question we get from brokers who are just beginning to work in the small-balance commercial mortgage niche, and there are a lot of possible answers. There are many different platforms you can use to market your services to potential borrowers and referral sources, and they’re all valuable in their own way. Both digital and traditional marketing have their advantages, and usually it’s good to use a combination of the two in order to reach a larger audience.

That said, regardless of the platforms you use, the best place to start is to let people know that you’re in the business of small-balance commercial mortgages. Add that fact to your business card, your email signature, your website, your social media pages, and any print or digital advertising you’re creating. The fact that you can find borrowers commercial financing should be included in all your marketing channels.

Q: What kind of content should commercial mortgage brokers create?

Emily: First, every marketing piece you create should always keep your audience in mind, whether it’s direct borrowers or referral sources. You should always be developing material with that audience in mind. What do they need to know? What information is going to help them make a decision? How can you explain an idea in easy-to-understand terms? These are all important questions to ask yourself when you’re working on a marketing piece.

I recommend creating content that lets potential borrowers know that you’re a skilled broker, explains the process of obtaining a small-balance commercial mortgage, or gives tips to small business owners or commercial property investors. Be sure to write or speak in your own words; authenticity is important.

Second, I would advise commercial mortgage brokers to focus on creating content that plays to their strengths. If you’re a good writer, then I would say you should channel more of your effort into that type of content – blogs, informative emails, and social media posts are all going to be great areas of focus for you. For those who are good public speakers, I would advise hosting or attending seminars where you can talk to groups of people about what you do. If you’re comfortable in front of a camera, make short, informative videos. For brokers who have experience with graphic design, try creating info-graphics that include plenty of helpful information. Make sure to keep it short and simple; people are looking for quick answers that are easy to understand.

Lastly, try to create a good amount of evergreen content. This is informational content that will continue to stay relevant and won’t get stale over time, meaning you’ll be able to use and post it multiple times.

Q: How do I stay on top of all of this?

Emily: Create a schedule and stick to it. I have a calendar specifically for all APEX’s marketing we do so that I know when to post and send campaigns. Not only will this help you to update consistently, it’s also going to give your borrowers a good idea of when to expect new content from you. You can also use scheduling tools like HootSuite for your social media channels so that you can send updates automatically.

Look into tracking tools so that you can accurately assess the success of each campaign. Take note of what’s successful and find new and interesting ways to present that kind of content to your audience. If you’ve got the means, hire a team or a marketing firm to help you track and analyze your data, and continue developing your strategy in order to ensure success.