Over the years, many business branding websites and marketing consultants have said that having your own brand is important. However, with the negative publicity the mortgage broker channel has received lately, it might be time to reconsider how we present ourselves to consumers. In fact, it may be time to start using the same business practices (brand consistency) as Canadian financial institutions and insurance companies have successfully used for decades to help build credibility.
Using a mortgage network brand website can lend credibility to your business, especially in the early days of your career. You can still trade on your personal brand, but you get the added benefit of being associated with a group of established, trusted brokers across the country.
Your website is often a potential client’s first impression. While building a personal brand is important to set yourself apart, using a branded site demonstrates that you’re also connected to a larger network of reputable professionals. Here are some of the main benefits you’ll enjoy when you associate yourself with a known brand:
- Reputable brand and consumer trust: A potential client may not recognize your personal brand, but they will often be familiar with larger mortgage networks and its lending partners. Anyone can hold themselves out as a successful individual broker, but networks provide support, guidance, insight and standards for brokers. This builds consumer trust.
- Domain credibility: When clients visit your website, seeing the branded domain will help reassure them that you’re connected to the larger network.
- National, regional and local SEO value: Optimizing your website for consumer searches can be tough, especially when you’re just starting out. Using a branded network helps improve your SEO ranking on a local, regional and even national level, thanks to the network’s larger reach and positive reputation.
- Professionalism: Mortgage networks have a vested interest in hosting professional, updated websites. You’ll benefit from the brand recognition, the up-to-date information and an overall air of professionalism, which might be more difficult to keep up on your own.
- Meets most current Canadian and provincial privacy, CASL and terms of use standards: Compliance with privacy policy, anti-spam and terms of use laws is crucial. Using a mortgage network branded site ensures that you don’t have to worry about compliance on your own.
- No cost with most networks: Finally, most networks offer branded websites at no cost, which improves your bottom line. Given the cost of professional web design, this is a very attractive benefit.
Since a large portion of mortgage and business-related communication is performed online, having a mortgage network branded email helps for similar reasons. These benefits provide a clear advantage in addition to your individual branding:
- Reputable brand and domain credibility: Using a recognizable mortgage network’s domain allows you to trade on the credibility and brand they’ve already built. It also helps ensure that your emails aren’t mistaken for spam.
- Consumer trust and professionalism: Mortgage and financial product consumers are rightfully wary of scams. When you use a branded email address, potential clients will associate you with the network’s professional reputation. It also makes it easy for them to verify that you are a member of the network and can be trusted.
- Provincial regulator compliant digital storage: With a branded email, you’ll potentially benefit from regulatory compliance in digital file storage, without the hassle of creating your own compliant system.
- Cybercrime insurance coverage: Mortgage networks are often insured against cybercrime, like data breaches, DOS attacks, cyber extortion and more. This protects you and your clients without the cost associated with getting your own insurance policy.
- No cost with most networks: Like branded mortgage network websites, branded emails are usually offered at no cost within most networks. If you’re an agent, team or brokerage office this can be a major IT cost savings.
Ultimately, branded websites and emails can help you establish credibility, generate leads and assist with regulatory compliance requirements, all at a far lower cost than you’d pay if you were trying to do it on your own.
Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of Adrian Schulz and is not meant to represent the position of any company. Mortgage brokerages are in most cases, independently owned and operated, so always check with your Managing or Principle Broker before making decisions related to your website or email address.
