As a loan officer, you take pride in providing excellent service. You keep clients in the loop throughout the mortgage process. You educate them about their options and get them the best products and pricing for their unique financial situations. 

But with all that time spent closing new deals and providing an outstanding client experience, how do you find time to engage clients after the transaction or attract new clients?

Keep your clients and prospects engaged through personable, relatable content, while giving yourself more time to focus on running your business.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to create binge-worthy video content that will persuade clients to choose you as their lifelong trusted advisor.

Why use video?

For one thing, it’s what your clients want. According to a report by Wyzowl, 85% of people want to see more video from brands in 2021. 

And video isn’t going anywhere. In fact, a report from Cisco predicts that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than in 2017.

No wonder 87% of marketing professionals are using video as a marketing tool. 

[Source: Wyzowl]

Creating videos has never been more accessible with the availability of high-quality smartphone cameras, fast internet connections, and free or cheap video-editing software.

We're in an exciting era where just about anyone, regardless of budget or skill level, can become a video media producer. 

Whether you’re already a seasoned pro or just starting out, video presents you with a golden opportunity to create meaningful connections with your audience. It adds a human element to your brand, creating a new level of intimacy with your prospects and clients.

That said, don’t just create videos for the sake of it. If you want your videos to create a lasting impact, make them binge-worthy.

So without further ado, here are the steps to promote your brand with videos your prospects and clients will want to keep watching.
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1. Start with “Why?”

Want your videos to grab and hold the attention of your audience?

Start by defining why you’re creating videos.

Is your goal to provide educational tips? Do you want to focus on market updates and explanations? Are you trying to develop your brand? Do you want your clients to feel closer to you — like they know you on a more personal level? 

Here's the thing about prospects and clients: They don't care about products and pricing as much as they think they do. When it comes to their largest asset, people crave information and advice from someone they trust.

So ask yourself: What drives you to build lasting relationships with your clients? What do you want to accomplish by delivering meaningful video content to your database? 

Once you do, you'll have a clearer picture of why you’re taking the time to create videos and you’ll have a good foundation for your video marketing plan. 
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2. Define your audience

If you want your videos to resonate with your target audience, you need to understand what captures their interest.

What are their biggest fears? 

What gets them excited?

What are their long-term homeownership goals?

By getting a pulse on what they're focused on and what they're struggling with, you’ll know how to address their pain points through video. You'll know how to use video to connect with your audience on an emotional level. Which is great. After all, most people buy based on emotion, not logic.

If you're targeting millennial homebuyers, for example, your videos are more likely to resonate if you empathize with their struggles to pay off their student loans. You can also present a tailored solution on how to secure a home loan despite their massive student debt.

Learning as much as you can about your audience will make it easier to empathize with their struggles and root for their success. 
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3. Determine the kind of video content you want to produce

Coming up with video content ideas that your target market will find both interesting and useful can be quite a challenge.

Here's the thing about binge-worthy video content: It doesn’t have to be entirely unique or perfectly polished.

If there's one thing that will set your video content apart from your competitors’, it's your voice and authenticity.

When coming up with video content ideas, identify areas of overlap and alignment between what matters to you (refer to step 1) and your ideal clients (refer to step 2). 

Ask the following questions:

• How can you provide value to your target audience in a way that differentiates your brand from the rest?
• How can you provide value to your audience in an entertaining way?
• What are the areas in which using videos is a more viable platform when educating your audience?
• Do you have a unique take on a specific subject?

You need to mix it up if you want to deliver meaningful and "binge-worthy" content experiences. Here are different video content types you can add to your video content mix:

• How-to videos
• Explainer videos
• Best practices
• Industry interview videos
• Inspirational/Entertaining videos
  

Take note that certain types of video content are better suited for specific channels. In step #6 we’ll provide you with some tips and best practices on where to share your video content.
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4. What do you need to create videos?

You don't need a massive marketing budget to create videos that will keep your audience coming back for more. 

With the right tools, you can create high-quality videos in no time without breaking the bank.

You’ll need the following (at the least):

• A recording device (smartphone, computer, video camera, or digital camera)
• A tripod to hold your recording device in place unless you’re using a laptop or computer camera
• A well-lit environment with no background noise 

Pro Tips: 

• Position your device so the light is behind it to avoid a silhouette effect casting a shadow over your face
• Frame your face with your eyes about two-thirds of the way up from the bottom of the screen
• Use a video editing tool to cut clips you want to remove and to add text or subtle background music. There are many free or affordable video editing tools such as Pinnacle Studio, iMovie, Lumen5, Nero Video, and more.
  

5. How to make your videos binge-worthy

Making your videos binge-worthy is a daunting task. With droves of content competing for your audience's attention, your videos need to be engaging.

The first step is to prepare before you begin recording.

For some loan officers this means creating a script. For others it means drafting an outline or a few bullet points. You’ll find which approach works best for you, but no matter which route you go, a bit of planning is going to be involved. 

In the planning phase, make sure you think about the length of your video. What is the goal of the video? What do you need to communicate? And how quickly can you do it? There is a significant drop in engagement after the two-minute mark, so try to keep your video marketing content under two minutes. 

Here is a structure you can follow to get started:

The "Hook"

As the name implies, the purpose of "The Hook" is to grab your viewer's attention. Considering how short people's attention spans are these days, this part is critical. Fail to capture their attention within the first 15 seconds and they are unlikely to watch the rest of your video content.

Here are effective ways to hook your audience:

• Start them off with a "Did you know?" question. (e.g., "Did you know mortgage interest rates are low, meaning it could be a great time to refinance?")
• Confirm your viewers are going to see what they came for. (e.g., "In this video, you'll learn how…")
• Create a curiosity gap. People love a good mystery. By creating a void between what your viewers know and what they want to know, they are more likely to continue watching just to sate their curiosity and achieve closure.

The Body

Next, get into the body of your video content. This is the part where you deliver on the promise you made at the start of the video.

A few more tips:

• Keep it simple. Speak to your average client — avoid too much industry jargon that might make your video difficult for them to follow.
• Focus on the main points. Make sure every point and idea counts. Keep them concise and well-paced so your audience will find it easy to follow along.
• Use storytelling. Don't bore your viewers by hitting them with dry facts and data. Trigger their emotions by using the elements of storytelling to your advantage. 
• Elaborate if necessary. Some ideas are so complex they require more explanation than usual. In such cases, make sure you elaborate on the fine details of what you're trying to say. Use examples when necessary. Paint a picture in their heads so the ideas you're trying to convey become clearer to them.

The CTA

What do you want your viewers to do after watching the video? What's the next step they should take to further their relationship with you? Whether you’d like them to reach out to you for more information, follow you on social media, or simply watch another video, this is the time to tell them!

If they liked what they saw or heard from your video, chances are they won’t hesitate to click the link and connect with you directly.

6. Distribute and promote your video content

Once you’re done creating your videos it’s time to share them with your audience.

There are many channels to choose from when distributing your video content. For your distribution efforts to have more impact, you need to meet your audience where they are.

Where do your prospects and clients spend their time online? Where do they like to get information about their home finance? 

The channels you use for distribution will be entirely up to you, but do keep in mind that each has certain advantages over others.

Your website

Uploading videos across your website is not only good for SEO, but it also gives you the freedom to deliver branded experiences. “About me” videos can be a great way to get your visitors to stick around, browse your services, and contact you for a discovery call. 

Email

Adding video in your emails has the potential to double your click-through rate. Emails are an especially strong channel for sharing personalized videos for a specific client or prospect. A short video clip or GIF can serve as a good teaser for longer content.

YouTube

Sharing videos on YouTube can help you reach new audiences. If you upload evergreen video content that performs well, it will have a better chance of ranking highly on Google searches (Google owns YouTube, after all!)

Social media

Posting your videos on social media is a great way to expand your reach and grow your audience. Most social media channels also have their own built-in video into their platforms, simplifying the video distribution process.

Each social media platform is unique in terms of the demographic they are catering to and the video formats they use. If you’re targeting first-time home buyers, for instance, make sure you promote your videos on platforms that appeal to the younger crowd such as Instagram or Twitter. You’d be remiss not to use Instagram’s Stories feature to capture the attention of your target audience. Posting videos on Twitter and adding the right hashtags is also a great way to boost your reach and brand visibility.

If you want to reach an older demographic, focusing your promotion efforts on Facebook makes more sense. Facebook’s organic reach has drastically declined over the years, but you can take advantage of the platform’s precise targeting by running Facebook video ads to reach your target market.

Homebot

The mortgage market is a crowded space. With many other loan officers vying for your audience’s attention, wouldn’t it be nice to engage your prospects and clients in a platform where your video content isn’t pushed down in a newsfeed influenced by an algorithm you have no control over?

Homebot allows you to do just that. 

With an average 50% monthly engagement rate across millions of consumers, Homebot is the perfect place to put binge-worthy video content. 

Plus, it’s where your clients are already going to learn about home finance. So the educational video content you’re creating is exactly what they’ll be looking for when they open up Homebot. 

Over to you

Video is crucial to connecting and building relationships with your clients and prospects. However, your videos won’t be impactful if they don’t reach the right people, at the right time, with content they care about. To deliver something of value, don’t get too caught up on making the perfect, most well-produced videos — get creative, take risks, and distribute wisely. Use video to stay connected and share your expertise with your clients and prospects.