Podcast #69 - PR for Brokers

Added 26/05/22 - 2 min read

In episode 69 of the Growth Series podcast, Iain Cunningham, Corporate Account Manager at Accord Mortgages, discusses how brokers can create PR opportunities with Paul Wadsworth from Accord’s PR department and Nicola Schutrups, Managing Director of The Mortgage Hut.

Iain begins by asking whether business milestones, such as anniversaries, award successes and team expansions, offer worthwhile PR opportunities to brokerages. Paul believes so, stating it can create a news hook that journalists might be interested in, but Nicola stresses that while people like good news stories, the tone must be right and not seem conceited.

Iain then asks how charitable ventures can offer PR opportunities to brokers, and Paul and Nicola both think brokers should only support causes they are genuinely passionate about, perhaps ones they have a personal connection with, rather than just do it to get in the newspaper.

Next, the trio discuss how brokers can use social media to engage with their local community. Nicola believes social media is important as happy customers will use it to recommend brands to their friends and leave positive comments. Paul adds that individual colleagues can also help the wider company by using their accounts on sites such as LinkedIn to boost the brand’s visibility.

Iain asks if brokers could do more to encourage word-of-mouth marketing, perhaps by using sites such as Trustpilot to gather and showcase client feedback. Nicola says brokers must proactively ask happy customers to leave reviews, as it’s usually unhappy people who leave comments without prompting. She describes herself as a huge advocate of reviews, as they can make a brand seem more human.

Paul adds that client case stories and testimonials can also be valuable, as they allow people to share real-life situations and the impact a company has had on them. This, he says, makes them “golden” for PR professionals.

The conversation then turns to how brokers can get local news media to approach them for comment. Both Paul and Nicola agree that being seen as a thought leader won’t happen overnight, so work has to go into building a relationship with journalists.

Finally, the trio talk about the need for brokers to tailor press releases for different publications, such as trade magazines and local newspapers, so they can make the most of different PR opportunities.

The Growth Series is a dedicated resource that aims to help mortgage brokers grow their business using communications and digital marketing techniques. For more hints and tips on how to grow your business, you can sign up to the Growth Series for free, here.

00:45 to 36:24