Top tips for increasing enquiries for brokers

Generating new enquiries can be a challenge, particularly if you feel your referral pool running a little dry. Luckily, there are always new ways of getting in front of your target audience and bringing in new prospects. We’ve gathered some top tips to increase enquiries and help your business grow.

Content offers

One of the most tried-and-tested ways to increase enquiries is to create a content offer. A content offer is a piece of content (like a guide or checklist) that you create and provide in exchange for a visitor’s information. This visitor then becomes a lead.

Although a lead itself is not an enquiry, this process still helps to generate enquiries in two ways. 

First, any leads that you generate through this process will be brought into your contacts and nurtured until they are ready to enquire. 

Second, by creating thoughtful, authoritative content, you will ensure that your brand is both known and trusted by visitors. Clients are more likely to enquire with companies that are seen as knowledgeable and trustworthy.

Paid ads

A more direct solution to generating enquiries is to utilise paid ads. While this does require putting some budget into increasing enquiries, paid ads can be especially effective when done properly. 

You have many options for paid advertising, but using Google ads draws visitors with the highest level of intent to contact. The reason for this is that they are already searching for help with a mortgage. By using paid ads, you can ensure that your business is one of the first names they see during their search.

(Read more: Advertising online: How to get started)

Social media

Maintaining and expanding your social media presence is a key method for increasing the number of enquiries you receive. They are called social networks for a reason! 

By using social media, you can increase enquiries by sharing your content offer, commenting on posts to offer advice, and generally sharing things that are valuable to prospective clients. Creating value will bring more visitors to your site and encourage more enquiries.

Use your social network to showcase your knowledge and ability so that your followers want to turn to you rather than any other broker.

Networking

While in-person events have seen a major downswing in recent months, there are likely still many networking opportunities that you can take advantage of! 

Virtual events have become more and more popular. This kind of networking also makes events more accessible as you don’t need to factor in travel (often, costs associated with these events, like ticket fees, decrease as well). Many of the events you are familiar with have created virtual alternatives this year.

You can also use apps like Meetup to find like-minded virtual gatherings or you could join an online forum for brokers and buyers. 

Webinars

Recently, webinars have seen a significant increase in attendance. Because people are getting familiar with the idea of virtual events, webinars feel like a more natural way of connecting than they did previously.

You can create your own webinar using the video conference tools you already have in place. Try to use a topic that will appeal to your target audience and give yourself time to encourage sign ups (you can use some of the other methods in this article to spread the word!)

When people sign up for a webinar, they show a high degree of interest in the subject. Make it easy for them to enquire by sending a follow up email with your contact details.

Video

Video is one of the highest performing types of content you can utilise. In fact, 54% of consumers want to see more video content from businesses that they support. It’s a great way to communicate quickly and it is eye-grabbing enough to attract attention from followers on various platforms.

Because video is well-received by social media algorithms (it has the highest engagement rates, so it gets brought to the tops of news feeds), it’s a great way to expand your reach and get more people interested. 

Read more: Using video to generate more leads

Email marketing

To this day, email marketing remains one of the most effective methods of generating leads and enquiries. After the roll-out of GDPR, this may be even more true. Contacts who continue to opt-in to your emails are interested in hearing from you, so be sure to capitalise on that.

As with other marketing channels, email marketing is best used when providing valuable content for your prospects. Include guides, articles, checklists or podcasts that can help your prospects along the buyer journey. 

To get the most out of your email marketing efforts, use this best practice guide.

Online reviews

Online reviews are a great way to get your name out there and create social proof at the same time. People tend to trust their peers (other clients) more than any other type of marketing you can do. By expanding the number of reviews your business has, you will be creating more noise around your brand and be giving your business greater credibility.

Some of the review sites that you should be using are: Google My Business, Trustpilot and Facebook. You can even use this online review email generator to easily request reviews from happy clients.

(Read more: 5 reasons you should be getting reviews)

Optimise your website

Your website is your greatest asset in this day and age. It’s not only useful for displaying your information, it is also vital for generating enquiries. Buyers are increasingly looking to make initial enquiries via the internet, particularly as more of life moves online.

In order to make the most of this, you’ll need to ensure that your website is optimised for conversion. By designing your website to drive visitors to your contact page, you’ll help guide them smoothly along the buyer journey and submit an enquiry. To make sure your website is geared toward generating leads and enquiries, check out the advice on this blog.

Use these tips to grow your business and increase enquiries. By taking advantage of the tools around you, you’ll be able to build your client base. Over time and with some work, you can have a constant flow of enquiries coming into your business.

For more ways to generate enquiries, listen to this podcast about effective marketing techniques.