For decades, the mortgage broking industry has thrived on referrals. A satisfied client tells a friend, an accountant recommends a trusted broker, or a real estate agent passes on a lead. While these relationships remain invaluable, today's borrowers are increasingly turning to social media long before they pick up the phone.
"If you're not using social media, you're probably leaving a lot of business on the table, because as a broker you're not being found," Luke Ashby, finance specialist and mortgage broker at Brisbane-based Emerge Finance, told Australian Broker.
"Or even the paid ads," he continued. "That's another revenue stream, another way to generate leads coming through the funnel. And once you get it right, it can be a bit of a tap."
Ashby, who uses the Instagram, TikTok and Facebook handle "LukeAshbyMortgageBroker," said he posts every day.
"That's been a bit of a lead magnet for me. It helps you stay front of mind," he explained. "It's pretty amazing where people can find you from.
"I think the old-school way of going out and seeing partners and having coffee meetings means you're only getting in front of one person," Ashby added. "And that meeting might take an hour, an hour and a half, maybe even longer. Versus, you spend one hour, produce two pieces of content for social media, and then that could be viewed by over a thousand people."
Whether researching home buying tips on Instagram, watching finance explainers on TikTok, or browsing LinkedIn for trusted professionals, borrowers are using social platforms as part of their decision-making journey. For brokers, this presents a significant opportunity, not just to market their services, but to build credibility, educate audiences, and generate a steady pipeline of qualified leads.
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions Australians make. Before choosing a broker, prospective clients want reassurance that they're dealing with someone knowledgeable, approachable and trustworthy.
Social media allows brokers to demonstrate these qualities. Instead of relying solely on advertising, brokers can showcase their expertise through educational content, explain complex lending topics in simple language, share market insights, and celebrate client success stories. Over time, this helps build a brand that borrowers can come to trust.
"Social media is really important to grow your business, because visibility, at the end of the day, is important," said Niti Bhargava, founder and principal broker at Melbourne-based GB Financiials. "In this day and age that we're living, with social media, it's really important to have a social footprint. And if you don't, you're missing a big chunk of clients, specifically Gen Z, whose go-to information platforms are social media. So if you're not on social media, you're missing that entire population of Australia.
"Even for personal branding, such as your values," she continued. "What values do you stand for? People aren't going to come to you, like hundreds of people to your door and ask, what are your values? What do you stand for? Can you help us or not? But that happens on social media."
The broker gave an example of a recent LinkedIn post that received more than 3,200 impressions overnight.
"I can't expect to get that kind of exposure face to face, unless I'm speaking at a big conference," Bhargava said. "So yes, social media definitely plays a big role in my business."
The most successful brokers on social media aren't constantly selling. They're solving problems.
Every question represents an opportunity for content. First-time homebuyers have questions about deposits and government schemes. Investors want updates on lending policy changes. Existing homeowners are curious about refinancing opportunities. Every question represents an opportunity for content.
Short videos explaining common lending misconceptions, infographics outlining the home loan process or weekly market updates can position brokers as reliable sources of information rather than salespeople. In addition, a useful post shared can attract additional views, shares and enquiries months later.
Brokers agree that one of the most important things is to be genuine and develop a point of view.
"My biggest tip would be to just be you. do not try to follow others, or copy and paste someone who has got millions or hundreds or thousands of followers," Bhargava said. "Because if you're just starting out, you need to find out your why, your style, your main niche.
"If, for example, you're just starting out and everyone is talking about SMSF lending, and you're not an expert in SMSF, then you don't necessarily have to talk about it, because you don't have expertise in it," she continued. "If you do, it's going to be really bad for your brand moving forward. Because if someone calls you out for your social media post or ad, and you cannot actually fulfill those expectations, then it's going to be very harmful for your brand. So be you. Whatever topic you are confident in, choose that topic and go with that."
For Ashby, authenticity means dialing back the polished look and giving audiences a glimpse of his real life.
"The more raw videos seem to perform better," he explained. "They provide insights. Whether that's into my own personal circumstances, or perhaps scenarios, or client wins that we've had; how we've helped solve a tricky problem. That sort of content seems to resonate and do quite well.
"And people love to be a bit nosy.," Ashby continued. "I've done posts talking about my family's investment property and what the rental return is and how much it costs us and whether it's negatively geared or whatever it might be. That kind of content tends to perform really well. Because people can relate to you a bit. They feel like, oh, I'm a similar age. Or I've got kids as well. Or, it's just cool to see what this person is doing. Like, he's got a property and it's worth this much, and this is how it works. Because if you don't grow up around that, or you don't have a mentor, then you don't know these things."
One of the biggest misconceptions about social media is that every post needs to go viral. But Bhargava argued that a persistent routine is the best way to create a sustainable business.
"Consistency is really, really important," said the broker. "I see a lot of people, they are really, really experienced; they know a lot about. All the important points. But then they're just posting once a month, or once every three months. Or they forget which platform they last posted on. They're not posting consistently on one platform.
"There are so many social media platforms," she continued. "Pick the one that is working for you."
For Bhargava, that's LinkedIn. The entrepreneur said she posts on LinkedIn at least three times a week, but often more.
"Scheduling is key," she said. "The bare minimum is three posts on LinkedIn a week. That could be a mix of video, or just a photo with some tips and tricks, or how to navigate these difficult times. So it's all education based. But if there's an event, or if I'm speaking somewhere, or doing promotional events, then I'll post more. So I actually post a lot more than three times a week; probably almost every day.
"I get a lot of inquiries on LinkedIn and it's very professional as well," Bhargava added. "So my tip would be, find your niche points, and then find your social media platform where you feel like this is for you, and then keep doing it."
