LinkedIn Sponsored Messages to Generate Self Employed Borrower Leads: A Cheat Sheet for Mortgage Brokers & Loan Officers

In the competitive mortgage industry, it’s essential to leverage innovative platforms and strategies to reach potential clients. LinkedIn Sponsored Messages offer a unique way for mortgage brokers and loan officers to directly engage with their audience, including self-employed borrowers. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to use Sponsored Messages to generate leads effectively among self-employed borrowers.

Understanding LinkedIn Sponsored Messages

LinkedIn Sponsored Messages are targeted InMail messages that allow you to reach LinkedIn users directly in their inbox. They’re different from traditional email marketing because they offer a more personalized and direct method of connecting with professionals based on their industry, job role, and more. For mortgage brokers and loan officers, Sponsored Messages can be a game-changer, especially when targeting self-employed borrowers who might be seeking personalized mortgage solutions.

Understanding Your Target Audience

As you begin planning your Sponsored Messages campaign, it’s crucial to have a thorough understanding of your target audience – self-employed borrowers. Unlike traditionally employed individuals, self-employed borrowers have a unique set of challenges when it comes to securing a mortgage. Their income might fluctuate, they might have complex tax returns, and they may require flexible loan options. LinkedIn is an ideal platform to reach these individuals as it’s a hub for professionals, business owners, freelancers, and entrepreneurs – in other words, potential self-employed borrowers.

Creating Your LinkedIn Sponsored Messages Strategy

Designing a robust strategy is crucial to maximizing the effectiveness of your LinkedIn Sponsored Messages. It not only guides your decisions throughout the campaign but also ensures that your efforts align with your business goals. Start by identifying your specific objectives. Are you aiming to increase awareness about your mortgage services for self-employed borrowers, gather leads, or nurture relationships with potential clients? Your goals will heavily influence the crafting of your messages and calls to action. For instance, if your primary objective is lead generation, your call to action might be an invitation for a free consultation or to download a guide about mortgage solutions for self-employed individuals. Understanding the customer journey is also key. The messages you send should correspond with the different stages of this journey. At the awareness stage, you might want to focus on introducing your mortgage solutions for self-employed borrowers. During the consideration stage, you could highlight the unique benefits of your service. Finally, at the decision stage, you might send messages encouraging them to schedule a consultation or apply for a mortgage. Checklist for Your LinkedIn Sponsored Messages Strategy Here is a checklist to assist you in formulating your LinkedIn Sponsored Messages strategy:

1. Define Your Goals: Are you trying to raise awareness, generate leads, or foster client relationships?
2. Understand the Customer Journey: Craft your messages to align with different stages of the customer journey – awareness, consideration, and decision.
3. Develop Your Messages: Write compelling, personalized messages that highlight the value of your services for self-employed borrowers.
4. Craft Your Call to Action: Each message should contain a clear call to action that aligns with your goals and the stage of the customer journey.
5. Budget Your Campaign: Set a budget that reflects the size and scope of your campaign.
6. Plan Your Schedule: Determine the optimal times to send your messages for maximum engagement.
7. Determine Your Target Audience: Use LinkedIn’s targeting options to reach the self-employed borrowers most likely to be interested in your services.
8. Compliance Check: Ensure your campaign complies with LinkedIn’s rules and guidelines.
9. Plan for Tracking and Measurement: Identify the key metrics you’ll track to measure the success of your campaign.

By ticking off each item on this checklist, you can ensure that your Sponsored Messages campaign is well-planned, strategic, and set up for success. It’s not just about sending messages, but sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

Crafting Effective Sponsored Messages

The heart of your Sponsored Messages campaign lies in the messages themselves. It’s important to craft messages that are engaging, relevant, and offer value to your target audience. Here are some tips: – Personalization: Use the recipient’s name and mention their industry or profession to make the message more relevant to them. LinkedIn Sponsored Messages allows for dynamic personalization, which can significantly increase engagement rates. – Value Proposition: Clearly articulate what sets your mortgage services apart. Why should a self-employed borrower choose your services over others? This could be your expertise, flexible loan options, or personalized service. – Call to Action: Every message should end with a clear and compelling call to action. What do you want the recipient to do after reading your message? This could be scheduling a free consultation, downloading a guide, or visiting your website. Remember, the goal is not just to sell your services, but to start a conversation and build relationships with potential clients. By offering valuable advice and solutions, you can position yourself as a trusted advisor for self-employed borrowers.

Sponsored Messages Campaign Budgeting and Scheduling

Just like with any marketing strategy, budgeting is a critical component when planning your Sponsored Messages campaign. LinkedIn charges for Sponsored Messages on a cost-per-send basis, meaning you pay for each message sent, not opened or clicked. This makes budgeting a bit different than other forms of online advertising. Your budget will depend on the scale of your campaign and the size of your target audience. LinkedIn provides an estimate of your expected reach based on your budget, so you can adjust accordingly. Remember, it’s better to target a smaller, more specific audience with personalized messages than a broader audience with generic content. Scheduling is also important in a Sponsored Messages campaign. LinkedIn users are most active during the workweek, so consider sending your messages on weekdays. Also, avoid sending messages outside working hours to increase the likelihood of immediate response.

Targeting Your Sponsored Messages

LinkedIn provides robust targeting options that can help you reach the right audience. For targeting self-employed borrowers, you might consider factors such as industry, job titles (like ‘founder’, ‘CEO’, ‘freelancer’), skills, or even membership in specific LinkedIn groups. It’s also important to note that you should avoid overly narrow targeting. While it’s crucial to reach a relevant audience, setting too many targeting criteria can limit the reach of your campaign. It’s all about finding the right balance.

Tracking and Measuring Success

To evaluate the effectiveness of your Sponsored Messages campaign, you’ll need to track key metrics and analyze your results. LinkedIn Campaign Manager provides detailed analytics for your campaigns, including delivery, open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. You can also track website conversions if you’ve set up conversion tracking on LinkedIn, providing insights into how many recipients performed the desired action after reading your message. This information can help you understand which aspects of your campaign are working and where there might be room for improvement.

Compliance and Best Practices

Compliance with LinkedIn’s policies and best practices is vital for the success of your Sponsored Messages campaign. LinkedIn has rules regarding the content of Sponsored Messages to ensure a positive and respectful environment for all users. Make sure to familiarize yourself with these rules before launching your campaign. Additionally, follow best practices for Sponsored Messages campaigns, such as personalizing your messages, keeping your content concise, and including a clear call to action. These strategies will help ensure your messages resonate with your audience and encourage them to engage with your content.

Final Thoughts

LinkedIn Sponsored Messages offer a unique and effective way for mortgage brokers and loan officers to connect directly with potential self-employed borrowers. By understanding your audience, crafting compelling messages, properly budgeting and scheduling your campaign, targeting effectively, tracking your results, and following LinkedIn’s rules and best practices, you can leverage this powerful tool to generate leads and grow your business. So why wait? Start planning your Sponsored Messages campaign today and unlock a world of opportunity.