Ep 149: How to Stay Relevant in the Digital Era

Phil Treadwell and Geoff Zimpfer discuss why mortgage professionals must modernize their approach in 2019 and beyond, citing real data on how consumers choose lenders and the growing threat of platforms like Zillow. The conversation covers personal branding, content strategy, and going 'top of funnel' to capture consumers before they reach a referral partner. Best for LOs who sense the industry is changing but haven't built a concrete digital presence yet.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Pull the Fannie Mae 2019 National Housing Survey and the Ellie Mae/Velocify white paper on 5,000 first-time buyers (link them in your own marketing). Use the stat that only 1 in 10 buyers found their lender through a Realtor to start conversations with agents about co-marketing at the top of the funnel.
• Claim and populate your Zillow profile with reviews even if you refuse to buy Zillow leads — the study shows Zillow is the #3 web source for first-time buyers choosing a lender, and having no presence there costs you credibility when friends refer you.
• Build reviews on at least three platforms (Zillow, Google, Facebook) so that when anyone gets a verbal referral from a friend or family member — the #1 influence on first-time buyers per the Fannie Mae data — they can immediately verify your credibility with a quick search.
• Choose one content medium (video, audio, or written) that you genuinely enjoy consuming and are reasonably good at creating. Commit to that medium exclusively for 90 days rather than spreading thin across all formats.
• Create a flexible accountability checklist instead of rigid calendar blocks: decide total weekly hours for a marketing task, convert to half-hour increments, and check off circles as you complete them across the week — on commutes, evenings, or travel.
• Frame your value to agent partners around delivering pre-approved buyers rather than asking for referrals. A pre-approved lead is the one thing every agent in every market will take a meeting for.

The playbook

1. Step 1 — Identify your audience: Which borrower type (first-time, move-up, investor) and which referral partner segment are you targeting?
2. Step 2 — Define your message: What specific expertise or local knowledge do you want that audience to associate with your name?
3. Step 3 — Choose your delivery medium: Match the content format (video, podcast/audio, written blog/social posts) to what you enjoy and naturally do well.
4. Step 4 — Build a marketing plan with daily, weekly, and monthly activities tied to a unit/volume/income goal — work backward from income target to required units to required activities.
5. Step 5 — Choose an accountability model: weekly activity report, bi-weekly coaching call, or results-driven check-in — then execute consistently and adjust.

Worth quoting

“Information is a commodity. They need someone to help them discern what of that is valuable and relevant to them.”

“If you're not putting anything out there, even if someone wants to recommend you, what do they have to show?”

Best for

LOs who rely entirely on agent referrals and have no digital footprint — no reviews, no content, no social presence — and want data-backed reasons to change.