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Social media has come of age. If you’re promoting your reverse mortgage business through traditional methods only, you’re missing out on important connections. Your target audience may not be active on Twitter or Pinterest, true. But their children or other relatives likely are — and in any case, it makes good business sense to have a presence on diverse platforms in order to enhance public awareness of the reverse mortgage field, inform people about the benefits of a HECM, and correct misperceptions.

Here are a few tips to help you generate the publicity your business deserves in 2014, courtesy of this eBook from Publicity Hound, which you are welcome to re-gift. 

• Press Release 2.0. New media needs to be integral to your public relations efforts. In 2014, a release must include preconfigured sharing tools (such as “Tweet this”, which will automatically Tweet content of the proper length when clicked), short, mobile-friendly headlines, and, ideally, a link to a YouTube video. (YouTube is the platform of choice if something is share-worthy, and is fully compatible on many different platforms and devices.) A photo gallery and integrated social commenting are also de rigueur. Most important of all, however, is a network to distribute your content, so take time to build your social community, both online and off.
• LinkedIn Company Page. Unlike other social sites where self promotion is often considered bad form, LinkedIn provides the ideal platform for this purpose: Company Pages. One of the advantages of Company Pages is that anyone can subscribe to your updates, even if they’re not connected to you, making it a great vehicle for potential clients, bloggers, and those in complementary fields (such as financial planners or elder law attorneys) to learn about HECMs and get in touch.
• Blogging By the Numbers. One of the best ways to get people to read your blog or Facebook post is to start it with a number: 7 Ways Your House Can Save You Money, or 5 Steps Smart Seniors Take Every Winter. These “tip sheets” are popular with readers and the media alike. Make sure the information is meaty but short, and share the link widely, depending on which social sites you have the strongest presence. With luck and perseverance, your posts may even go “viral” and spread like virtual wildfire.
• Promote Real-time Events Online. If you’re planning a year of fun and unusual holiday celebrations (Ho-Hum January), this is a fabulous, ready-made social media item for the entire year. Each time you prepare for a “holiday” gig, post an engaging notice about the upcoming event on all your social outlets: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Even if the people who read it live too far away to participate, they can help network the information — which can lead to new leads and potential business for you.

***Remember: always check with your compliance department before deploying any social media campaign***

Looking for more reverse mortgage tools, training & technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today!