Leader: Embrace the revolution
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Social networking has gone from being blocked by many firms and demonised as mere time wasting to a key part of their business. The line between time wasting and networking is always going to be a fine one, but manufacturing an approachable online persona has the potential to pay dividends. It doesn’t need to be a personal account - company pages are common on the likes of Facebook and Twitter and are a way to promote special offers and products in a relaxed fashion.
But social media can backfire. Property guru Kirstie Allsopp famously made a snide comment on Twitter this year about mortgage pundit Melanie Bien’s hemline on the BBC and all hell broke loose in the media. And just last week over the course of a series of Twitter updates Mortgage Strategy witnessed one boss embarrassing their office junior, all for a minor error.
It’s not all bad of course - writer Malcolm Gladwell famously predicted that future revolutions would not be Tweeted, yet during the recent Arab Spring Twitter was widely credited in mobilising disparate groups.
By the same token brokers are using it to mobilise would-be customers and generate business. If you asked every client to add your brokerage’s Twitter profile or Facebook page to theirs you’d quickly build up a database of individuals with whom you could communicate about the market and products. And using an online video uplink in the form of Skype to communicate with clients will no doubt, as Association of Mortgage Intermediaries’ director Robert Sinclair predicts, become commonplace in firms.
New technology will never replace the advice and peace of mind that brokers provide. But anything that simplifies brokers’ ability to stay in touch with clients should be embraced.
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