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Independent brokers have been warned they will lose business to rivals if they do not turn their websites into lead generation tools.
Darren Moffatt, who runs a brokerage and a digital agency, said a transformation is already taking place as more and more business gets done online.
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Mr Moffatt told The Adviser that independent brokers will be "invisible" to online browsers if they do not feature prominently in internet searches.
"If you're a broker with a group like Aussie or Mortgage Choice or Loan Market that's what they do for you. Part of what you're paying for is their online marketing and lead generation," he said.
"If you're an independent broker, you have to do this for yourself, and if you don't make the transition to being a virtual broker or offering a virtual service as part of your overall business offering, you will be left behind. There's no question – it's already happening."
Mr Moffatt said his reverse mortgage practice, Seniors First, had generated more than 3,000 leads through its website since developing its online strategy in 2008.
He said the first thing brokers need to do if they want to become successful online lead generators is to create an attractive website that is pitched directly at their target market.
The websites also have to offer consumers a freebie of "high perceived value", such as an e-book, in exchange for leaving their contact details, Mr Moffatt said.
Websites need to be regularly updated, he added, because fresh content is a powerful signal for Google.
"Some brokers have set up a good presence and are generating a lot of leads. But most brokers – and I would say well in excess of 90 per cent – are not doing that," Mr Moffatt said.
"Some brokers don't have a website, and most that do have an old website that is out of date and almost meaningless in the current environment."
[Related: Getting bang for your buck from your website]
