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A Queensland-based broker explains how he and his team have been using social media to educate his clients about measures introduced during COVID-19.
Mortgage Choice Peregian Beach co-owner and Queensland’s Rising Star at the Better Business Awards 2020 Gordon MacVicar told the Elite Broker podcast he and his team have used social media avenues such as their LinkedIn and Facebook pages to post information about mortgage repayment relief measures introduced by the banks for clients impacted by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
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Mr MacVicar added he and his team have also contacted clients who have informed them of changed circumstances.
“We’re keeping a register of everyone we’ve spoken to, and we’re also sending them an email as a follow-up once they’ve advised us that their circumstances might have changed,” Mr MacVicar said.
He and his team provide information on what clients would need to be aware of if they decided to pause their mortgages.
The major banks, non-major banks, and non-bank lenders such as La Trobe Financial, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank announced mortgage repayment relief policies for small and medium business customers as well as home loan customers as thousands of people faced loss of employment and small businesses faced collapse as a result of social distancing and mass gathering restrictions announced by the federal government to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Mr MacVicar said he saw an initial surge in enquiries about two weeks ago around the relief policies predominantly from people who were casual staff within industries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including hospitality.
However, he noted the number of enquiries had dropped and steadied over the last few days.
Impact of using social media
Mr MacVicar also spoke about the effectiveness of using social media platforms to spread awareness not only about the latest policy changes and measures around loans, but also around his brokerage’s brand. He said clients who see them would have seen enough of their content to have an understanding of what they offer.
“It’s very rare someone will come in here and they haven’t read case studies of how we’ve helped,” he told The Adviser.
“So, I know that by putting all that out there across our platforms, it helps educate them before they come in.”
Mr MacVicar is also careful not to overwhelm clients with acronyms or terms they may not be familiar with. The team takes client meetings as an opportunity to explain everything, and they then follow up the meetings with an email or phone call to ensure the clients understand everything.
To hear more about how Gordon MacVicar and his wife Larissa established their brokerage in Queensland’s Peregian Beach, tune in to the Elite Broker podcast.
Keep an eye out for the May edition of The Adviser magazine where we delve deeper into Mr MacVicar’s journey from a sales manager in a lighting company to a broker in the broker profile.
[Related: Why this former sales manager made the switch to broking]
