With social media video pervasive in many American’s lives, brands and businesses everywhere are turning to platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Massachusetts’ loan originators are no exception. iStock illustration
It’s the age of social media video, and Massachusetts’ high-performing loan originators are focusing their marketing efforts on making a personal connection with prospective customers through their phones.
It’s even supplanting what was traditionally their sole focus – sourcing new customers – as the Massachusetts residential real estate market deals with low inventory, high prices and high levels of competition to land a shrinking pool of loan deals.
The digital age and the advent of social media has allowed for loan originators to expand their reach for a lower price compared to other marketing avenues. Now, a 60-second social media video can be as effective as radio or television ads used to be.
A 2024 University of New Hampshire study of business marketing practices concluded that an increase of 0.1 percent in traditional advertising as a percentage of sales was associated with a 17 percent increase in the probability of brand recognition. A similar increase in online display advertising led to a 41 percent increase in the likelihood of brand recognition.
But social media marketing is just one side of the advertising triangle. As loan origination is a business built on referrals, a cultivated database and direct marketing remain valuable tools, even in the digital age.
“My timing was great, because the opportunity to use those platforms, which are relatively inexpensive, was relevant at the time that my career was really blooming,” said Rate President Shant Banosian, long Massachusetts’ most prolific loan originator. “I’ve used marketing – social media, event marketing, as well as email database marketing – those are probably the three big pillars of my business.”
Why Social Video Matters
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But the content of these marketing efforts goes beyond simply posting new products and new rates. Today’s consumer wants a more personal relationship with their lender.
A loan originator’s social media posts could be one of the first things that a prospective customer sees come through their timeline as they begin their home search. If a consumer connects with what the LO says, that could be the first step in converting them into a client, loan originators said.
And if a lender can’t compete on rate, creating personal – or at least parasocial – relationships with customers could still help them land customers that they otherwise wouldn’t have.
Loan originators interviewed for this story said making connections and showing glimpses of their personal lives have helped them win customers.
“Whether it’s clients or referral partners, they really want to know what kind of person they’re actually working with,” CrossCountry Mortgage Senior Vice President Andrew Marquis said. “So much of our lives are now exposed where they used to not be before the introduction of social media, so I think it’s really important that you’re staying in front of your sphere.”
Instagram seems to be the common tool among loan originators, with Facebook also being an avenue for those whose clients tend toward older demographic. Others also use LinkedIn to drive connections and business.
According to the Pew Research Center, the largest demographic of Facebook users are between 30 and 49 years old, while on Instagram the largest demographic is between 18 and 29 years old.
The Behind-the-Scenes Advantage
Content centered on a loan originator’s life is fair game, not just detailing what is happening in the marketplace for consumers.
“I always try to educate and inform my audience, whether it be Realtors or consumers,” Banosian said. “I also like to mix in who I am personally as well. I think people want to know the whole you, not just a professional version of you.”
Part of crafting a more personal image can be creating the content yourself.
While Banosian is a top loan originator in Massachusetts and president of a large mortgage lender, he and his team still shoulder the responsibility of creating social media content, rather than using content passed down from the company.
“You have to be authentic on social media,” he said. “Your voice, your thoughts, it can’t be somebody else creating it for you all the time. It just doesn’t work.”
A home purchase is likely the largest purchase a person will make and can be an emotional experience. By connecting on a personal level, PeoplesBank Loan Officer Eric Coutinho said, it creates a level of comfort and trust that can be important when going through the homebuying process.
“I talk to a lot of clients, and I find that meeting face-to-face, there’s a level of comfort, there’s a level of trust that you start to build,” Coutinho said. “I don’t look at getting a mortgage as a transaction, I look at it as how I am going to help this person make their next step in their life. I like to put a personal touch, and I think that a lot of community banks like to have that personal touch.”
This can extend to in-person networking as well. By connecting face-to-face and creating a personal relationship on top of being a professional resource, loan originators can build trust with potential clients, according to Cape Cod 5 Loan Officer Dan Pulit.
“A lot of loan officers just send out email blasts where they send out market analysis,” he said. “A lot of the Realtors forward me that information from other loan originators. I don’t think it’s very productive. Rather than just throw rates out there, it’s important to just build trust with these referral sources.”
Cape Cod 5 is heavily invested in making in-person connections, Pulit said. The bank hosts and sponsors events that introduce loan originators and the bank’s brand to referral sources and potential clients. The bank also encourages its loan originators to attend open houses, and the bank will even sponsor these house showings.
Showing You’re an Affordability Expert
Creating personal connections and trust is even more important in a market where affordability is a constant issue, loan originators said.
The median single-family home sale price in Massachusetts in April was $645,000, according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. This represents a 2.38 percent increase year-over-year and a 26.47 percent increase over the course of five years.
“I try to post all my content on how to combat affordability challenges and how to effectively win in this market,” Banosian said. “Those are the things that I focus on.”
Those same rising prices have helped drive sales activity down as buyers are forced out of the market. This puts pressure on loan originators to find solutions, or else lose a customer and further business.
“We need to be very solution-oriented,” Cross Country Mortgage’s Marquis said. “In the sense that we’re offering more solutions to our partners to be able to make up for the lack of business.”
And it’s not just buyers who have been squeezed by today’s housing market. Loan originators are also facing stiff competition to finance fewer and fewer home sales.
There were 6,132 single-family mortgages originated in the state of Massachusetts in April 2026, according to The Warren Group. This represents a 10.68 percent drop from a year ago and a 73.26 percent decline over the course of five years.
“I think that margins are definitely compressed across the board,” Marquis said. “There’s less loans, more people fighting for that one transaction, and they’re having to work for less to make it happen. From that perspective, if you’re not closing a lot of volume and driving revenue, you’re probably going to have to step up and handle some of this marketing on your own.”
Sam Lattof
This makes marketing support from mortgage companies or local lenders even more important. Even though business might not be what it used to, mortgage companies and banks are still trying to support their loan originators.
Support can be crucial during busy seasons, where making content can become tougher to do.
“If I didn’t have the support of the back office as well as the marketing department, if I had to do a lot of those extra marketing efforts, I don’t think we would be nearly as successful as we are,” Cape Cod 5’s Pulit said. “I don’t think you can do it by yourself, that’s for sure. We deal with a lot of mortgage companies that don’t necessarily have the support; friends, colleagues that I’ve known over the years, and they definitely don’t have the same level of support that we do. So, it’s a huge plus, in my opinion, working for a local lending institution.”
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