The world is rapidly replacing paper with digital documents, cash with digital wallets, and social media is becoming the norm for connecting worldwide. One of the most notable changes is the ability of individuals to earn money online by leveraging social media to build a loyal community. You can’t go on social media without coming across content or an advertisement from an online entrepreneur or influencer offering a product or service.

While many companies quickly jumped on this trend, some industries are still struggling to catch up. However, with more and more online transactions in today’s society, there’s no denying that everyone needs a digital footprint – even with older, “more traditional” businesses.

Alec Hanson, senior vice president of the western division of loanDepot, a twenty-year veteran in the mortgage industry, seeks to help the industry adapt to the business world through social media. He has always understood the importance of building relationships, whether through attending open houses or other business events. Today, he sees the potential to do even more through social media.

Adapt to the times

Alec has always been passionate about helping people with home financing. As a Mortgage Loan Officer and now Senior Vice President at loanDepot with 115 branches under his direction, he knows what it takes to succeed in the industry. For a mortgage loan officer, day-to-day work can feel like making phone calls, emails, and making sure people sign on the dotted line. But the reality is that this is only a small part of the equation.

Meeting people and building relationships is essential. As technology makes paperwork easier, Hanson is more excited about the possibility of building relationships through social media. “The mortgage and real estate business used to be a belly-to-belly sport and while that’s still true, being digitally belly-to-belly now matters just as much.” Hanson believes the industry’s ability to use social media to build a personal brand and connect with customers will be critical to future success. “Connecting with people has never been easier. We just have to use the tools we have.

Easy as 1,2,3

During his time as a loan officer, Alec was recognized as one of the top 1% originators every year for eight consecutive years. Upon becoming an executive, he quickly established himself as an industry leader, now serving loanDepot’s western division spanning over 12 states. He attributes his success to many factors, but cannot ignore the positive effect of his commitment to social media. “Through social media, not only can I work with my team who are located across the country, but I can also connect with potential new business partners, recruits and industry leaders.”

Although he thinks the easiest way to grow his business is by creating content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, he acknowledges that a big hurdle is that people don’t know how to use social media. One of the biggest questions mortgage professionals have is what to share. “There is an audience for everyone. Be yourself and connect with clients and partners who match your personality and passions. »

The second problem he sees is that people care about the wrong things. “You don’t have to go viral – just be consistent. If your single video only gets 200 views, that’s more than you would get at an open house. It’s easy, just to trust the process.

Business is about relationships

Despite his passion for getting the industry to use social media, Hanson is actually not a big fan of social media platforms. “I think it creates a lot of problems, like people looking for likes, forgetting how to interact, and describing a perfect life. It can be toxic. Despite his love-hate relationship, he sees it as a major asset in his field. “I used to drive from house to house to meet people. Now I can have a video call with someone across the country or share a video with thousands of people in just minutes. »

More importantly for Hanson, he can connect and build relationships with people he can’t meet face to face. By leveraging direct messages, comments, and other social features, Alec was able to build strong business relationships. While there are certainly downsides to social media, Hanson believes it’s key to building relationships as we enter an ever-changing world of digital communication.

Stay in motion

As Alec drives his growing business forward, he stays busy, focused, and on top of the trends. He’s on a mission to help his industry “catch up” by establishing a recognizable presence on social media. Alec wants to continue to empower his team to achieve the American dream of homeownership, and he’s committed to helping other mortgage professionals grow their businesses by building their online presence.