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Mortgage Haiku

I Am Customer
My Time Precious, Your's Not
Be Good, Or I Leave

Some have forgotten what a Haiku really is; but once you know, it is easy to understand. This is similar to doing what is right on your web site; once you know, it is easy too.

The Haiku is a form of poetry popular in Japan. It has its own metric beat and is composed of 3 lines with 17 syllables. The haiku has five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five syllables in the third line. Haiku's typically register a moment, indicate a sensation, capture an impression, or dramatize an event. It's almost like a photo of some specific moment in time. Some Haiku's can make you smile.

Here are some Haiku's that could have been written by visitors to mortgage web sites, who don't like the pages that they have found.

I Visit Your Site
Looking For Information
Finding None, I Leave

Over the past six years we have been writing for NAMB. And the one factor we emphasize again and again is to make the web site according to what your visitor wants. Many mortgage sites design their sites according to what the mortgage company owner or the mortgage company owner's spouse or the web designer think they want.

Spouse Approved Web Site
Visitors Cast Their Cruel Votes
Bad Design, I Leave

Remember your site is for the convenience and service of your customers, not to show off your office headquarters or have an expansive president's message on the main page. Give your visitor what they want and make it easy to find.

Seeking Low Cost Rates
I Click On Your Web Pages
Form Appears, I Leave

Some mortgage sites still believe that visitors want to take the time to register in order to receive information on mortgage rates. Visitors don't like forms or other barriers to entry and we loosely estimate that for every form on your site, you lose up to 70% of your potential customers.

Your Mortgage Web Page
Flashing Banners Distract Me
Too Confused, I Leave

Probably the primary reason people come to your site, especially if they don't know of your company, is first to find your interest rates. They also want to know whether they will qualify for a loan that they desire. If your web site has too many distracting images or banners from non-mortgage related advertisers, you dilute your message and appeal. The net result is people leave without searching further.

You Have Paid For Clicks
Silly You, No Info Found
Wasted Click, I Leave.

We have bought thousands and thousands of pay per click (PPC) keywords over the years. The single factor which costs mortgage web site owners the most money in wasted advertising, are paid clicks that lead to pages that are not related to the keyword bought. In example, say you are paying for the keyword phrase "VA Mortgage." Your research has shown at least 3,500 searches each month for this phrase at Overture.com/Yahoo! With this amount of searches, you know there is a demand for what you have to offer.

Additionally, you see that as of March 2005, the top five bidders are paying between $4.54 and $5.01 per click. You decide to enter the top at roughly $5 per click, yet when a potential customer selects the phrase "VA Mortgage" and costs you $5 to visit you site, you deliver them to your home page (instead of sending them to a page about VA Mortgages). This is a huge mistake as rarely does your main page have the specific information for all your offerings.

You Want My Business
Yet Your Site Is Poorly Planned
No Business, I Leave


Your visitor now must find your navigational area and determine, which link goes to info about VA loans. Every click you require of your visitors causes them to leave. You must deliver your "VA Mortgage" paid visitor directly to a specific web page about "VA Mortgages". If you don't, you are wasting your PPC funds.

I Want To Talk Now
Finding No Phone Number
I Sigh, Then I Leave


Some mortgage web sites have tried to over-automate their business so all inquiries must come via the net. They go as far as to only offer an email address in order to inquire about a loan. As you are aware, obtaining a loan is a highly personalized endeavor and your customers want to speak with you. Be sure to include a phone number, and also make sure you have a toll free number immediately adjacent to the direct phone number. With toll free rates in the sub five cent range, you can easily afford this customer convenience.

Another value of a toll free number is that some people may search for a new loan while they are at their work (surprise). They may not be able to make a long distance call on their company system, but they can call toll free.

I Seek a Home Loan
Not Tricky Spelling Contest
Bad Domain, I Leave


If you have a long or hard to remember domain name (HiddenValleyMortgageLoanBrokers.com) it causes a problem for your customers to recall you. If you have a difficult to spell domain (look at all the "l's" Odonellloans.com which could be typed as Odonelloans.com or Odoneloans.com) you are losing type-in traffic. You can keep your main domain name, but also consider buying a descriptive domain so your customers can easily remember you (SanDiegoLoans.com or EasyLoan.com) that redirects to your main site.

I Email For Loan
And Wait For Timely Response
No More Wait, I Leave

When we conduct an analysis of the top visitor problems, the most common problem is the response time between customer inquiry and mortgage web site response. For every 12 hours delay you wait, we estimate you lose 10-15% of your potential customer base. After two days, you will lose over 50% as they have now contacted other mortgage companies.

Having Fixed Problems
Your Web Site Is Now Perfect
Thank You For Reading.

 

Web site:  www.mortgagepromote.com

 

 

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