The power of persistence in content marketing
In a recent episode of the Kiwi Adviser Network podcast, Blandon Leung, co-founder of Mortgage HQ and Wealth HQ, shared insights into his journey from humble beginnings calling to becoming a key figure in the New Zealand mortgage advisory space.
His experience provides valuable lessons for mortgage advisers in New Zealand, particularly around business growth, client engagement, and the power of content marketing.
This article delves into the key takeaways from Leung’s story, offering practical advice for mortgage advisers looking to build their businesses.
The journey from cold calling to advising
Leung’s journey into the mortgage industry began unexpectedly. He started as a mortgage assistant in Australia, cold calling and working with leads from the Yellow Pages — a challenging start that required persistence and resilience.
“The first thing I did on the job was look through seven years of files to see whether or not we had all the customer details right… I could see the commission and I was thinking ‘this guy’s making good money’.”
Out of university, Leung, who is now one of New Zealand’s top advisers, had three criteria he wanted for his career:
- To work in personal finance
- To do something that involves learning sales
- To be able to better people’s lives.
“The mortgage broking space hits all the facets,” Leung said in the podcast.
After returning to New Zealand, Blandon sought a role as a mortgage broker and eventually joined Greg Mont’s team at 150 Group.
This experience was formative, as it was here that he honed his skills in personal finance and sales, meeting his checklist for a fulfilling career.
The power of content marketing
One of the standout aspects of Leung’s career is his success in building Mortgage HQ into a powerful marketing machine. For mortgage advisers in New Zealand, the lessons from Mortgage HQ’s approach to marketing are particularly relevant.
According to Blandon, the key to their marketing success lies in authenticity and consistency.
“It’s about just believing in what you do is good. Not in terms of the quality, but I believe in the message that I’m putting out there,” Leung said.
Mortgage HQ's strategy is built on addressing real client concerns, which Leung identifies through frequent client interactions.
By understanding the common problems faced by their clients, Mortgage HQ tailors its content to provide practical, actionable advice.
Leung suggests that advisers should “find common problems that clients face and address them through content. Instead of telling them the same thing 100 times, create a video that they can watch.”
The power of video content
Leung is a strong proponent of using video as a medium to communicate with clients.
He notes that many advisers make the mistake of trying to script and perfect their videos, which can detract from their natural communication style.
“Some people go from being really good in person with clients to reading from a script,” Leung said.
“If you’re good at sitting in front of clients, then why not just record that? You don’t need it scripted.”
This method has proven effective for Mortgage HQ, where video content is used not just for marketing but also as a tool to educate clients.
By creating a library of videos that address common client questions, mortgage advisers can save time and provide consistent, high-quality advice
“You can’t let perfect get in the way of getting better.”
The power of repetition
Of course, videos are just one medium to amplify your brand.
MortgageHQ’s YouTube channel has over 11,000 subscribers. There’s the MortgageHQ property lifecycle seminar the company has committed to.
From near-daily blogs and social media to hosting and appearing on podcasts, there’s many avenues to succeed in content marketing.
Leung said the key to it all is commitment.
“As an adviser, some days you have really good days while other days you are dreading picking up the phone. If you try to measure your progress and look back over time, you’ll be glad at what you’ve achieved,” Leung said.
“When we commit to a certain skillset we just have to do it. I guess that’s the habit that we try to instil in our advisers as well.”
“When you make the calls and do everything you need to do everyday, it’ll pay off. It’s that repetition that makes great advisers.”
