Digital marketing for mortgage brokers comes down to two things: showing up when someone is about to make a home loan decision, and replying faster than every other broker they contacted. Run search ads around buying and refinancing intent, use Meta to reach first home buyers early, build a wall of genuine Google reviews, and automate your follow-up so no enquiry waits. Speed and trust win more loans than clever ads.
How do borrowers choose a mortgage broker?
Most borrowers shop around. A first home buyer might fill in three or four online forms on the same night, then go with whoever calls back first and makes them feel confident. A refinancer who has just seen their rate jump is often comparing a broker against going straight to a bank.
That means your marketing is competing on two fronts. You need to be visible at the moment of intent, and you need to make a strong first impression in the first few minutes after someone raises their hand. A broker who replies in five minutes with a booking link will usually beat a broker with a better website who replies the next morning.
Which borrowers are you really after?
“Home loans” is not a target market. First home buyers, upgraders, investors, self employed borrowers, refinancers and people buying with a guarantor all search differently and need different messages.
Self employed borrowers, for example, often search for phrases like “low doc home loan” or “home loan self employed two years tax returns”. They are frustrated after being knocked back by a bank and are very open to a broker who understands their situation. A dedicated page and ad group for them will usually convert much better than a generic home loan campaign. Pick two or three segments where you are strongest and build your campaigns around them.
Why Google reviews carry so much weight for brokers
Borrowers are about to make one of the biggest financial commitments of their lives, and they want proof that other people trusted you and it went well. Google reviews are often the deciding factor between two brokers who look similar.
Ask every client for a review at settlement, when they are happiest. Make it easy with a direct link sent by SMS. Reviews that mention specifics, like “got us approved when the bank said no” or “made our first home purchase stress free”, do more for you than any ad. Keep your Google Business Profile current with photos, service areas and posts, so you show up in the map results when people search locally.
Getting Google Ads right for home loans
Google search is often the most direct source of loan enquiries, but it is also competitive, so precision matters. Bid on terms that show intent, like “mortgage broker” plus your suburb, “refinance home loan broker” and “first home buyer broker”. Exclude job seekers, people looking for bank login pages and anyone searching for “mortgage broker course”.
Send each ad to a page that matches the search. A refinancer should land on a refinance page with a simple “check if you could save” form, not your home page. A tightly run Google Ads campaign will also let you push spend when rates move and refinancing interest jumps.
Credit advertising has rules. ASIC’s Regulatory Guide 234 covers advertising of credit products and credit services as well as financial products, so it applies to broker ads. ASIC issued an updated version in June 2026. Read the current version, and check your aggregator’s or licensee’s marketing policy before you put rates or savings claims in an ad.
Using Meta to reach buyers before they are ready
Many first home buyers start thinking about a purchase a year or more before they buy. Meta ads let you reach them early with something useful: a borrowing power guide, a first home buyer checklist or an invitation to a free info night.
Those people join your database, and you stay in touch until they are ready to talk. Retargeting is just as valuable. Someone who visited your refinance page last week can see a reminder ad this week. Good Meta ads management for brokers is about building that pipeline, not just chasing this week’s leads.
Do referral partners still matter?
Absolutely. Real estate agents, accountants, financial planners and conveyancers send brokers some of their best business. Digital marketing should support these relationships, not replace them.
A referral partner is more likely to send clients your way if your online presence makes them look good. When an agent’s buyer googles you and finds strong reviews, a clear website and a fast reply, the agent’s recommendation is confirmed. Some brokers also run simple LinkedIn activity to stay front of mind with local agents and accountants.
Speed to lead: replying before the next broker does
This is the single biggest improvement most brokers can make. If a lead comes in at 8pm and you call at 10am the next day, you are often too late.
A Go High Level CRM with AI lead nurturing replies to every enquiry instantly by SMS and email, sends a booking link for a discovery call, and keeps following up until the borrower books or says they are not interested. Leads who are not ready yet drop into a longer nurture sequence. You spend your time on fact finds and applications, not chasing people.
What numbers matter in digital marketing for mortgage brokers?
Cost per lead tells you what each enquiry costs. Cost per settled loan tells you what really matters. Track every lead from source through to settlement in your CRM, and you will quickly see which campaigns bring in loans that actually settle.
Watch your contact rate and booking rate too. If plenty of leads come in but few book a call, the problem is follow-up or lead quality, not ad spend.
Winning loans on the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast mix of first home buyers in the northern growth corridor, upgraders, investors and interstate movers gives brokers plenty of segments to target. Each one needs its own message: a family buying a house and land package in Pimpama is in a very different place to a buyer moving up from Sydney.
Use location targeting to focus on the suburbs where you want to write loans, and partner with local agents and builders whose buyers need finance. Gold Coast reviews that mention local suburbs and fast approvals carry weight with the next borrower searching nearby.
How KOA Digital helps mortgage brokers
KOA Digital is a digital marketing agency based in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast, working with businesses Australia wide since 2019, including many clients in Adelaide. We are a fully Australian team. For brokers we run Google and Meta campaigns, build websites that bring in enquiries and set up automated follow-up, aiming for better borrowers at a lower cost per lead.
Questions mortgage brokers ask us
Should a mortgage broker buy leads or generate their own?
Bought leads are often shared with several brokers, so you are racing others from the first second. Generating your own leads through Google and Meta costs more effort to set up, but those borrowers came to you and are far more likely to proceed.
How fast should a broker respond to a new enquiry?
As close to instantly as possible. Borrowers often contact several brokers at once, and the first useful reply tends to win the conversation. An automated instant reply with a booking link keeps you in front even when you are in a meeting.
What should a mortgage broker post on social media?
Useful, plain English content works best: borrowing power explainers, first home buyer tips, refinancing questions and client stories with permission. Pair organic posts with paid Meta ads so your content reaches people beyond your existing followers.
Ready to stop losing borrowers to the broker who called first? Call KOA Digital on 0483 929 713 or book a call at koadigital.com.au/contact-us/.
