A new online digital training brand has launched to help mortgage brokers to boost their online presence.

Brand That Broker aims to help brokers to retain clients, build their pipeline and improve their social media offering.

The business has been established by mortgage broker Serena Smith and PR professional Rachel Bayley, who have years of experience in the industry.

Smith heads up Mortgages with Serena and has worked with businesses such as Skipton Building Society. Bayley is a trained journalist who spent eight years at Computershare Loan Services and runs luxury PR agency On The Avenue Communications.

Smith says: “We came up with the idea of ‘Brand That Broker” due to both of our experience working in the UK mortgage sector.

“It is clear, not just from statistics but also personal experience, that many UK mortgage brokers and their wider firms do not utilise social media or their personal brands effectively to boost their network, sales and future client pipeline.

“You may currently get most of your clients through your already established network, and that’s great. But circumstances change, clients will naturally require fewer financial products as they get older and it would be narrow-minded to presume your next wave of clients will follow the trends you have witnessed over the years.

“The younger generation aka your future clients actively seek out financial information online. They do not resonate with or trust faceless brands that hide behind generic FCA-compliant wording and the same corporate messaging,” Serena explains.”

Bayley says: “I left the corporate mortgage world because I was frustrated at the lack of creativity and acceptance that having a personal brand and using social media is essential as the world evolves. We believe that brokers have a moral duty to combat the growing “finfluencer” trend online, where people with no qualifications in finances are telling often younger consumers how to invest or get mortgages.

“Brokers need to trust themselves; they’re experienced, well qualified and know the FCA rules, which are easy to stick to. Our online training takes brokers through real-life examples of effective social media and personal branding, as well as how Serena gains an impressive 99 per cent of her leads on Instagram.”