Stop Buying Cheap Mortgage Leads: Focus on Intent | MLO Project Episode 50

Описание: 🚨 Episode 50 – Stop Buying Cheap Mortgage Leads: Focus on Intent

If you are a loan officer thinking about paid ads in 2026, this episode breaks down why cheap leads are often a trap and how intent changes everything. Frazier and Michael compare social media ads and Google search ads, explain what makes leads “high intent,” and call out common ad types like home search ads that generate names but not real conversations.

You will learn how to set realistic expectations for ad spend, what you should see in the first one to two weeks, and why cost per lead means nothing if the lead quality is bad. They also walk through the follow up systems you need, including automation, speed to lead, and response rate benchmarks, so your ad budget actually turns into applications and closed loans.

What we cover:
• Why home search ads and other low intent offers waste a loan officer’s time
• Intent vs interruption and how that affects lead quality
• When Google search is the better play vs when social ads can make sense
• Realistic ad spend expectations and what results should look like early on
• Follow up automation and response rate benchmarks to convert paid leads

⏱️ Timestamps (from the transcript timecodes)

00:00 Intro and banter
02:49 Episode topic setup, paid ads questions come up every year
03:37 Social media ads vs Google and budgeting expectations for 2026
06:58 Why home search ads are the biggest waste of time
07:56 What a home search ad is and why intent is low
08:46 DPA ads and low FICO ads as interruption marketing examples
10:58 Why intent matters and why Michael shifted from Facebook to Google
11:22 Examples of high-intent Google searches borrowers type in
11:53 Lead cost history, why costs changed, and optimizing for lead quality
13:46 When social ads make sense and when Google is still the best play
18:19 Intent vs interruption explained with the Best Buy analogy
21:26 The real speed-to-lead difference between interruption and intent
25:46 Cost per lead means nothing if the leads are bad
27:38 Reasonable ad spend expectations, $1,500 per closed loan baseline
28:43 If you do not see leads in 1 to 2 weeks, find someone else
29:40 Lead volume expectations and why automation follow-up is required
30:31 Response rate benchmarks and what “quality engagement” looks like
33:17 Why spending $500 a month can fail and the budget breakpoint
33:40 Why you should be ready to spend for months before the first deal
33:41 Should loan officers run ads themselves, why most should not
37:00 Wrap and where to reach out for questions on ads

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