How does your blogging and your Mortgage Banking work go together?

It has become a daily routine for me. It used to be kind of sparatic and periodic, but then I realized I kind of have a passion for it. There is a lot to learn about mortgages, and a lot to learn about really anyone here if you ask them. All of our businesses are very complex.

What I started to find was, that I put my thoughts on paper, and suddenly my clients are consuming information without me there to give it to them. It's a pretty amazing concept.

Has your blog translated into business for you?
Number one it starts a lot of contacts with the press, being featured in the Wall street journal, Chicago sun times, Chicago tribune. Our story gets picked up by the press, and one of the reasons why is because when folks go look for information about something related to mortgages, that's my blog showing up at the top of people's search lists and they can go and get deep and see that I'm not just somebody who put something out there, I actually have thoughts and opinions, and right or wrong they are still valid.

It has also helped that realators for example will hand out multiple business cards for any transaction for their client. Hey talk to this group of loan officers. But what I'll here most times is that clients come from realators and say hey, I got five business cards, but I looked at your blog and I never called the other guys. Cause we understand where you are coming from and we believe what it is you are saying. You really seem like you know what you are doing.

Has your blog helped you solidify your relationship with your clients?
It is interesting, most folks, even if you talk about folks in the 25 to 35 year old range, are folks that are spending a lot of time reading blogs, cause they like to consume information at their own speed. When folks want to get information, whether it is validation they are looking for, or even to see why they might be wrong. My blog is able to present both points of view. The thing about a mortgage or any financial decision, if you present information to people in a way that is palatable, in plain English you're going to find that almost every time they are going to make the proper decision from an emotional and financial point of view. And up until now folks have been only operating with half of the story.

What are some of the blogs you find interesting?
I spend a lot of time on Dustin Luther's Rain City Guide. Greg Swan's Bloodhound blog Celsius has a fantastic blog, Noah Rosenbloths, urban digs. There is actually a dearth of quality real estate mortgage blogs, and these are things that are important to my business. And so I have reached out to the other folks who I think write quality blogs and we have actually formed a network at feedburner, the feedburner networks. A terrific terrific vehicle for all of us to put our wares on display. It is a way for my readers to become exposed to everything I am reading and get the 360 view of here's what other terrific writers are saying in the real estate and mortgage space.

Are you using feedburners Ad Network?
It is feedburner's ad networks and honestly the revenue that might come from that is minuscule next to the revenue that comes from earning the trust of one more person who becomes a client. I want my clients to know what I know, education is the key. The more people know the better decisions they are going to make for their personal and financial lives and that is what is key to me. Here is what I know folks, go out and see what other people are saying about the same concepts and get the complete spectrum. What is everyone talking about interest only loans. What does everybody say about the strength of the housing market. And using feedburners ad networks, the ads are secondary. What it is a chance for me to group everybody into a network of quality information.