Mortgage Marketing Radio

You’ve been sold a lie: that if you just post enough content, the business will come. It won’t. And in this guest-host takeover of Mortgage Marketing Radio, Michelle Mikel and Jennifer Butcher prove it with real numbers. Jen is a 25-year mortgage veteran and host of the She Talks Money podcast. She was doing what all the gurus tell you to do — five videos a week, a polished feed, all of it. And she was still stuck on the question that haunts every originator: “When am I actually going to make money from this?” So guest host Michelle Mikel put her through a 30-day challenge built on one rule that sounds too simple to work: one message a day, to one person you don’t know. Inside this episode, you’ll hear: • Why the $5,000/month social media manager is rarely the answer (and what Jen pays instead) • The difference between content that gets 20,000 views and content that gets paid • The exact 4-part message framework that took Jen’s “yes” rate from ~30% to nearly 50% • The “ick” prospecting lines you’re probably still using, and what to say instead • How 30 messages turned into 5 podcasts, 6 agent meetings, and a calendar booked into July If you’re tired of pouring time and money into content that doesn’t pay you back, this is the episode. Hit play. Then send one message today. ——— Connect with Jennifer Butcher on Instagram: @JenniferButcherOfficial Listen to Jennifer’s podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/she-talks-money/id1805894710 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2tVr8kAQv8L3xbhdOoWpvg?si=c915dc1f09e94139 Connect with Michelle Mikel on Instagram: @BermanMediaSocial

I studied two new research reports covering 260,000+ LinkedIn posts — and in this quick-hit episode, I break down exactly what's working on LinkedIn in 2026, specifically for loan officers and mortgage pros who want to get seen, build a personal brand, and attract referral partners. Just the data, and what to actually do with it. You'll learn: ✅ Whether links really hurt your reach (the answer surprised me) ✅ The format with an 11X interaction boost most LOs never use ✅ Why horizontal video beats vertical by 36% on LinkedIn ✅ The post length that performs 31% better in 2026 ✅ The hashtag habit that drops performance 70% ✅ The 741% rule the top 1% of creators live by ✅ The lead magnet quietly crushing it right now (it's not a PDF) 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS Build your personal brand voice with Katie Shive → https://www.KatieShive.com Want in on the next agent class cohort? It opens in September and fills fast. CLICK HERE to RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/arxcohort

You feel it, don't you? That constant pressure to post more, create more, be more online — just to keep up. Meanwhile, your pipeline isn't moving the way it should. Here's what nobody's telling you: the top-producing loan officers I work with aren't stressing about their next post going viral. They're doing something different. Something that's been working since before social media existed. And it's making a massive comeback. In this episode, I'm going off-script to challenge the "post more" narrative that the gurus keep pushing. I'll share why IRL — in real life — local influence is outperforming the algorithm for the loan officers I coach. And I'll give you real stories from real LOs who've added $20M, $30M, even doubled their production — not by becoming influencers, but by becoming the go-to lender in their local market. You'll hear: → Why the "content creator" pressure is burning you out (and what to do instead) → The strategy that's landing LOs in front of 20-30 agents at a time → How one LO turned a single workshop into a spot on a national sales training call with 400+ agents → Why direct mail is working (yes, even with millennials) → Jeff Bezos's question that should change how you think about your business → Details on the Agent Referral Accelerator cohort launching May 21st If you're tired of feeding the algorithm and ready to build real relationships that generate real referrals — this one's for you. 🔗 Learn more: https:www.getmoreagents.com 📩 DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn with questions

Six weeks ago, I went silent. No episodes. No posts. No noise. I was fighting cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and tongue. Two rounds of chemo. Thirty rounds of radiation. And a whole lot of time to think. Today, I'm back. And I'm not just picking up where I left off — I'm coming back with new clarity, new energy, and some powerful insights I can't wait to share with you. In this episode: What the last 6 weeks looked like (the real version, not the polished one) A huge thank-you to the guest hosts who kept this show alive while I was down What I've been studying about AI, marketing, and visibility is about to change the game for mortgage professionals HubSpot's new AEO tool and why "Answer Engine Optimization" should be on every LO's radar right now A tease of a pivotal change coming soon to Mortgage Marketing Radio and MMI This is a personal one. It's also one of the most important episodes I've ever recorded. If you've ever been knocked down and had to figure out how to get back up — this one's for you. Episode Resources: Hubspot AEO Tool: https://www.hubspot.com/products/aeo Connect with Geoff: Instagram: @GeoffZimpfer LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/geoffzimpfer YouTube: Subscribe to Mortgage Marketing Radio

Mike Faraci (founder of Red Button Media) sat down with James Duncan (former mortgage marketing exec, now advising at Calum Advisors) to tackle the question every loan officer is quietly asking right now: "With so many new AI tools dropping every week... what the heck am I actually supposed to be doing?" Here's what you'll walk away with: → The one question to ask yourself before adopting ANY new tool, platform, or AI "solution" (miss this and you'll burn months chasing shiny objects) → Why "prompt engineering" is a skill — not a position — and the exact move James uses to get AI to prompt ITSELF on your behalf → The "story vs. point of view" distinction that separates forgettable loan officers from the ones clients actively seek out → Mike's 24-hour video challenge that got one broker TWO extra referrals in a single week (spoiler: it takes less time than typing the text) → The "Domino's Pizza Tracker" trick one mortgage company stole to boost loan process engagement → Why AI avatars are going to be the downfall of loan officers who lean too hard into them — and what to do instead → The truth about niching down that most LOs are getting wrong Whether you're a producing LO, a marketing director, or a CEO trying to figure out how to stay human in an AI-saturated market — this one's for you. Mentioned in this episode: Red Button Media → hittheredbutton.com Connect with Mike: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefaraci/ Connect with James: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesduncan-caelum/