Seminars are an effective way to share your knowledge and expertise with your community and position yourself as the local home loan expert. They can also provide a great opportunity to nurture relationships with existing business referral partners or connect with new partners. By running a seminar, you can attract high-intent leads, as people who take the time to attend an event such as a finance or property seminar usually have a genuine interest in connecting with a broker.  

By including a home loan or property seminar as part of your marketing plan, you’re investing in building your profile within your local community, nurturing existing relationships and growing your customer base.  

How to plan a successful seminar

1.,Determine your objective and target audience 🎯

It's important to set goals for your seminar. Your goals could include building a business referral partner network, increasing brand awareness in your local area or lead generation. Understanding your target audience is an important step in setting your objectives, as it helps you identify what type of seminar you’re wanting to run.  

For example, if you want to increase first home buyer enquiries to your business, consider hosting a first home buyer seminar that targets local renters in an apartment-dense area who may be looking to purchase their first home. 

2. Select your seminar topic 🤔

When selecting the topic for your seminar, consider your areas of expertise, your target market and the demographics of your local area. For example, if most of your clients are first-home buyers, you’ll likely have a deep understanding of this topic, making you well-equipped to present this content. Ensure that you’re comfortable with delivering your chosen topic and capable of addressing any questions asked during your seminar. 

• Home Buying seminars are more generic presentations designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the home loan process, local market trends, loan options and the services of a mortgage broker. This seminar caters to a broader audience who are a mix of first-hand home buyers, investors and refinancers. This type of seminar is ideal for brokers partnering with a business referral partner to showcase a broader snapshot of their services. 

• First Home Buyer seminars involve educating FHBs on what they need to know in the lead up to purchasing their first property. Topics covered include saving for a deposit, the steps involved in securing a home loan, government grant eligibility and the role of a mortgage broker.  

• Investor seminars would be tailored for individuals interested in building a property investment portfolio, whether they’re starting out or seasoned investors. Topics covered may include market analysis, key considerations when selecting investment properties, various loan options and features, and the role of a mortgage broker in facilitating their investment goals.  

3. Consider the content within your seminar presentation 🗣️

The two presentation templates currently available cover different topics: first home buyer and generic property and homebuying seminar.  

These presentation packs are designed to be fully customised, including local demographics and relevant information on your topic that can be tailored to suit your audience. 

4. Leverage your business referral partners 🤝🏻

Including business referral partners as part of your seminar is an asset to both you and your clients, for example a local real estate agent, conveyancer or an accountant. Choose partners that will provide valuable information to your clients and could open you up to a new network of clients. To learn more about connecting with business referral partners, visit the Business Referral Partners Toolkit. 

5. Choosing a date, time and location 📅📍

Select an appropriate date, time and location appropriate for your target market. If you’re targeting first home buyers, select a day of the week and time that caters to younger, working professionals. If you’re targeting investors who may be retired or have flexibility, you may consider choosing a more upmarket location during business hours. Locations for your seminar can include community centres, libraries, function rooms, or even a local cafe. You can also explore the possibility of using office space owned by you or your business referral partners to save costs, or even run the seminar online via Zoom to increase flexibility and accessibility.  

Running your seminar

1.,,Consider the structure of your seminar 💬

Carefully consider the structure of your seminar to maintain high levels of engagement and impact with your audience. If there are multiple speakers, you may consider each speaker delivering their content sequentially, followed by a Q&A session at the end. This format allows attendees to absorb information from each speaker before engaging in interactive discussions and seeking clarifications. 

Alternatively, you may choose a panel style presentation for all speakers, where a designated moderator asks pointed questions to the appropriate speaker based on their area of expertise. This approach fosters a dynamic and interactive experience, which may increase levels of audience interest and capture their attention for longer.  

Keep in mind, you should be fostering curiosity and interest amongst attendees to prompt post-seminar appointments. 

2.,,Consider the promotional items and handouts you may need. ⭐

You might like to bring along giveaways, merchandise or handouts to your seminar that your chosen demographic will benefit from. For example, those attending a first home buyer seminar may benefit from first home buyer fact sheets and guides. You can purchase branded material or merchandise on Skoop.

3.,,Preparation is key 🔑

Presentation tips and tricks:

• Practise, practise, practise - know your content inside out

• Speak clearly and confidently - project your voice and avoid mumbling.

• Keep it concise - stick to key points and avoid overwhelming your audience with content

• Encourage interaction - invite questions and participation to keep attendees engaged

• Stay calm and flexible - be prepared to adapt to unexpected situations

Seminar case study #1 - Running an effective seminar 

Melissa Burt (SA) - First home buyer seminar

South Australia-based broker Melissa Burt (Mortgage Choice Modbury) frequently hosts first home buyer seminars in her local area. Melissa has a deep understanding of the first home buyer market and actively engages with this demographic of clients.  

In one example, Melissa hosted a seminar in her office after work hours, recognising that this convenient time would increase attendance from people in her local area. She partnered with a local conveyancer and real estate agent, leveraging their respective networks to promote the seminar and boost attendance. She promoted the seminar through a paid Facebook campaign to increase exposure.  

During the seminar, Melissa showcased her knowledge and expertise of the first home buyer market through discussing the following topics: 

• Steps involved in getting a home loan 

• Understanding your borrowing power 

• The different government grants and schemes available 

• What’s happening in the property market locally, statewide and nationally 

• Using a guarantor 

• Different home loan features 

• Benefits of using a mortgage broker. 

To keep the presentation engaging, Melissa opened the room to questions and interactive conversation. At the end of the seminar, she displayed a QR code which attendees could use to book a meeting or submit an enquiry. A quarter of attendees booked a meeting straight away.  

Melissa also distributed goodie bags containing Mortgage Choice merchandise, first home buyer fact sheets, and her business card with contact details, ensuring attendees could easily reach out to her in the future.  

Melissa contacted all 20 attendees post event, and those who weren’t considered a warm lead were still added to her database to be nurtured over time and build her pipeline.