Are you still fighting against using the Internet in your mortgage marketing plan? That stubbornness is most likely losing you new opportunities and even worse past clients. The facts are clear, up to 75% of borrowers go online to research their mortgage. And the current market, rate, and home value volatility is only going to make that a more solid trend. Why would you jeopardize your mortgage business?

The Internet is more than a strategy for big National lenders. In fact, more than ever the hyper local Internet strategies are the most effective. People are going to do their research online. People are going to submit their name and telephone number for more information. Why would you let the competition have that opportunity?

Here are 5 easy steps to own your local mortgage market and make sure you have a shot at every local borrower that uses the Internet to look for a mortgage:

1. Get a Website

There are a lot of very simple ways to do this from Google Page Creator to finding a local web savvy high schooler. My personal suggestion is launching a blog with WordPress. Online customers are increasingly expecting to engage and interact with businesses. A blog allows you to demonstrate trust, personality, and give value first (mortgage education).

2. Submit Your Mortgage Business to Google Local and Yahoo! Local

Add your local mortgage business to Google Local and Yahoo! Local. Both take a matter of minutes and are guaranteed to put you into a prominent position on every search for a local mortgage broker or lender.

3. Submit Your Mortgage Business to Local City Directories

This needs to be done on two levels: (1) National big directories like InfoUSA, YellowPages.com, and CitySearch.com; and (2) Local city, township, or county government listings, rotary directory, and various other small Internet listings of local businesses and services.

4. Incorporate Your Online Presence Into Your Offline Mortgage Advertising

Your website address should go everywhere your telephone number goes. Often it is easier to remember a Web address than a phone number. And visit to your website can also be far informative and less intimidating than a cold call into your business.

5. Buy Local Purchase Mortgage Leads

These are typically very reasonable (big lenders like the easy, short-term refinance leads) and more likely to use a local lender. Buy everyone in your local area and you will be surprised how many Realtors start showing up at your door for referrals.

These are only starter steps and will probably cost you less than $100. As you get more experienced and savvy at marketing on the Internet there are a lot of opportunities to blow this solid foundation up into big success that will have you hiring an assistant, then a processor, then a couple of additional brokers. Who knows what you might become, but the certainty is no one in your local mortgage market will be stealing your clients off the Internet any more!