Conviction Over Content: Why Belief Builds Your Brand

Are you really out of content or just out of conviction? This episode reveals how embracing what you truly believe can transform your visibility, your content, and your entire business. Tune in to discover why leading with conviction will set you apart and what might happen when you finally do.

Why Work With Me (and Broker Life Socials)

I’ve been in the Canadian mortgage space since 2005.

I started at Genworth Financial Canada, working inside the default insurer side of the industry for five years.
Then in August 2010, I became a licensed mortgage agent… and I’ve been in it ever since.

I’ve seen this business from every angle.
 Underwriting. Broker side. Real client conversations. Real files.

And here’s why that matters

Marketing in this industry isn’t just about “posting consistently.”
 It’s about understanding:
 • how mortgage clients actually think
 • what they’re worried about (but not saying)
 • how to explain complex scenarios in a way that builds trust

That’s not something you can outsource to a generic marketing company.

Because if they’ve never:
 • structured a deal
 • explained a refinance
 • walked a client through a tough approval

…they don’t truly understand your client.

Inside Broker Life Socials, everything is written by someone who lives and breathes this industry.

So your content doesn’t just “look good”…
 It actually connects, builds trust, and converts.

Work with Me

Inside Broker Life Socials, you can choose what fits your season of business:

• Done for you social media content
• Plug and play email marketing
• Group coaching inside the Collective
• 1:1 custom content support

Simple. Consistent. Repeatable.

🗓️ Next round starts soon!
 👉 https://brokerlifesocials.com/register/broker-growth-collective/

Let’s Connect

📱 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristina.crosbie/

📸 Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/kristinacrosbie/

📸 Broker IG: https://www.instagram.com/brokerlifesocials/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the podcast. I am your host, Christina Crosby, and thank you so much for listening to Mortgage Marketing Made Simple this week. Today I want to talk to you about something that completely changed how I look at social media, visibility, marketing, and honestly basically business in general. I'm listing, I'm working on something right now called Visibility School. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how true this is. The problem is not your content. The problem is your conviction. Now let me just explain that. I spend a lot of time talking to mortgage brokers. I mentor mortgage brokers. I work with mortgage brokers every single day through broker life socials. And one thing I hear all the time is I don't know what to post. I've run out of content ideas. I don't know what to talk about. I feel like I've already said everything or I feel like I've already talked about that a lot. And most of the time, I don't think that's true or accurate. I don't think most brokers have a content problem. I think they have a conviction problem. Because if I sat down with almost any mortgage broker for 30 minutes and started asking questions, I could probably pull a hundred content ideas out of them. You know, tell me about a file you've worked on. Tell me about a client you've helped. Tell me about a mistake people make that you see all the time in your business. Tell me about something you wish clients knew. Tell me about something you disagree with. You know, ruffle feathers. Find your ideal people that way. Tell me about a lesson you've learned. Tell me about a lesson or tell me about a challenge you've overcome. You know, the content is there, and your experience is there. The stories are there. The problem is most of us, most people, are afraid to say what they really think. They're worried about what other, you know, brokers will think, what clients will think, um, you know, referral sources, realtors, lawyers, you know, whoever. Um, they're worried about what their brokerage will think. They're worried about offending someone. They're worried about, you know, somebody disagreeing with them. They're worried about getting it wrong. I know I was for so long. So they water everything down. And when you water everything down, your content starts sounding exactly like everyone else's. I know this because this is what I used to do. When I first started posting consistently on socials and even emailing my list, my database, I tried to make everybody happy. I tried to be careful. I tried to avoid saying anything too strong. I tried not to, you know, offend anyone. I tried to make sure everyone agreed with me. And because of that, my content sounded, started sounding really generic. It sounded so safe, way too safe. And it honestly started to sound like every other mortgage post on social media. And then something changed. I started talking about what I actually believed, not what every not what everyone else believed, not what would get the most likes. And just to kind of talk about it here, I do on some files charge a fee for my alternative stuff for my B stuff. Um, some of them I have hours and hours and hours, months and months of work into. I seem to really get complicated B files, which I love. Um, but I'm absolutely gonna charge a fee on those. Um, you know, that could ruffle some feathers, me saying that in a post. Um, but I will die on that hill, you know. So I just stopped posting what would get the most likes and not what would make everyone happy. You know, what I believe. Um, and for example, I believe visibility is the new volume. I believe the mortgage brokers who are visibility who are visible consistently will will win over you know the next few years. I believe email marketing works over texting. I believe Facebook still works. Facebook is absolutely having its moment. I believe you don't need to be on every platform. I believe one platform is enough. I like two, but I think you can do really well with one. And I also believe choosing one file type and become known for that is enough. I think consistency beats talent. I believe most brokers don't need more leads, no more referral sources. I think most brokers need consistency. Now, does everybody in our space agree with those things? Absolutely not. And that's okay. Because conviction doesn't mean everyone agrees with you. Conviction means you're willing to stand behind what you believe. I think that, I think that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned from this course I'm doing called Visibility School. People don't follow people, like people don't follow certainty. People follow a conviction, and there's definitely a difference. You don't need to know everything, you don't need to have every answer, you don't have to have everything figured out. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to believe in what you're saying. Now, think about the people online. Think about the people you follow online, the people you pay attention to, the people you learn from. Usually it's not because they're perfect. Usually it's because they're clear, they make decisions, they're decisive, they're confident in their messaging, they know what they stand for, and people are attracted to that. That builds trust. One thing I've noticed is that when people can one thing I've noticed is that people can feel when you're holding back. They can feel when you know you're playing small. They can feel when you're saying what you think people want you to hear instead of what you actually believe. I think a lot more mortgage brokers are doing exactly that. They're posting because they feel like they should. They're posting because, you know, someone at the brokerage told them to, they're they saw a friend broker do it. They're posting because someone said uh content is important, but they're not actually saying anything. They're just filling the space, posting to post, which is the biggest waste of time. And there's a huge difference between a huge difference between posting and leading. And leadership requires conviction. It also requires taking a stand. Okay, it requires saying, This is what I believe. For me, I'm gonna charge a fee, most likely, on an alternative file, even if everyone doesn't agree with that. Now, to be super clear, I'm not talking about being rude or being a jerk. I'm not talking about picking fights, I'm not talking about creating, you know, controversy for attention. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm talking about being willing to share your perspective, your experience, and your lessons and beliefs. And another example, here's something I think, or something I believe, you know, too many mortgage brokers are trying to be everywhere. Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, podcasts. Well, actually, I don't think enough are trying to be on podcasts, if I'm being honest. Um, but they're trying to do everything social media-wise, and they actually end up doing nothing consistently. Most brokers would be better off, just like that one file type, be better off picking one platform and becoming known there. Maybe you disagree, and that's okay. But I believe it, and because I believe it, I'm willing to talk about it. And I had the paper churl, I have the receipts of how that's worked for me and my mortgage business. Okay, here's another one. I think most mortgage brokers quit, and this could go for any entrepreneur, too early. They post for a few weeks, maybe a month, and then they decide social media doesn't work. Meanwhile, you have another broker who stays consistent for six months and they start getting results. And again, maybe you agree, maybe you don't. But it's something I believe because I've seen it. And because I've seen it, I'm willing to talk about it. Another example would be: I think refinances and alternative lending are some of the biggest opportunities available to us out there right now. Those have always been my two favorite file types. Um, I'm not losing files to banks over rates. Um bank is always going to be tough competition. Wasn't when I started, but right now it seems to be a simple rate conversation. But advice, strategy, you know, debt consolidation, bruise credit, alternative lending, that B side and complex files, that's where we shine, and that's where we bring value. That's something I believe, and because I believe it, I talk about it all the time. The funny thing is, people, you know, sometimes ask me if I'm worried about repeating myself on the podcast on social media, and the answer is no, because repetition is not a problem. A lack of repetition is the problem, and most people haven't heard your message enough yet. Let's just go back to a pod from a few weeks ago. It's like five to six percent of your total following sees your posts. Like, think about that. Five to six percent of your following sees your posts. That is it. So, this is why repetition is okay. Most people haven't seen your content enough yet. Most people aren't paying nearly as much attention to your content, to your socials, as you think they are. So if you believe something, repeat it. Say it again and again and again. Not because you're out of ideas, but because you're building a brand. When people think of, you know, me, I want them to think about refinancing, cleaning up cash flow, alternative lending, visibility, email marketing, and the ripple effect that that produces. I also want them to think of consistency. Not because those are the only things I do, but because those are the, you know, those are the things, those are the type of business that I decided to become known for. I think that's another place where a lot of brokers get stuck. They haven't decided. They haven't decided what file type they want. They haven't decided who they're helping. They haven't decided, you know, what they stand for. So every week, every Monday, they start over, they're reinventing themselves. Every Tuesday, they're looking for a new strategy. And every Wednesday they're looking for something new, a new mentor, a new example. They're always looking for a new platform, and by the end of the week they're frustrated, and the cycle repeats itself. Decisions create momentum. Indecision creates exhaustion. I'm gonna say that again. So decision creates momentum. Indecision creates exhaustion. The brokers I see making the most progress are not necessarily the smartest brokers, the smartest people, the most experienced, the most tenored, you know, or even the most talented brokers. They're the brokers who decide. They've decided what they're building, they decided who they help, they've decided what they talk about, then they keep going, they keep the momentum going. Even when engagement is low, even when no one was engaging or commenting or liking, even when nobody liked a post, they kept going. Because conviction doesn't come from results. Results often come from conviction. And I want you to think about that. A lot of people are waiting for confidence before they show up. They're waiting for proof before they post. They want that validation before they even speak. But confidence comes after action, not before it. They became confident because they kept showing up. They kept going. Every time they showed up, they built a little more belief, a little more confidence, and a little more conviction. And that is how it works, my friend. So here's the challenge I want to leave you with this week. What do you believe? What do you believe that you keep talking yourself out of the posting? What lesson have you learned? What opinion do you have? What advice would you give? What truth have you experienced? What do you know that someone else needs to hear? And why aren't you posting it? Are you worried someone won't agree? Are you worried someone will judge you? Are you worried another broker might, you know, disagree? Good. You know, let them. Because the goal isn't to have everyone agree with you. The goal is to become known for something. The goal is to attract the people who need your message, who need what you offer, and the goal is to lead. And leadership requires conviction. So this week, I want you to stop asking yourself, what should you post? And instead ask yourself, what do I believe? Then post about that. Because the problem probably isn't your content. Let's go back to this podcast. The problem is your conviction. Now, one example of this when we talk about it, this podcast, for example. I wanted to start it for years before I actually did, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing. And I want it to be some, I wanted it to be something that I managed. This is just me sitting in my office right now, recording this, holding a mic with a program called Riverside that I use. I have no intro to this podcast. I have no outro. I have nothing in the middle. There's no ads. Um, this podcast is anything but perfect. But I show up for the people that regularly listen to it. And yes, this is gonna be so much more polished. I could edit it. I make mistakes all the time, and I just acknowledge that and I keep going. Um because it's never going to be perfect, and you have to start now. The more you delay, whatever it is you're looking to do, show up on social, email your list, pick that one file type, start a podcast. You need to stop delaying it and just start. And that's one reason why I don't edit my content. I want my mentoring students, my one-on-one students, I want them to see that I'm not perfect at this by any means, but I get traction and a lot of traction from this podcast. It's okay if you fumble your your words like I just did. I'm not gonna edit that out. Um, and it's really helped me because people get to know me, and then the like comes and then the trust comes. So I really appreciate you listening this week. And if in any way this episode resonated, I want you to send me a message and I want you to start before you're ready. And I want you to pick your lane, your one file type, your one social platform, um, and tell me one thing you believe that you finally started talking about or are going to start talking about. And I'll see you next week.