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M R EP O RT | 29 FEATURE prospects and clients alike. Finally, sales and marketing— all-too-often at odds with each other in the branding process—are becoming intertwined. Our rela- tionship-based industry is finally adopting marketing techniques that help foster business relationships. Ahead of the Game J ust as mortgage operations con- tinue to march toward nearly total automation, the transforma- tion to marketing in the mortgage industry is accelerating, too. If one sought a podcast or video on mortgage-related topics seven or eight years ago, the results would mostly be limited to content produced (usually for a price) by trade associations or trade media. Conferences, seminars, and webinars, in addition to trade publications and websites, were a key means for taking in industry updates. While that remains the case, content is no longer solely created and owned by the trades. Today, in fact, it's difficult to come across a mortgage-related business' website that doesn't contain some kind of blog or white paper. The mortgage industry itself is begin- ning to churn out content. In fact, it's often small business- es leading the way with innova- tive marketing. Necessity is the mother of invention. Many large businesses have, for years, been happy to throw massive budgets into major sponsorships and advertising. Today's consumers, however, are no longer impressed by large brands that seem omni- present. As a result, many of the most creative new approaches in mortgage marketing have been created by firms and individuals lacking the luxury of a big budget. The marketers themselves, using content marketing, have begun to change the way we learn about them or their brands. Someone seeking relevant mort- gage-related content is as likely to frequent Spotify, Apple, or Google Podcasts from their iPhone today as they were to check their trade association website years ago. LinkedIn, once a place reserved for recruiters and professionals seeking new opportunities, has become a portal to a myriad of self-generated content. Josh Pitts of Shred Media was among the first to show the mortgage industry that meaningful video content didn't require cinema-cal- iber production or even people in suits and ties. As a bonus, it could even be entertaining and fun without losing its relevance. The next wave of content mar- keting groundbreakers is already making themselves known. Next- generation content marketers like Dalia Ramos, Founder of Love + Tacos media and the hostess of Taco Tuesday Talks, are blazing new trails by combining once- dry mortgage content with fun concepts and important advocacy. This next generation of mortgage content marketers isn't just limit- ing itself to LinkedIn or Facebook either. Increasingly, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms are becoming mainstream points of distribution for effective new content. Of course, there's much more to successful content marketing than grabbing an iPhone and hitting the "record" button. As with any approach to marketing, effective strategy and sustainable execution are critical. It's also important to realize that content marketing, like consultative selling, is rarely an overnight success. Your first podcast episode is not going to triple sales. Neither is your first entire season, for that matter. But content marketing, much like mortgage technology, isn't just a fad that came and went with the travel bans and lockdowns of the pandemic. Content marketing is the new mainstream of mortgage marketing. It will likely be a crit- ical component of any successful growth strategy in this competi- tive purchase market and after. ALAYNA GARDNER is the Director of Sales and Marketing at LodeStar, a leading provider of guaranteed closing fees recently honored among Inc. 5000's Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. Prior to joining LodeStar, she helped build sales and marketing programs for the hospitality industry for over a decade, including as the Sales & Marketing Manager for Aqimero in The Ritz- Carlton, Philadelphia. Contact her at AGardner@LSSoftwareSolutions.com. SOMETIMES, IT'S GOOD TO BE A FOLLOWER. Follow MReport on social media to put the latest mortgage banking news, stories, strategies, and insights at the touch of your fingertips. MReport @TheMReportNews The MReport