Author: Craig Wales

I got my start in advertising working on one of the earliest content marketing programs of the internet age, Home Made Simple for P&G Homecare. At the time, it wasn’t even called content marketing. Then I spent the next fifteen years working my way up the agency world, moving further away from content marketing. I’ve done TV spots that played during the Super Bowl, more print ads than I can remember and enough social posts to make a social media influencer blush. And in all that time, I came to realize something—content marketing is the most honest, measurable and powerful way for a brand to make a true connection with their consumer. I’m back directing content strategy and leading the long-form writing team at Guaranteed Rate, the third-largest mortgage lender in the country. Buying a home is a confusing and emotional process, and the work that my team and I do make it simpler and smoother. That’s a really satisfying feeling. And the fact that the traffic to our Knowledge Center has gone from under 50K a month to over 85K just over a year later is really satisfying, too. To me, content marketing is the way a brand fulfills its mission to its customers, while marketing to them at the same time. You get to provide value, not just interrupt someone’s day. You can inspire, entertain, educate. Content marketing is about helping your customers with a problem that your brand is uniquely able to solve. And I like helping people.

Published on 29 August

5 Key Items to Keep an Eye on This Week

By Craig Wales , In Mortgage Rate News

New home construction - mortgage rate news

Just when you thought home prices were headed to the next galaxy, buyer apathy is starting to reverse course. A recent report reveals average home prices declined 0.77% in July. If you’re thinking big deal, think again. This fraction of a percent is the largest one-month price drop in 11 years. And some larger markets out west have seen home prices drop an average of 4-10%. All good news for homebuyers who’d all but given up because of affordability issues. Let’s hope the trend continues.