Branding Hits And Mrs.

Branding Hits And Mrs.

For women, building a name in the mortgage industry gets complicated when marriage happens.

BY ERICA LACENTRA | CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL

On the Monday immediately following my wedding, the well wishes from my co-workers at RCN Capital poured in shortly after I had logged in for the day. After the initial congratulations, the question I had dreaded followed almost immediately after, would I be taking my husband’s last name?

Now this question didn’t bother me because I didn’t want to take my husband’s name. In fact, we had talked about this at length before getting married. No, I dreaded the thought of having to explain to co-workers and industry peers over and over again that while I was taking his name, I would continue to use my last name professionally. In my head, it made perfect sense, but from an outside perspective it probably seemed silly, egotistical, or even that I had ulterior motives to want to use my maiden name in the industry. So, if I was indeed changing my last name, why did I have a problem using it made perfect sense, but from an outside perspective it probably seemed silly, egotistical or even that I had ulterior motives to want to use my maiden name in the industry. So, if I was indeed changing my last name, why did I have a problem using it professionally?

As a marketing professional who has been in the mortgage industry for almost eight years, I know as well as anyone that a company’s brand is everything. You can have the best products or services but if you don’t have a strong, easily recognizable brand, you are invisible to your customers. Branding is the key to a company being successful in this industry and any industry for that matter. Now, while that may be marketing 101 for most, what many people often fail to acknowledge is that the notion of branding is not limited to companies.

PERSONAL BRAND

Every person has their own unique brand that they portray to the world and whatever audiences they want to appeal to, and this is especially true in our space. The most prevalent faces in the mortgage industry have taken great care to develop their personal brand. They have created an outward facing persona that is supported by consistent messaging and content that not only promotes the company they represent but also positions them as they want you to see them: trustworthy, knowledgeable, relatable, someone you would want to connect with.

It is no accident that you not only know the biggest names in the mortgage industry and who they work for, but you probably feel like you connect with them on a more personal level based on what you have seen through social media, articles they have written, presentations they have given and numerous other forms of content. This is simply the sign of an incredible marketer with a strong personal brand.

While I may not have the same level of recognition as the big names in the mortgage industry (yet), my personal brand is something that I am very cognizant of and it is something

I am constantly trying to improve upon. And it is precisely why I will continue to use my maiden name professionally. Because for me, it is so much more than just a name, it is everything I have built my personal brand and my career on for the last 7+ years.

MESSAGE CONTROL

Call me selfish, but I want to be able to focus on my career and career goals without having to get into awkward conversations with peers about my marriage, being mistaken for someone else, or not recognized as the same person because of a change to my last name. I’ve seen other women inside of the industry go through it, and in my opinion changing my name would create an unnecessary stumbling block for my brand, which I’d prefer to avoid all together. You don’t exactly see any men in the industry changing up their names just to shake things up and keep people on their toes.

For me, continuing to use my maiden name professionally is how I am choosing to manage my personal brand, control my messaging, and not allow focus to shift away from what I have worked so hard to build. So, to my co-workers and peers, if I visibly cringe (sorry hubby!) if you ask me this question or worse yet, call me by my married name in a professional setting, I’m happy to share wedding photos with you and discuss all the details of one of the happiest days of my life once the workday has wrapped up.

But as long as there is work to be done, I’d prefer to get down to business.

Erica LaCentra is director of marketing for RCN Capital.