Tom Ahles shares how brand presence and consistency help brokers cut through the noise
In a mortgage market crowded with promises and overwhelmed consumers, brand visibility isn’t enough—what matters is trust. And according to Tom Ahles, Chief Growth Officer at Edge Home Finance, the only real way to earn that is by showing up—online and in the community.
“Our biggest focus... is really coming from the technology age. Everybody has answers immediately, but the answers aren't always correct,” said Ahles. “They want to talk with somebody—whether that's somebody that they know from their church or their community or their kids' school.”
Edge Home Finance has built its model around relationships, not ad spend. As a local, independent mortgage company, Ahles and his team focus on presence: being available, being visible, and being consistent.
“Our job in not only building that trust is being present... being present with everything that happens in the local community, being present online,” he said. “So there's plenty of information for clients to fact-check and see that you are somebody that is respectable and honest in the industry.”
Brand over product, consistency over pitch
In a broker landscape where rates and turnaround times barely differentiate one provider from the next, Ahles argued the only meaningful differentiator is character. And the most scalable way to communicate that is through content—not gimmicks, but consistent messaging.
“Everyone has good rates and everyone can close fast and there needs to be a differentiator,” he said. “To me, we really work on that through social media more than anything.”
Ahles pushes authenticity over advertising. That could mean hosting a dinner at his home or participating in community initiatives, not because it's marketing, but because it reflects who his team is—and the values they bring to their business.
“There’s always messages that are in there to show, hey, I am somebody who's trustworthy,” he said. “I am somebody that a client is going to know, like and trust.”
He also emphasized that content must lead with education, not urgency or sales talk. “People don't choose to work with you because of that. They choose to work with you because of who you are as an individual, what you even do in the community,” he said.
Social content is branding, not a silver bullet
While social platforms are essential in Ahles’ playbook, he cautioned against viewing them as a standalone strategy. It’s not enough to post—it has to be personal.
“You know, the differentiator in our industry between the superstars... is how much they're on their phone, how much are they actually developing a relationship,” he said. “It still comes down to those conversations that are one-on-one where someone gets to actually know you.”
He acknowledged that social media can extend reach, but it doesn’t replace the value of direct engagement. “The technology piece can't replace that. It definitely can multiply your effect,” he said.
The goal is relevance, not reach. Posting frequently—sometimes multiple times a day—allows Ahles and his team to tailor messages to specific niches within their audience. “There's going to be a message that applies to a small group of people... with the goal to be able to help engage them and educate them,” he said.
Ahles dismissed concerns about posting too often. In his view, saturation is a myth in an already crowded feed. “We scroll quickly and if somebody posts something once, two, three, four times a day, I wouldn't notice unless there's something that caught my eye,” he said.
Referrals come from values, not volume
Social platforms might help brand visibility, but trust is built in the details—small gestures, personal outreach, follow-ups that feel real. The day before Thanksgiving, Ahles had already sent texts to every pre-approved client in his pipeline. That’s not marketing, he said. It’s how trust is maintained.
“Those with the most friends will close the most business,” he said. “Whether it's social media, whether it's billboards, whether it's moving trucks.”
As brand visibility shifts increasingly to individuals over firms, Ahles believes the brokers who succeed are those who stand for something. “People appreciate you choosing what do you stand for and showing that information,” he said. “Most powerhouse brands in the mortgage industry... you get the chance to see what not only the person is that's behind the brand, but what is their character like.”
