STORY

Federal Hill Mortgage

For over a decade, Federal Hill Mortgage has helped homeowners throughout the Mid-Atlantic acquire loans for the homes of their dreams. However, withers in their field and high demand, the Federal Hill Mortgage team didn’t have the time or energy to focus heavily on marketing. In 2020, they recruited the Urban Ignite team to provide marketing solutions to capitalize on high home buying and online service shopping rates. 

Our initial focus was revamping their website, which had an outdated aesthetic that didn’t match up properly against their competition. In the years since our initial web redesign efforts, the Urban Ignite team has utilized our expertise to help Federal Hill Mortgage expand its marketing focus. Each step has helped reimagine their company within the online space and bring new customers to them through targeted digital marketing strategies.

Web/Social/Print/

Photography/SEO

Website Revamp

Social Media Templates

Content/Media Production

SEO

Client Guide Book

Event Materials

CHAPTER 1

Problem

Federal Hill Mortgage was already competitive in their industry, but with a favorable market, they had room to expand but no capacity to focus on their internal marketing efforts. As we began to dive into their marketing goals, we identified more areas of their digital strategy that could use retooling. 

Solution

Our goal was to invest time in elevating existing marketing efforts, retooling the current brand, and creating a collection of new content to drive traffic. As a result, our marketing strategy has touched on every service we provide, from a full-scale web redesign and in-depth Search Engine Optimization to photo and video content, social media marketing, branding, and digital advertising.   

CHAPTER 2: WEB

Branding and On-Going Website Development

We wanted to return to the drawing board with Federal Hill Mortgage’s website. As designers, we weigh the value of colors, the impact a logo leaves, and what information is most important to prioritize for visitors. We began by reimagining the existing branding. Our route was one of simplification and sophistication. Federal Hill utilized a bright purple and green color scheme that didn’t appropriately match their goals as a company, so we tapered this down with a more muted, intentional replacement palette. 

With new branding and design elements in place, we approached the website with two goals: information organization and expanded content. The original website was mainly a hub for mortgage applications. It lacked tangible information and the level of content that could be found on a competitor’s website outside of the home page. Federal Hill Mortgage’s reputation as a high-powered loan team has earned them awards and recognition. We decided to put these achievements front and center on the website. This feature helps visitors know FHM is a trusted provider within their space. Over time, we’ve added full-scale service pages to the site, highlighting a variety of mortgage types that were absent from the original build. In addition, a glossary of service area landing pages worked in chorus with the new loan pages to help grow their SEO efforts.

CHAPTER 3: DIGITAL

Social Media Marketing

Before working with Urban Ignite, Federal Hill Mortgage’s social media presence was subdued and infrequently used. We identified how social media content could be used to connect with a broader audience across more platforms. Our social media process focused on content offering advice, and knowledge, and showcasing FHM as a company. Our design team crafted thoughtful, unique graphics to feature the information we were sharing. This increased social media presence helped build a larger audience across all platforms for the FHM team. 

CHAPTER 4: MEDIA

Photo and Video

Media has been a valuable tool to help bridge the gap between online presence and the personability of Federal Hill Mortgage. Intro and FAQ videos help us highlight the people of FHM. These are the faces clients will encounter, the real people who handle their loans and help them make their dream home a possibility. Showcasing people can help promote a sense of trust between your audience and your company. Home buying is an intimate process, and having a broker you can trust is essential. Our media content helps achieve this natural level of trust, while also keeping the audience informed. It’s valuable across mediums, from websites and emails to social media and advertising. 

CHAPTER 5: DIGITAL

Digital Advertising

For Federal Hill Mortgage, their business succeeds when it can seize on industry trends and leverage the real estate market to their benefit. Our targeted digital advertising strategy allows us to make use of our abundant media content, and gear it toward specific campaigns and potential clients. Across social media platforms, we’ve seen success in reaching different consumers by appealing to their specific needs in the moment. 

CHAPTER 6: DIGITAL

Email Marketing

When you have pressing news or a limited special, emails are a highly effective form of getting this information out quickly. Federal Hill Mortgage’s offerings may change based on the whims of the real estate market. We utilize thoughtful, visually engaging emails to reach a large client base with need-to-know information. Email blasts are coordinated to optimize open rates and click-through rates, and our email strategy has paid off with qualified leads. 

Big pull quote here. This could be a review from our client or a testimonial from the clients client that would reflect somehow the good work we are doing.

Client Name, Job Title/Relation

CHAPTER 7

Monthly Results

In our time working with Federal Hill Mortgage, we’ve helped reimagine their branding and bring their website into the modern age. By staying competitive within their industry through excellent marketing, their phenomenal service can stand out even more. In addition, our SEO efforts have helped grow their leads and traffic value, while media and social content have created a more authentic connection to their audience across various platforms. As a result, Federal Hill Mortgage is consistently ranked as one of the top mortgage brokerage firms on the East Coast.

SEO

183/582

EST. ORGANIC TRAFFIC

$2k/$7k

EST. TRAFFIC VALUE

118/331

KEYWORD GROWTH

Google Analytics

444/1,102

SESIONS

60%/19%

BOUNCE RATE

4x

MONTHLY LEAD INCREASE

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

867/955

FACEBOOK TOTAL LIKES

176/13k

REACH

2/60

ENGAGEMENT

STORY

Federal Hill Mortgage

For over a decade, Federal Hill Mortgage has helped homeowners throughout the Mid-Atlantic acquire loans for the homes of their dreams. Experts in their field and in high demand, the Federal Hill Mortgage team didn’t have the time or energy to focus heavily on marketing. In 2020, they recruited the Urban Ignite team to provide marketing solutions to capitalize on high rates of home buying and online service shopping. 

Our initial focus was revamping their website, which had an outdated aesthetic that didn’t match up properly against their competition. In the years since our initial web redesign efforts, the Urban Ignite team has utilized our expertise to help Federal Hill Mortgage expand their marketing focus. Each step has helped reimagine their company within the online space and bring new customers to them through targeted digital marketing strategies. 

Web/Social/Print/Photography/SEO

Website Revamp

Social Media Templates

Content/Media Production

SEO

Clint Guide Book

Event Materials

CHAPTER 1

Problem

Federal Hill Mortgage was already competitive in their industry, but with a favorable market, they had room to expand but no capacity to focus on their internal marketing efforts. As we began to dive into their marketing goals, we identified more areas of their digital strategy that could use retooling.

Solution

Our goal was to invest time in elevating existing marketing efforts, retooling the current brand, and creating a collection of new content that would drive traffic. Our marketing strategy has touched on every service we provide, from a full-scale web redesign and in-depth Search Engine Optimization to photo and video content, social media marketing, branding, and digital advertising.   

CHAPTER 2: WEB

Branding and On-Going Website Development

We wanted to go back to the drawing board with Federal Hill Mortgage’s website. As designers, we weigh the value of colors, the impact a logo leaves, and what information is most important to prioritize for visitors. We began by reimagining the existing branding. Our route was one of simplification and sophistication. Federal Hill utilized a bright purple and green color scheme that didn’t appropriately match their goals as a company, so we tapered this down with a more muted, intentional replacement palette. 

With new branding and design elements in place, we approached the website with two goals: information organization and expanded content. The original website was mainly a hub for mortgage applications. It lacked tangible information and the level of content that could be found on a competitor’s website outside of the home page. Federal Hill Mortgage’s reputation as a high-powered loan team has earned them awards and recognitions. We decided to put these achievements front and center on the website. This feature helps visitors know FHM is a trusted provider within their space. Over time, we’ve added full-scale service pages to the site, highlighting a variety of mortgage types that were absent from the original build. In addition, a glossary of service area landing pages worked in chorus with the new loan pages to help grow their SEO efforts. 

“Urban Ignite has done an excellent job with all aspects of our marketing”

Sam F, Job Title/Relation

CHAPTER 3: DIGITAL

Social Media Marketing

Prior to working with Urban Ignite, Federal Hill Mortgage’s social media presence was subdued and infrequently used. We identified how social media content could be used to connect with a broader audience across more platforms. Our social media process focused on content that would offer advice, knowledge, and showcase FHM as a company. Our design team crafted thoughtful, unique graphics to feature the information we were sharing. This increased social media presence helped build a larger audience across all platforms for the FHM team.

CHAPTER 4: DIGITAL

Photo and Video

Media has been an valuable tool to help bridge the gap between online presence and the personability of Federal Hill Mortgage. Intro and FAQ videos help us highlight the people of FHM. These are the faces clients will encounter, the real people who handle their loans and help them make their dream home a possibility. Showcasing people can help promote a sense of trust between your audience and your company. Home buying is an intimate process, and having a broker you can trust is essential. Our media content helps achieve this natural level of trust, while also keeping the audience informed. Its valuable across mediums, from website and emails to social media and advertising. 

CHAPTER 5: DIGITAL

Digital Advertising

For Federal Hill Mortgage, their business succeeds when it can seize on industry trends and leverage the real estate market to their benefit. Our targeted digital advertising strategy allows us to make use of our abundant media content, and gear it towards specific campaigns and potential clients. Across social medai platforms, we’ve seen success reaching different consumers by appealing to their specific needs in the moment. 

CHAPTER 6: DIGITAL

Email Marketing

When you have pressing news or a limited special, emails are an extremely effective form of getting this information out quickly. For Federal Hill Mortgage, their offerings may change based on the whims of the real estate market. We utilize thoughtful, visually engaging emails to reach a large client base with need-to-know information. Email blasts are coordinated to optimize open rates and click-through rates, and our email strategy has paid off with qualified leads. 

CHAPTER 7

Results

In our time working with Federal Hill Mortgage, we’ve helped reimagine their branding and bring their website into the modern age. By staying competitive within their industry through great marketing, their phenomenal service is able to stand out even more. Our SEO efforts have helped grow their leads and traffic value, while media and social content has created a more authentic connection to their audience across a variety of platforms. Federal Hill Mortgage is consistently ranked as one of the top mortgage brokerage firms on the East Coast, and we look forward to continuing to help this reputation grow through thoughtful, targeted marketing solutions. 

SEO

183/582

EST. ORGANIC TRAFFIC

$2k/$7k

EST. TRAFFIC VALUE

118/331

KEYWORD GROWTH

Google Analytics

444/1,102

SESSIONS

60%/19%

BOUNCE RATE

4x

MONTHLY LEAD INCREASE

Social Media Marketing

867/955

FACEBOOK TOTAL LIKES

176/13k

REACH

2/60

ENGAGEMENT

Anna

As a Design Specialist for Urban Ignite, Anna Hughes works to create stronger visual aesthetics for client brands via web design and development, social media template design, print collateral, and a variety of other design-centric projects. Her goal is to craft successful, direct, and on-brand design materials to help companies better communicate their mission and purpose. Anna brings thorough experience in print-based projects, giving her a tangible understanding of typography and layout design. Anna works to clearly and creatively communicate a client’s message. 

 

Anna earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Messiah University. She is a huge fan of hiking, running, kayaking, and anything that involves plants and the autumn season.

Brady

Brady Stafford works as a Copywriting Specialist for Urban Ignite, helping clients shape their narrative, tell their story, and expand their portfolio of SEO-driven written content. His copywriting appears on website and landing pages, blog posts, social media posts, and email campaigns. Brady utilizes SEO practices to drive traffic while still creating informative, narratively compelling content across different mediums. 

 

Brady received a BA in History with a minor in Journalism from the University of West Virginia. Several of his historical essays were published by the University. Outside of work, Brady is an avid musician who fills much of his time listening to or playing music. He is also a travel aficionado who enjoys rock climbing and mountaineering (which are different!). Having completed all of his targeted summits on the East Coast, he hopes to conquer Mt. Rainier in Washington and Mt. Denali in Alaska in the future.

Emily

Emily works as a media specialist for Urban Ignite, focusing on videography in production, pre-production, and editing. She uses her skills as a storyteller to visually communicate the stories of our clients and their work, using creativity, problem-solving, and technical knowledge to guide her projects. She graduated from Goucher College with degrees in both Communications and Philosophy, with her philosophical studies amplifying critical analysis and writing skills as well as a love for questioning and research. What she loves most about her career as a videographer is the opportunity to learn a variety of niche knowledge about the different subject matters of her videos. 

 

Outside of work, Emily enjoys painting psychedelic geometric artwork, watching action films, reading science fiction, and learning about history, places, and trivia on Wikipedia. She has a bearded dragon named Franco and sometimes they eat kale together. She plays the piano once a year.

Steven

Steven Quinones works as a Media Specialist at Urban Ignite, balancing pre-production, media shoots, and post-production work. Steven often works directly with clients for on-site shoots, and is an expert at setting the scene and guiding participants through the process. His goal is to help you feel comfortable in front of the camera, and his guidance can help make even your shyest team member feel like a star. Steven previously worked in a professional photography studio for four years and spent years in a sales position as well. His freelance work has included music videos, wedding videography, and more. 

 

Steven has traveled and lived across the country, being born and raised in Nevada before making his way to Maryland. He embraces the experience of meeting new people, and connecting with artists in the places he visits. He is a huge fan of stand-up comedy, with Theo Von and Mark Normand among his current favorites. Steven will be the first to tell you that Mexican food is the best of all foods.

Elijah

As Director of Media, Elijah’s goal is to cultivate an environment of collaboration through media production, driving storytelling for clients through excellent photo and video content. They have worked freelance as a cinematographer and editor, whose previous clients include the Chemistry Department and Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics Doctoral Program at Johns Hopkins. She also works as an adjunct professor at UMBC for photo and video classes. Elijah received her Masters of Fine Art from the Intermedia + Digital Art Program at UMBC, and her Bachelors of Fine Art in Digital Media from Youngstown State University.

 

Outside of work, Elijah spends time on her own bodies of artistic work, focusing on the act/actions of surveillance, as well as notions of memory, nostalgia, longing, and personal identity. They enjoy, as many do, video games, films, tv shows, but also engage in several hobbies focusing around dilapidated and obsolete technologies, like utilizing VHS camcorders, 8mm/16mm found films, and post-apocalyptic costume making.

Tarah

As Urban Ignite’s Director of Design, Tarah Maxsell is your visual design expert. Her work touches nearly every creative process at our firm, from logo and branding design to web layouts, social media templates, and everything in between. Her process is one of intentionally seeking out beautiful solutions to all of your design challenges. Tarah’s work has been recognized by Out Of Home Today (OOH Today) for excellence in outdoor advertising. 

Tarah received a BFA in Fine Arts with a focus on Graphic Design from Messiah University. Tarah enjoys anything she can do outside, as well as ceramics and interior design. You’ll most often find her with her husband Nick and their Goldendoodle Wesely.

Christian

As the Director of Web Content, Christian Fuller helps execute your digital marketing strategy through compelling websites, engrossing written content, and an intricate knowledge of best SEO practices. Christian oversees all web design and written content creation projects, helping ensure the final product delivered to you is spectacular. 

Christian believes that content writing is essential to building the narrative of a business. He puts the work in to help your brand find its tone and voice so you can speak the language of your audience. Copy should always grab attention, and communicate something valuable. He helps you find the perfect sweet spot. 

His web design experience allows him to guide our web team efficiently through the process, accounting for elements like the flow of content, website interactivity, and mobile optimization. Christian believes a strong website is an invaluable marketing tool and helps clients execute their creative vision. 

Christian brings 5+ years of copywriting, web design, and SEO experience to the table. He earned his BA in English from the University of Maryland. Outside of work, he is a frequent traveler and camping enthusiast, creative writer, and super fan of anything horror or punk music-related.

Leigh

Leigh Engelke is our coordinator-in-chief as the Operations Director, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. She is the primary point of contact for clients, addressing their day-to-day needs and communicating new project details to internal staff. Leigh ensures nothing slips through the cracks, and that content output is consistent. She is also responsible for internal procedures at Urban Ignite, helping everyone stay on track and adhere to company policy. 

 

Leigh believes that clear, transparent communication is the key ingredient in a successful business relationship. She wants every client to have clarity on the progress of projects, and be able to communicate any concerns as they arise. Leigh is here to take care of our clients, and she’s excellent at it. Fostering a healthy working environment where employees are free to communicate their feelings is also essential to Leigh as Operations Director. 

 

Professionally, Leigh brings experience working with the Maryland Department of Social Services, where organizational efficiency was crucial. Her decade-plus experience in the food service industry gives her excellent personability, knowledge of task management, and the ability to keep up with the fast-paced needs of clients. 

 

Leigh earned a BS in Psychology from Goucher College. When she’s not managing operations for Urban Ignite, you can find her hiking, painting, crocheting, practicing yoga, or just hanging out with her cat and best buddy, Rex.

Jordan

Jordan Fuller is the Founder and Creative Director of Urban Ignite. He works with clients and the team to help drive the creative vision of each project. 

Content creation has always been at the core of Jordan’s identity, starting with home movie production at the age of 6 and video editing at 14 for his YouTube channel. He took an optimistic approach, teaching himself web design in case the YouTube channel found success. While that project never achieved virality, it gave Jordan the tools to lay the foundation on which Urban Ignite would be built. 

Urban Ignite began with clients in the construction and home remodeling industry and grew as a trusted digital marketing firm despite its small team. In the early days, Jordan saw the adverse effects overworking can have on a team’s creative output. As such, the workplace model was readjusted to focus on efficiency and work-life balance. This model includes industry-competitive pay while maintaining a 30-hour work week. 

Jordan is a creative repository for clients, helping them dream bigger regarding content and marketing strategies. 

In his free time, Jordan enjoys a good concert, nature walks, video games, meditation, or exploring local events across Baltimore. He also loves collaborating with others to make art, whether it’s at work or for personal projects. In addition, he hosts local “house shows,” which have showcased local musicians at the Urban Ignite office space for eight years.