Branding in a World of Shortened Attention

Succeeding in any business relies heavily on being able to stand out from everything else out there. There are game changing business models that fall short of revolution because they were not able to gain recognition in their space.

Financial service professionals are no different. The need to be distinct, showcase value, and stand apart from the rest is a burden that is not getting any lighter. I wanted to chat with the best in the industry when it comes to branding, see the exact trends we should expect going forward. That of course led me to chat with Alana Kohl, founder of AdvisorPR.

Not surprisingly, she shared things that resonated and caught my attention. Here is a quick rundown of the gold she covered:

"You are not a brand. You need to build a path with travelers in mind. Focus on the channels that matter with 3 distinct steps.

YOU alone are NOT the brand. Instead think of your brand as being comprised of three distinct components - how you look, what you say, and how you make people feel. When reviewing any brand objectively, you’ll want to consider if it’s cohesive, consistent, and credible?

It is easy to get lost in the rabbit hole of ideas around what you want to say without much account on what your prospects already know, or maybe more importantly, what they don’t know. This can lead to a brand presence that fails to resonate with your desired audience. Shift your mindset instead to focus on a path that would lead a prospect to search you out, or at minimum search out the service you offer.

Think of your ideal prospect who hasn’t yet heard about you but has a need and is getting ready to embark on a journey to find you. Put some character to it – where do they live and work, what is their family dynamic, net worth, interest and similar. And then, in the mindset of your ideal prospect persona, get to work assessing your online brand journey.

Information is free, accessible like never before, and for good or bad those that rank highest see the most traffic regardless of service, offerings, or quality. Think of it this way, what is the last thing you searched for on google. My last search was over the land mass of India in comparison to the US and China. With them tipping the scales for highest population, what can I say, the fam and I were curious. Back to you, when is the last time you scrolled down your google search to page 2 or 3? Rarely? Ever? The same is true for prospects looking for help that your business provides. 

Try this little experiment, google yourself then google your firm, what did you see? One step further, google what you are best at, tax planning, retirement strategies, helping families retire comfortably. Without your name or firm in the search bar how did you do?

While there are many ways a brand reaches a prospective client, the web is often the first step to brand engagement. Whether organically or by recommendation of a trusted referral, Google is how many prospective clients garner their first impressions of a financial advisory firm. It offers a quick, comprehensive insight into what a brand represents.

– Alana AdvisorPR"

If you weren’t stoked on what you found, Alana shared 3 distinct questions you need to ask yourself to get your online branding moving in the right direction:

"#1 Is it cohesive?

Look at your visual identity. Have you updated your logo in recent years? Do the colors, fonts, tagline and contact information all match? Cross over from the digital world to your in-person communications – is the image projected online match the one in the materials you share with your network? Is your headshot from this decade? To put forth a professional brand, you want to ensure that all access points to your brand are aligned.

#2 Is it consistent?

Can your ideal prospective client quickly identify WHO you work with and HOW you can best serve them? Do you drive the same “WHY YOU” points across all marketing communications? Clarity is the first step to building a memorable brand – clearly understand the specifics of who you serve, “trigger events” for when they should contact you, how you help them solve their challenge, what steps look like (processes and services) and WHY YOU. If you’re clear about what your brand represents and stick to your messages, your messages will stick. 

#3 Is it credible?

You may SAY you’re the best financial advisor to help a prospective client reach their financial goals, but is that believable? Do you show up as an authority to the outside world? Where do you demonstrate your knowledge in a way that allows people to get to know you as they consider moving forward with a first meeting? What have you done “lately” is key for building and maintaining authority and credibility. "

For a white paper on this topic, visit https://advisorpr.com/brandup/ To build your visibility and credibility through earned media opportunities, or for more information about AdvisorPR and to access additional resources, visit www.AdvisorPR.com, or contact AdvisorPR at Info@AdvisorPR.com or call 866-888-5333.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.