Summary

Branding for Wealth Strategy and Planning Executives begins by defining why branding is an important element in your firm’s growth in the marketplace.  Following, the article discusses ways in which executives can implement basic communications techniques that will increase their firm’s presence and better define their businesses in clients’ minds.  This will aid in their decision process by you being a clearer choice for their planning and strategy needs. 

A case for branding in the first place

First of all, why would someone that does what you do worry about branding?  The reason why is because many potential clients are confused with options and are often overwhelmed. If you wish for them to seek your advice, rather than your competitors’, the process of differentiating what you bring to the table (i.e. branding) is important to include in your business growth strategy. 

Branding defined; your role

If we begin by defining, for the purposes of this discussion, that a brand is the impression your company makes on a customer, then it can be argued that you as a company leader often play a key role in forming a brand. With that said, if you occupy an executive position in your group, how can you represent the brand with understanding and skill?
As a “face/ leader/ figurehead of the organization,” what you say and how you act embodies the experience that your customers, investors, workers, and other audiences will digest and remember about your group. Meanwhile, if you’re lucky, your marketing department or creative agency will already have sorted out a set of key messages for you to deliver to these groups on a regular basis.  Otherwise, you’ll have a bit of work to do to decide what you want both your team and outside entities such as customers, potential hires, and media sources to feel about your group — the essence of any brand.

Decisions to get you started

Do you want them to perceive your group as studious and smart, or appropriate for the .com millionaires and oh-so-hip? These are key marketing decisions to make, depending on whom you wish to attract as your client base. Once these are determined — and hopefully they’re different from those of your competitors — you’re ready to begin by using a few of the techniques suggested below. 

Here are a few things to try, so you can communicate how you are different from other estate planning entities clearly:

• Say the same thing differently. Eventually it will sink in. For example, start with an email signature tag, then an announcement, and yet again a quarterly update. For example, if you want your prospects to know that you specialize in high net worth families, then you might consider adding a line or two about a recent article or workshop geared towards these audiences multiple times in multiple places.
   
• Use the usual, but add key messages. When doing your usual staff announcements, client updates or PowerPoints, challenge yourself to include as many of your company messages within them in a fresh, interesting way. After some learning about what a key message is in the first place, your company may decide that you want to first speak about the efficiency of your staff, but secondly feature information about the depth of knowledge regarding will preparation. Therefore, when hosting a luncheon for your staff, you may talk briefly about how their recent increase in efficiency is something that you are proud of and illicit how to share this accomplishment with important clients and friends of your business.
  
  
• Train your departments the importance of consistency and clarity. Fine-tune how they describe the successes and attributes you want others to know about in clear, consistent, memorable ways. For example, does one group define “a great customer experience” as not having to wait in line, while another defines it as super-low prices? It is time to clear up the internal confusion.
  
  
• Use your own words and encourage others to do the same. Your message will never be genuine or real if you do not. While one person may describe something as “…what is really wonderful about our…” — the next person may say “…we are proud to announce our success with…,” which still conveys a positive, but more personal, position.
  
  
• Appreciate the power of your receptionist. As the front line for most new prospects or even first-time visitors to your firm, this position requires special care and training to foster clear, convincing conversations with others, or at a minimum to address questions with skill.