Branding is an integral part of modern-day marketing, but building a brand around a service company is not as straightforward as it is for a product company. Financial services companies are particularly challenging to market because it’s a business based primarily on trust. Plus, the financial market is saturated with cutting-edge startups, banks with centuries of experience, and other key players. How can you possibly stand out from the rest?
Investing in brand strategy services from a B2B marketing agency is a long-term approach that can help get an edge over competitors. While branding for financial services may not seem like a top priority, it’s critical that your brand reflects the quality of your services. If your financial services company is modern and professional, you will want your website, logo, and other visual elements to have these same positive connotations. To revitalize your brand, you must cultivate a B2B brand strategy that fosters trust, creates value, and maintains and grows your client base.
Here are three guiding principles for revamping your financial services branding strategy to stand out from the competition.
1. Identify How You Want to Be Perceived
A solid financial services branding strategy emerges from positive intentions. How do you plan to shape the lives of the clients you serve? The first step to getting your brand to where it needs to be is identifying the most substantial, distinct aspects of your value proposition that appeal to your target audience. Refine your mission and goals, and let them shine through your financial firm branding.
Money is a tricky subject and can be deeply emotional for some. It takes confidence to put your money into another financial institution, which is why branding for financial services must instill confidence in your target audience. Keep in mind that each client has unique business dynamics and concerns. When people read and view your marketing materials, they are forming opinions. For a successful B2B brand strategy, write to your audience as a fellow human being who is there to help and support their financial journey.
2. Build Trust through Transparency & Storytelling
There is often hesitancy around utilizing new financial services for several reasons, one of which is a lack of trust. To find success in the finance industry, you must establish one-to-one relationships and build confidence through brand strategy development. One way to do this is to be clear about data usage, pricing and plans, and other additional requirements throughout your brand messaging. Complete transparency helps you stand out from the crowd and show visitors that they can trust you.
Keyword optimization is a digital strategy for increasing website traffic; however, it doesn’t help connect with readers on a deeper level. Grab your audience’s attention through relevant, unique content and position your company as a thought leader. People will begin coming back to your website as a trusted source of information thanks to memorable branding and useful content. Keep your audience’s attention by adding value to their experience. Greet potential and existing clients with content that resonates with them and builds trust over time. This can be done through customer testimonials, success stories, or video case studies.
3. Ensure Branding is Consistent Across the Company
Often, stakeholders within companies will share outdated resources and off-brand content. This can easily contribute to appearing less than professional. Utilize your employees as brand ambassadors, ensuring every resource that goes from your hands to that of the clients shares the same font, logo, tone of voice, style, and colors. Consistent branding for financial services is the key to becoming recognizable!
Your financial firm branding must be universally accepted and applied by all internal and external stakeholders for optimal success and return on investment. Commit yourself and your team to enhancing your web presence and marketing materials with a refined B2B brand strategy, and prove the importance of brand in financial services.
Outshine the Others with an Effective B2B Brand Strategy
A successful financial services brand strategy is one that continuously reflects how your company looks, feels, and sounds in the marketplace. At Sagefrog, we are brand strategists at heart. Download our free resource, B2B Brand Identity Toolkit, to learn more about the importance of a B2B brand strategy and get started on branding that is creative, thoughtful, and client-driven.
