Did you know that having a personal brand isn’t just a marketing pipedream for advisors anymore? Now more than ever, it’s necessary to achieve your loftiest growth goals. Why? Because nearly three-quarters of Americans (74%) are more likely to trust someone if they have an established personal brand.1  

A successful personal brand helps your firm by:

• Enabling prospects to self-identify as a good match
• Instilling trust
• Creating a positive (and memorable!) impression
• Differentiating you from your competitors

Let’s take a look at why establishing a solid personal brand is important and how your firm can get started on the right path in building your brand in an effective and growth-focused manner.

Your Old Differentiators Aren’t Working Anymore

In the past, it may have been enough to say you’re a fiduciary working in your client’s best interests. Or, you could rely on certain certifications and designations to distinguish yourself from the competition.

But the advisory landscape is growing rapidly, and that means you must adapt how you market yourself to potential clients in order to stay relevant and stand out from the crowd. To do this, consider establishing a personal brand that communicates your unique value proposition (UVP) to clients and prospects.

I’ve said before that your success is in your story. Your personal brand is more than your firm’s logo, colors, and slogan. It’s your story, your vision, your philosophy, and what you stand for. Clients want to work with someone who can communicate their brand and unique value most effectively and, more specifically, someone whose values reflect their own. 

How to Develop Your Personal Brand as a Financial Advisor

In today’s technology-driven day and age, people can find financial advice from anywhere. So why do investors choose to come to you, specifically, over all other choices? It’s because they’re sold on you as a person first and foremost, and they believe the financial guidance will follow. 

Tip #1: Keep It Simple

When establishing a personal brand that’s recognizable and well-received, your messaging needs to resonate with everyday investors—better yet, it needs to speak directly to your target audience.

Don’t load up on heavy jargon or try to flaunt your financial knowledge in your marketing and client communications. Keep your messaging and content educational, straightforward, and transparent—remember, address your client’s concerns while positioning yourself as the “hero” or solution.

While you may think in terms of risk tolerance and asset allocation, your prospects are thinking in terms of goals and roadblocks—they want to achieve X, and right now Y and Z are standing in their way. What can your messaging say to convey that you are the person to help them conquer these concerns?

Tip #2: Be Communicative (Even Better, Be Overly Communicative)

It’s not enough to put yourself out there through your marketing efforts, content, phone calls, and prospect meetings—you need to be engaging in conversations with clients and prospects that are meaningful and memorable, whether it’s online, over the phone, or in an email. 

For example, create a process for following up with a lead or prospect after every touchpoint—so you become known for your attentiveness and commitment to communication. People want to see you being proactive, trustworthy, and committed to following through on what you say you’ll do. Over time, your reputation for doing so will become synonymous with your personal branding. 

Tip #3: Make Your Presence Known

You will never be able to create a successful personal brand unless you control the narrative—and that means putting yourself in front of your target audience online and in person. Some advisors prefer to stay in the shadows, operating behind the scenes and relying on their current clients and circle of influence to provide referrals. While this may work up to a point, it’s not an effective strategy for busting through growth plateaus or building a personal brand.

Your personal brand should shine through on your website, social media profiles, email newsletter, guest articles, interviews, mailers—and anywhere else a potential or current client may see you. Cohesion and repetition across multiple channels will help solidify your branding and convey a unified message.

Tip #4: Figure Out What’s Working (And What’s Not Working)

You’re likely going to go through many iterations of what your personal brand looks like—and that’s okay, in fact, it’s to be expected. Like anything else relating to your firm goals and aspirations, it’s important to regularly reflect on your progress and adjust as necessary if you’re not quite hitting the mark.

To evaluate your progress, you may want to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to important metrics like client satisfaction and AUM growth. You could also ask your clients, team members, marketing professionals, or colleagues for feedback on your personal branding and marketing collateral. They may be able to provide insights into how your messaging is being perceived.

Ready to Build Your Personal Brand?

As the advisory landscape continues to evolve, it’ll become increasingly important for you to identify what your personal brand is and share it with the world. For some, this may mean rethinking your current marketing strategy—or it could require a bigger commitment to revamping your processes and positioning.

If you’ve been thinking about joining my Elite Advisor Program, you’ll want to hear this: I give all my students the scripts, systems, and setup you need to develop and enhance your personal brand, no matter what your current level of success looks like.

Learn more about our Elite Advisor Program today.

Sources:

1https://brandbuildersgroup.com/trends/