Pheromones for Financial Advisors: What is Your Personal Brand?

October 23, 2012

Branding is best left to the realms of ad men, mad men, and creative directors, right?   Think again. If you can’t articulate exactly who your ideal client is and precisely why you’re the best financial advisor they could ever hope to find, then you’re decidedly average…at best.  And, no one ever lines up at the doors of average advisors looking for average investment advice.

We’re not offering average tips on branding either.

We’re talking about developing animal magnetism as a financial advisor.  We’re talking about developing the kind of presence, mojo and infectious energy that draws the highly affluent and niche-specific investor to you like a moth to a flame.  Carving out a position in today’s competitive market requires a ferocious appetite for clarity and authenticity.  You can’t pretend to be the expert at everything. But you can be a focused practitioner who is uniquely positioned to serve a well-defined market.   Here’s how:

Think Inside the Box:  Develop an Ideal Client Profile

Put the numbers and the assets aside for a moment and think about who your ideal client is as a person.  What kind of life experiences have they had? What do they believe?  What are their values?  What do they need right now?  What will they need in the future? Understand the story behind your ideal client, and you’ll understand what services and benefits resonate with them today and in the future.

Define Your Brand Personality

Brand personality affects every aspect of your business, its operations, and its internal & external communications.   An effective brand personality has traits to which your client can relate.  It is consistent over time, across all forms of communication and throughout all services offered.  Go existential for a moment.  If your brand was a person…how would they behave? What would they say?  Now make a list.  What specific attributes does your brand have? What activities do you perform for your clients that no other advisor does?  How do you communicate with them?  What tone do you use?  What imagery comes to mind?

Fill in the Blanks:  Your Personal Branding Equation

This is where your brand promise comes together.  If you have developed meaningful content for the first two steps above, solving this equation should be a natural extension of your work:

For [TARGET AUDIENCE],   [BRAND NAME] is the only financial advisor that delivers [BENEFIT], because only [BRAND NAME] is [REASON TO BELIEVE].

Or, more simply….

[BRAND NAME] is the only financial advisor that [DOES WHAT?].

Branding isn’t easy. And you might not solve your equation on the first try.   But, you’re not that far away from a crystal-clear and highly relevant brand promise.  Elite advisors make an intentional choice to be different than every other average advisor.  Be relentlessly focused on who you serve and why you’re the best fit. Be authentic.  And be ready to give your prospective investor a reason to believe.

IncBlot is a consultancy that specializes in applying the field of psychology specifically to the world of financial services. Please be in touch if we can assist with your training, speaking and consulting needs around behavioral finance or personal branding.

 

 

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