Invest in Your Investment Firm Branding
Generate marketing returns and find new clients by investing in your brand

Think of your brand in similar terms as a portfolio company in a venture capital or private equity fund. Through critical investment and capital, you provide it with the resources needed to grow into its full potential and create the returns you are seeking. The same goes for your brand. Invest in your digital branding, online marketing, web presence and sales and marketing materials, and you will ultimately find appreciating reward in more business, new clients, and better opportunities.

Deploying capital is only part of the equation. Just like when you invest in companies, it has to be done with purpose and vision. This article covers some of the basics, to ensure your get a solid return on your financial industry marketing and branding investment.

Invest In Your Firm Platform

Your platform: the essence of who you are, what you stand for and why a potential partner should choose you. This core message should be apparent from the very start of the user journey. This is your investment firm’s tagline, a value proposition in about five words or less. Nailing this will give your audience a simple, yet extremely effective view of what you firm is all about. It should be catchy, yet informative, providing a memorable and succinct rhythm that stays with the reader as they go on with their day. The right platform just like a great song and will have them coming back for more.

Even as an investment firm, you should make sure your platform demonstrates both a functional and emotional focus, allowing people to see two sides of the firm. This is especially important in light of recent global events, where firm purpose and perspective is becoming more and more critical to overall market presence. If you can instill trust and authenticity early, you are already on the right path.

This is an area where many financial partners such as wealth and asset managers struggle, but if you can build a platform that truly resonates, the payoff can be powerful.

Generate some of the greatest returns for your brand by investing in it.

Find High Margin Audiences

When it comes to audiences in the investment marketing space, it’s really about fine-tuning your ideal client profile. Many investment-related firms are looking for quality over quantity, where finding the right, focused target outweighs casting a wide or retail net. This is where targeted marketing enters the equation.

In order to attract the right audience, it’s important to identify the right demographics and audience targets, and then position your brand to speak directly to that audience. Investing in critical digital tools like sophisticated SEO strategies and tailored content can not only help set your firm up to be discovered easily and effortlessly but can also increase brand authority in the process. Good search results are the holy grail in terms of a web presence, and quality content like financial and investment-related white papers will offer several benefits, not the least of which is a reputation as an industry thought leader.

With greater visibility and the right content served to the right audience, you can be positioned to move upstream and create a steady flow of valuable eyes viewing your brand.

Invest in UX

In a world where ingenuity and innovation are important traits no matter what industry you are in, a brand must invest in their ability to display an original, interesting and impactful presence in the digital space.

By incorporating features such as cutting-edge UX design, you are effectively showcasing your ability to utilize the latest technology to create that ever-so-critical experience that every company is attempting to give their audience. This positions you as a leader and visionary, which will only serve to help attract audiences willing to follow. This tenet is absolutely true when it comes to building top investment websites—even with asset management websites targeting institutional investors.

To capitalize on UX, consider site features like CSS animation, which can provide an engaging journey while showcasing important firm value drivers in bold ways beyond bullet points. Captivating imagery and video that supplements the navigation through your site will add personality while offering an emotional touch to the technological prowess on display. Round out the journey with a responsive site that works seamlessly across devices and you will never lose your ability to find and engage an audience no matter where they are.

Personify Your Purpose

As previously stated, purpose is now absolutely vital in developing your investment brand value proposition. While creating strong returns for your partners is obviously a top priority, audiences now want those they work with to go further than the financial. This all starts from the bottom-up — what your employees believe in and what your brand represents. Investing in the time needed to create a firm purpose can be invaluable in the long-run.

Through a strong brand identity, you can boost your value by gaining the ability to depict yourself as a purpose-driven leader. A compelling mission and story are what will allow you to truly personify your brand, and once the audiences see you as a relatable entity, connection becomes so much easier to create.

Even with financial and investment brands, you need to build your narrative and effectively tell your story.

Contact MBC Strategic to see how your investment firm can benefit from our investment industry expertise and extensive marketing experience in today’s changing digital environment.