Strategies to Get Your Investment Banking Brand to Stand-Out Online

The investment banking sector is known for confidence, pace and precision. To stand out in this highly competitive space, firms must keep up with the evolving standards of online audiences, while also conveying a strong, dynamic and authentic brand. In doing so the potential benefit for firms is twofold: grow your client base and maintain momentum as an industry player.

Key to this investment banking branding and website design process is prioritizing and streamlining the user journey with your content architecture. To attract new audiences, investment banking firms must take the time to research and understand those customers and evaluate how to position themselves, their specific history and expertise in a way that will help engage their audiences.

Unsurprisingly in an ever-expanding digital world, the insights uncovered in this process often point to a need for a brand refresh, particularly in the form of an intuitive, client-facing website that clearly directs a potential client towards their relevant industry and highlighted transactions, as well as marketing materials that drive these core offerings home while demonstrating clean & modern design philosophy.

Further, focusing on your investment bank brand image and developing values-driven brand storytelling that matches your firm characteristics is essential. Showcasing this with an attractive, engaging website that also speaks from your brand perspective is critical for your investment bank to stand-out.

Here are some tips to make that happen.

TIP 1: INTUITIVE WEBSITE

Clients are looking for firms that know what they want from the start—with a process that is streamlined and helpful throughout. Intuitive websites provide a user experience that offers information and functionality in the right place, at the right time. For example, firm or service descriptions should include contextual details or links that support the user journey. Sections about your firm culture are opportunities to have design features like collapsible text showcasing the primary value drivers, or strategically placed calls-to-action (CTAs) that act as navigation tools to connect assertions with follow-through content, like an “About the Firm” type page.

Thoughtfully designed web functionality moves users through your site seamlessly, giving them a full picture of how you can help, ultimately increasing the probability of contact. Used effectively, intuitive websites can deliver a powerful return on investment. Building your digital identity through a thoughtful, user-friendly approach lends credibility to your business and can drastically increase the efficiency of your marketing process.

TIP 2: CLEAN DESIGN, STRONG IDENTITY

In an industry defined by strength, with a need to filter the noise to get deals done, a firm needs a web presence that owns its identity and strikes to the heart of its value proposition. Even the most intuitive sites can fail by overloading with visual information or lacking compelling character identity. A clean design and a strong identity package will enhance your brand, while the right message, and aesthetically clean marketing materials will create interest and drive new business and customer loyalty. This is critical for investing banking in particular, where discerning clients are looking for key information right away. In their mind, a complicated brand presence could also mean a complicated deal process.

Getting to that point of brand strength requires firms to have a clear understanding of their key value drivers and room to create a visually and psychologically appealing digital canvas. With the investment banks we work with, one of our first steps in the identification process is to engage in extensive due diligence, including stakeholder interviews, firm messaging brainstorming and competitive research.

TIP 3: CSS ANIMATION ELEMENTS

Dynamic, fast-moving firms require an equally dynamic digital presence. Interactivity and motion in the form of CSS animation can raise your site to the next level of engagement. Most financial services sites still rely on static pages with pre-loaded text, but this is no longer compelling as we continue to shift into digital-first environments.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allows for the animation of HTML elements on your site, enabling one element to change to another in real-time. This is an essential tool for engaging and attracting visors, adding valuable interaction as well as enhancing that critical first experience. By using CSS animations, your site will amplify UX, add visual interest to basic information, and offer further dimension and meaning around key services

One CSS standout for us was our brand refresh for a Los Angeles-based investment bank. Growing and prolific, the firm needed a site to match. An active firm in a fast-paced industry requires a site that speaks to these characteristics. Creating a sense of movement and unique perspective through videos and visuals allows for differentiation.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

By incorporating these critical investment bank branding and design elements within your site and across marketing materials, you will provide your audience with an exceptional user journey, allowing your firm to stand out in a way that not only engages current clients, but also attracts new ones.

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