Defining your brand

“Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business”. - Steve Forbes

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What is a brand?

The distinctive features and personality of a person, product, or company, that are unique from others and leave a lasting impression.​

A brand sets you apart from other advisors. It’s the combination of tangible and intangible elements that differentiate you, and let prospects know what to expect from you.

Components of a brand

  • Your purpose: The reasons why you do what you do, including your vision, mission, and value proposition.
  • Brand story: Your answer to the question, “what do you do”?
  • Visual identity: The look and feel of your marketing material.

Benefits of defining your brand

  • Set yourself apart: Defining a brand is like building a reputation. It highlights to prospects why you’re unique and what you stand for.
  • Attract ideal clients: Communicating your purpose helps clients easily identify if you’re someone they’d like to work with.
  • Increase marketing effectiveness: Having a central theme and message to your communications helps people understand, recognise, and remember you.
  • Create loyalty and trust: Stating what you’re all about acts as a promise to prospects and clients. Staying consistent in the way you present yourself and serve clients builds commitment. 

Defining your brand is an important exercise for all advisors. Often, hiring a professional marketing agency can be the most effective way to create brand. Consider full service agencies who can help you define your purpose, create a visual identity, and help you implement it into your practice. 

When someone asks you, “What do you do?”, how do you respond?

“What do you do” is a common question to ask someone that you’re meeting for the first time. For advisors, it also represents a key opportunity. It’s the opportunity to explain your value directly to a potential client. Too often, advisors waste this chance. Sometimes, people make their answers to long or complicated. Other times, they’re caught off guard and only give their title.

A powerful way to grab someone’s attention and interest is to structure your answer like a story. Story telling is like using a metaphor. It helps illustrate to prospects the role you could play in their lives.

Use this foolproof formula to craft your own answer to the question, “what do you do?”. 

  1. Identify your ideal client’s problem
  2. State your plan to help them
  3. Describe the successful ending

Sample brand story

Many parents worry about what would happen to their children if they could no longer provide for them. I use a combination of insurance and investment strategies to create airtight financial plans. My clients live in the present and enjoy every moment with their families, rather than worrying about the future.

Use the Brand story worksheet to start crafting your own.

Communicate your purpose with the My purpose workbook.

Write your brand story using the 10-Second brand story worksheet.

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