You’ve likely spent countless hours and put in significant work on your brand messaging.
Initially establishing your brand and revisiting it periodically is definitely time well spent.
Once you created your brand, however, what steps did you take to actually implement it? Be honest. Are you reinforcing your brand with intention and using every possible opportunity as a brand touchpoint?
Don’t make the preventable mistake many advisors do of creating a strong brand message and then neglecting to integrate it into their business properly.
Your Brand and Your Staff
It is important to understand that everything about you and your business should leverage and reinforce your brand. Every single time you interact with a client or a prospect is a brand touchpoint opportunity.
All your interactions should convey your brand and desired positioning.
Having said that, you and everyone on your staff should know your brand and what you represent. Does your staff know your mission statement and your vision statement? Can they clearly articulate your unique value proposition?
You and your staff should reflect your brand in everything you do, as well as in what you say. If your staff members are not properly equipped to be advocates of your brand, you need to train them.
Think about how much of your clients’ contact is with your staff and with your assistant. Upwards of eighty percent, if not more of client contact is likely with your staff. In other words, they have a very significant impact on your brand!
Everything from how they greet your clients and prospects when they walk in the door to how they answer the phone should convey your brand positioning.
Your Brand and Your Office
How is your office set up? Ask yourself this. Do you believe the setup of your office reflects your brand?
Chances are your office is the place that you spend the majority of time interacting with your clients and prospects face to face. Your office setup may also be your prospects’ very first impression of you.
The actual setup of your office is important and should tell your brand story from the minute someone steps in the front door.
Do you have items or pictures around your office that represent your core values, what you stand for and what makes you unique? Do you have conversational pieces around your office that reflect your hobbies and your history? What kind of décor and reading material do you have in your waiting room?
While these may seem like insignificant details, little things can make a big difference and may touch your clients and prospects in a profound way. These are all important aspects of reinforcing your brand and creating an emotional tie to your clients and prospects from the onset.
Your Brand and Your Communication
It’s no secret that all your communication with your clients and prospects should reinforce your brand.
Your communication with clients and prospects brings you a multitude of brand touchpoint opportunities. Everything from your outgoing voice message and leaving a voicemail are opportunities to reinforce your brand.
All your outgoing emails should state your value proposition in your auto signature. Your website, newsletters, blogs and social media are all prime opportunities to convey your brand and your promise to clients and prospects.
Your communication also includes your print material. What do your materials look like? How do your brochures and marketing literature look and feel? Do they convey your desired brand positioning?
Frequency of Brand Touchpoints
The more frequent your contact is with clients and prospects, the more they are reminded of your value. While touchpoints are necessary to properly integrate your brand, some advisors seek out unique touches to separate them from the competition.
For example, while most advisors send their clients birthday cards, some advisors seeking to touch their clients in a unique way send yearly anniversary cards on the date they became a client.
Sending individual notes or emails with an article about something you talked about in your last meeting is another unexpected touch. It could be about a trip they mentioned they are taking or an activity they just did with their grandchildren.
Hosting unique and memorable events is another way to touch multiple clients at once and reinforce your brand. Think about your client base and what topics are most important to them. Invite outside speakers to present.
A high-touch and a strong client-centric approach is one of the most effective ways to reinforce your brand, attract prospects and keep lifelong, loyal clients. Strong client relationships can work on their own as advertising for your business. Delighted clients will talk to their friends about their experiences with you and your staff and can build your brand or potentially break your brand simply through word of mouth.
Bottom Line
Be your brand and also be true to your brand. Clients won’t remain loyal or refer you if you don’t deliver on your brand promise.
Remember, be consistent and capitalize on every opportunity you have to reinforce your brand. Every touchpoint matters.
