Everyone in the Financial Industry says it, but never when anyone is listening : IFAs don't "get" branding*.
Oops, this is going to upset a few people!
Branding is commonly thought of as the look and feel of literature companies send out or their new jazzy website but it's waaaaay more than that. Branding is how you "feel" to a consumer, the emotions they feel when they see your logo and literature as well as much more. It's physical (like a logo and colour-scheme on a brochure) but also very much psychological (go me, remembering things from college!).
The industry is in a huge transitionary period (RDR) and there are many people out there to feed on the fear of this change. There's also a lot of cynics on the power of proper branding and marketing efforts. However, i do believe if IFAs embrace "branding" with their business, the migration will prove to be more profitable.
I am not a branding expert, i know enough to get by, but sometimes you need pro's to do the job. Enter Bond Branding.
I was lucky enough to meet the two chaps that make up Bond Branding on Friday last week. Dave and Vince are two passionate guys who know their stuff and are frustrated with the mis-conception of branding and small businesses. I proved their point whilst chatting over coffee. I mentioned, casually, that they must only deal with bigger companies where they can see more dramatic changes as a result of their efforts. Needless to say they proved that branding in small businesses (as well as larger ones) is equally, if not more, effective.
In an effort to dispell any misconceptions, they're putting their money where their mouth is and offering a free rebrand project, not just an audit.Wowzas!
Full details of this offer can be found here but i strongly encourage any small IFA firm to get in touch with Bond Branding, and see if they are lucky enough to be picked for this incredible give-away. I like the confidence that Bond Branding have, and i can't wait for their analysis of who-ever they work with.
* Of course, this is a wild sweeping statement, and some actually DO get branding.