Financial services companies: Stepping up your PR game

4 ways you can build your brand and attract new customers

Money is a sensitive but critical topic to most people. In order to build strong brands, businesses in the financial services industry must earn trust from their prospective customers. Below are four ways financial services companies can establish trusting relationships with their target audience and grow their businesses.

1. Get your name out there.

When you’re serving regionally or locally, how do you break through the noise put out by huge national financial companies and let people know they have a trusting, local partner right in their backyard? Enacting a public relations strategy is powerful way to begin.

Consumers don’t take out mortgages or go into retirement planning blindly. They read up on the latest industry news and equip themselves with information. Position yourself as an industry expert by having company executives contribute to articles or TV segments. And when the time comes for consumers to commit to their financial planning, guess whom they’ll remember?

Establish goodwill in the community.

There is a plethora of opportunities to donate your time and/or resources. Take time to consider the various ways your company can show goodwill and support organizations with missions that align with your company’s ethos. It must be something your company’s leadership genuinely wants to support, and support must go beyond a check in the mail. Be at the event. Show up with a donation in hand. Gather your staff to perform a day of service. Remember, volunteering gives you an opportunity to connect with others in the community and shows your company is a strong community partner and good corporate citizen.

Know how you stack up.

Nothing stings like a bad review. And, as mentioned, money is a sensitive topic, so bad reviews can certainly negatively affect your business. Discover how you stack up online. Just because your first Google search shows that your reviews are fine doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. There are hundreds of review sites out there, so don’t miss a single one. Once you have an understanding of where you stand, devise a plan to improve your ratings.

Develop an awards strategy.

Awards don’t just fall on the doorsteps of companies. Savvy businesses establish awards programs to earn the awards and recognitions that help improve their reputations. The first step you should take is to identify what strengths you want to communicate to your target audience and prioritize from there. Once the awards start rolling in, your company will suddenly have more clout – and additional PR and marketing fodder that can be used in a variety of promotions.

Now you have some great ideas, but who does all of this work? The PR experts at Axia Public Relations have proven success with several clients in the financial services industry. Get in touch with us to discuss how we can help you prepare for success.

Julie Miller is a marketing and communications professional, working for more than seven years in the industry. She primarily works in the technology and education sectors and specializes in digital marketing and communications. Julie has worked with Axia since November 2015. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.