Imagine a business where the pool of the most highly valued customers has shrunk, even as the number of companies serving that market has grown. It sounds like a recipe for lower margins, higher marketing costs and an eventual industry shake out.

This scenario describes the investment advisory business. Consider that the number of American households with more than $500,000 in investable assets has decreased by more than 1 million since 2007, while the number of registered investment advisors (RIAs) has increased by nearly 20 percent since 2012.

What is a Brand?

Ask most Americans their definition of a brand and they might point to a company’s logo (e.g., McDonald’s yellow arches or the Nike swoosh) or a tagline—“Think Different” (Apple) or “A Diamond is Forever” (DeBeers).

A brand, however, is much more than a logo or tagline, or even a product or personality. It’s something far more complex. A brand articulates a promise; it’s how consumers perceive a company and the products or services it offers. It communicates to the public what makes a company special and what they can expect from it.

In this white paper, “Branding Your Financial Advisory Practice“, we discuss what a brand is (and is not), why branding is important and how advisors can create a meaningful brand in their communities.

Download the Full White Paper here.

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