What sets you apart, what do you offer that is different?

Professional service firms blend in with similar firms in their marketplace. Why should the prospective client engage you?

Identifying differences in what you offer or how you deliver your services differentiates you from your competition. Being ‘professional’, ‘caring about your client’, ‘high standards’ and ‘expert advice’ should be the ‘norm’, those words do not help you stand out. Visualising your differences, positioning and clear messaging are all elements that build a memorable and recognisable brand for all your marketing. Branding adds personality, purpose and perception.

What do you want to be known for?

Brand design deliberately changes the way a firm is judged.  Successful branding communicates your expertise and your values, inspiring trust and credibility so clients believe in the you value offer. They can see the benefits of choosing your firm. Branding is not only visual identity, but the experience your clients have when working with you. How they remember being treated may not be the same as you expect. Experience is based on emotion rather than logic in many cases. Your brand includes everything you do, everything they see, every experience the client has to do with you and your firm, before, during and after! It’s what they take away and what they say about you that matters.

What will a new brand deliver?

Working with you I will create a visual identification that your clients immediately recognise and associate with your firm. However, just creating a logo for your firm is not going to make much difference unless it is part of a cohesive branding across all your media. Consistency is the key. All your resources and assets from business cards to stationery, brochures and advertising must appear in the right colour scheme, using the same family of fonts and imagery. Your messaging must be clear and concise in the right tone of voice, communicating clearly with no industry jargon. A new brand or refresh will breathe life and energy into your business. Strengthen your profile and create an identity you will be proud of.

Compliance doesn’t have to be boring

An essential element of your branding is based on differentiation, showing personality should not be dismissed for professional service firms. The stuffy, regimented, regulated, professional, boring image of the accountant is outdated. Accountants save money – money pays for holidays, luxuries and a better lifestyle, what is boring in that?  I don’t suggest any flippancy as reputation and the right image must be conveyed but people buy people, and are often intimidated by the financial sectors. Most financial service firms obtain new clients by word of mouth and referrals from existing clients. Friendly, personable firms who are more welcoming and transparent will win every time. New clients choose you to help them with services they can’t do themselves, but confusing them with endless mystifying small print does not create a good customer experience. I will help you clarify important information like compliance and legal regulations so your clients can easily understand your processes and your requirements.

Branding is important to prospective clients as it offers a guaranteed reputation and establishes a relationship between your firm and your clients. Good branding will set you apart from others in your market place, so you are instantly recognised.

Your Brand promise and Brand story

Your brand promise is just that – You are declaring a guarantee to the client that you do what you say you do. It guarantees the quality of service you offer, your values and what your clients can expect of you. Your brand story is your motivation for doing what you do. Why you do it and what you do but also what it means to you.  While your brand promise generates trust the brand story engages the client on an emotional level. Both these elements make up a fundamental part of your brand image that attracts more of your ideal clients and builds on the good work you do.

Brand Guidelines

At the hub of your ‘Branding Wheel’ is your logo, where ever it appears it must be consistent in size ratio and colour.  The key to maximising your branding’s strength and impact is consistency. How you use the colours, fonts and images across your media, your messaging and your words all build the brand. Everything you produce or that your customer comes into contact with, must reinforce a consistent brand story about your business and values. To help monitor and control how the brand assets appear throughout your practice I will create a set of guidelines so you can consistently replicate and enhance your brand image across everything your firm does. Managing that consistency can be a big job but your clear brand guidelines will make it much easier when updating existing material or creating new campaigns.

Branding is more than a logo