By Paula Pulvino

Did you know that as of 2021, there are over 200,000 personal financial advisors in the United States alone? With so many faces in the crowd, it can be difficult to set yourself apart. 

That’s where a personal brand comes in. 

Many people assume that a personal brand is simply “you” – but that’s not actually the case. 

A personal brand is a carefully curated version of yourself. It’s the ideas and actions that you’ve specifically chosen to reveal in order to better connect with your audience. It’s an overall message that tells clients what you bring to the table, and even more importantly, why. 

The best personal brands invite the audience to an “inner circle” of sorts – they make you feel like you know a person you may have never even met. Once your audience can relate to you, they’re more likely to want to work with you professionally. 

4 Ways to Level Up Your Personal Brand

Let’s dive into four steps you can take to develop and successfully articulate your personal brand as a financial professional. 

1. Be Authentic

The foundation of a strong personal brand is authenticity. There may be many traits you admire or aspire to be like, but if they aren’t genuine reflections of you, your clients and prospects will pick up on that inconsistency. We can all taste the difference between off-brand mac ‘n cheese and the real deal, can’t we?

Think about the things that make you unique as both a persona and a professional: Do you have an affinity for the outdoors? Are you a five-star chef in the kitchen? Maybe you have a background in the military or another prior career that influences your decisions as an advisor. How do these characteristics and interests shape your professional interests?

It’s important to decide who you are and what you stand for before crafting your personal brand. You want your audience to understand what topics and issues are important to you.

2. Align with your target market

Now that you have an idea of your authentic self, it’s time to carry that authenticity through to your target market. You can communicate your personal brand to your ideal audience through common interests, ideas, beliefs or ways of thinking. 

Brainstorm ways to communicate your core values to clients and prospects by putting yourself in their shoes – if you visited your website for the first time, what would you think of it? You can even go so far as to ask your own clients how they feel about your different marketing efforts – is that welcome pamphlet hitting home or missing the mark? 

A genuine and honest approach will resonate with your clients and draw new prospects to your firm organically. 

3. Make your messaging clear

Once you outline the basics of your personal brand, you’ll need to decide how to get the message out there. 

If you’re an advisor who loves to ski, is interested in helping retired couples with financial security and who also volunteers to help kids learn how to read – how can you communicate that through your marketing? 

Maybe it’s the images you feature on your blog, or the details you include in a personal note at the top of your monthly newsletter. You could even create client events or charitable contributions centered around these interests. 

While your messaging doesn’t always need to be centered around these topics, regularly reminding your audience of your core identity  will help reinforce your personal brand to an external audience.

(Looking for more tips on creating personalized marketing content? We’ve got you covered).

4. Be visible to your target audience

Now that you’ve got your personal brand and your messaging down, you need to keep yourself in front of your target audience and engage with them. You want to remind them of who you are and what you do, and repetition and reinforcement are the best ways to do that. In short, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

In terms of media, you can publish blog posts, submit thought leadership articles to highlight your expertise in your chosen topics, or post to social media to reach a wider audience.

Your personal brand is your opportunity to stand out and make a lasting impression on prospects, so it’s worth your time to craft genuine, unique content based on your authentic self.

Perk Up Your Personal Brand with Holistiplan

Want to learn more about how Holistiplan’s tax-planning software can add to your value prop and round out your personal brand? Click here to connect with a team member for a demo or start a free trial of Holistiplan today.