The financial services sector, and the banking industry, in particular, has seen plenty of scrutiny in recent years with regards to reputation and ethics related to its operating model. Many view the financial services sector as one entity and don’t differentiate banks from other financial services companies. This can be particularly tricky especially when the industry faces difficult times – putting its ethics and morals into question. That’s why branding plays such a vital role for financial services firms, and those with a strong brand identity will definitely stand out from the homogeneous crowd.
One quality that’s more vital to a firm’s branding strategy than any other is consistency. But why is that so? Consistency in branding is key as it makes companies easily recognisable by both prospects and customers. It helps customers identify a company’s products and services – actively seeking them out and even forming associations with them. A consistent brand identity needs to be embedded in the marketing strategy to ensure that the level of service and product quality delivers on the firm’s marketing promise.
However, ensuring brand consistency within financial services firms can be quite a challenging task, especially in the professional services sector where brands are often represented by partners, consultants or advisers. So, how can the marketing professionals of these firms ensure all relevant parties stick to the company’s brand policy? Here are six tips for financial services companies to ensure consistent brands.
1. Consistency enhances the brand
2. Make brand assets easily accessible
3. Regularly check all content for brand consistency
4. The marketing team is the biggest brand ambassador
5. Everyone is responsible for ensuring brand consistency
6. Control marketing materials that are produced by other departments in the company
(…)
