Building Your Personal Brand as an Independent Advisor

You’ve probably heard it before—having a “personal brand” is more important now than ever. But what exactly is a personal brand and how can you actively cultivate your own?

The good news is? It isn’t as hard as you may think. It does, however, take time and concentrated effort. So, today we’d like to make it a little easier and share with you our top tips for building your personal brand as an IAR.

1. Define Your Why—Then Tell Everyone – The adage, “People buy from people” is more than just marketing speak. Your audience wants to know who you are and why you are passionate about what you do. Tell prospects how you got your start in the field, or your favorite types of problems to help solve for people just like them. 

Take it a step further by speaking to the principles that make you, you. Whether that’s the importance of giving back—encouraging benevolence through community involvement—or starting a conversation on moral or faith related investment screening such as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) or Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI). 

2. Get Social – There’s no denying that social media is a great way to build brand awareness and connect with both current and future clients. The key to great engagement on social media is creating content that resonates with your audience and posting regularly.

Don’t know where to start? We have 3 easy tips to keep clients engaged on social media: 

Be Consistent – Post regularly and high-quality content. Do not go months without posting and expect to see results. Social media is an amazing tool for brand awareness and good campaigns have enough frequency to keep you (and your brand) top of mind.

Be Informative – This goes back to posting high-quality content that serves your clients. For example, you could spend time explaining recent headlines that could be misunderstood by the average person. Showing your ability to take complex concepts and turn them into simple messages is a great way to help prospects feel comfortable with you.

Be Engaging – Position your posts in a way that encourages conversation. Ask for opinions on trending topics to get your community buzzing and help frame your expertise. A quick conversation starter you can post today is “What was the most memorable day when you think about your portfolio? How did you feel?”

💡Pro Tip: Post it on your Instagram story using the Question Box feature to share responses with all of your followers.

3. Riches in Niches – This is another adage that certainly goes beyond its meaning. Segmenting your marketing to niche audiences allows you to get personal with prospects. Maybe you already are serving specific niches—such as DINK’s (Dual Income, No Kids), HENRY’s (High Earner, Not Yet Rich) or Women in Transition (women who are divorced or widowed). Or, perhaps you have several clients in a specific industry such as healthcare or academia. Be intentional in marketing to these niche audiences in a way that serves them and offers solutions to their pain points.

4. Highlight Your Successes – At the end of the day, prospects need to trust you and value your expertise. Spend some time highlighting key data points about your firm that shine some light on your business. Leverage these data points in email marketing campaigns, social media posts or even printed infographics. Here are some metrics you might consider using:

Average Client Tenure – This could help articulate a loyal client base to new prospects. Afterall, who wants to work with an Advisor with high turnover? 

Multi-Generational Clients – Do you serve a high number of multi-generational families? Articulating this could help communicate the level of trust that your clients have with you.

Average Client Interactions – Do you manage a “high-touch” firm? Prospects that are displeased with never hearing from their Advisor may be drawn to your focus on service.

We hope this post helps you on your journey to building your personal brand. Have a question or want to know more? Drop us a line at recruiting@atlantiswealthadvisors.com