A Guide to Financial Services PR

When we read stories or hear reports about a company’s overall success, we don’t automatically consider that organization’s financial services and public relations support, but we should – without that kind of assistance, that business likely wouldn’t be as successful.

Think of the financial services industry as a large umbrella that covers several types of business, including money management, banking, and insurance corporations. Finance PR serves to help corporations build their business’s reputation when it comes to finances; one example of that would be showcasing a company’s performance to encourage new investors, which helps reach the ultimate goal: improving that business’s brand awareness/reputation and expanding its audience and customer base.

Financial services organizations also need the same kind of PR support as the companies they serve. Of course, the giant behemoths in the industry have large funds at their disposal to spend on maintaining a high profile for their brands. Too often, however, small- to-midsized companies in the financial services industry don’t take full advantage of all the benefits a solid tech public relations strategy can offer. This guide will provide information that will help raise awareness of your brand and increase your client base.

Ways to Incorporate Financial PR IntoYour Company’s Overall Branding Strategy

1. Reach out to customers or clients via Social Media. A good axiom to follow in business is, “Go to wherever your customers are.” Thanks to the internet, which is easier than ever. Interact with your followers/likers, and when you have financial news to share…tell them via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and whatever other accounts are linked to your business.
2. Storytelling is key to messaging. The task of companies that operate in the financial services industry – and businesses in all industries, really – is to develop messaging that lets your audience know as much as possible about your brand. Developing a content calendar to keep track of the messaging will help your PR remain focused and consistent. The larger effort should go into a strong media relations strategy…here is where your storytelling can really pay off. Identifying the most solid, compelling stories about your business will provide your PR team with a wealth of opportunities in which to pitch stories to journalists who cover the financial services industry. Always remember that your stories are most interesting to a journalist when they have a psychological or emotional angle.
3. Give your website and content a refresh. More than ever, making a good impression digitally is key to keeping your audience engaged and interested. It’s not just the colors you choose for your website…it’s the details and functionality of the interface: the ease of navigation and the latest design, the current industry terminology within the copy, the information and details about your financial services, and the industries you serve, informative content (which should continually be updated so that the information you are sharing is in lock-step with the current legal and regulatory aspects), and so forth. Find new images that match the verbiage, and make sure your web developers build a robust mobile version of your website that compliments and closely mirrors the main site’s design and content.
   
   Once you have made the necessary updates to the front end of the website…
4. Update your website’s SEO. The behemoths referred to above have the budgets that can take up most of the page one real estate in a typical search engine query. If your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t updated after your website refresh, it will probably lower your site’s algorithm ranking on Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines, making it harder for your potential customers and clients to find you in an organic search. Make sure you have a PR team that can identify and optimize the right words from the back end, to increase the organic traffic to your website.
5. Publicly promote your C-Level leaders. Your financial services PR allows you the opportunity to shine a spotlight on your company’s C-Level and executive team, positioning them as thought leaders in your industry. Allowing your business’ leadership team to write blogs (or having blogs ghostwritten on their behalf) is a great way to raise your brand’s profile…but your website isn’t the only place this can be accomplished. Effective financial PR teams will also launch podcasts, webinar series, and industry speaking engagements to show your audience that your company is “in the know” and on top of the latest financial service trends. You can also offer your leaders to journalists who cover the financial services industry as experts who can go on the record in stories. Financial advisors should also be promoted, if possible, via their own company-related social media accounts that offer information about how long they have been in the industry, their educational background, and other accomplishments that make them professionally appealing. Having them share your company’s blog posts, news, and any other relevant information can further spread your brand.
6. Work closely with your company’s marketing department. Consistency matters, especially when it comes to presenting your company as a unified business organ. Financial services PR pros should always work with the organization’s marketing team, so that both communications arms of your business are saying the same thing. Collaboration between PR and marketing teams will further amplify your financial services brand in email campaigns, sales collateral, advertising and advertorials, and all other marketing activities.
7. Develop case studies, financial reports, and annual reports. Financial services organizations offer their customers and clients ways to speak directly to their stakeholders, investors, and shareholders by way of financial prospectuses, quarterly and annual reports, hosted conference calls, and Virtual Annual Meetings…so, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Financial Services PR professionals can help do the same for their own institution, as well, crafting messaging that shows your company in a favorable light to potential stakeholders, angel investors, and customers or clients.
8. Take your financial services company public. When you are ready to consider an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on behalf of your financial services company, the B2B public relations strategies practically create themselves…and the attention your brand can garner from an IPO has the potential to be an enormous advantage to your bottom line. Yes, there is a lot of work involved in the preparation phase of the IPO process, but when you have all the right ingredients in place after your brand has been built up publicly, the benefits will far outweigh the hard work.

One more tip: We would be remiss if we didn’t remind you that sharing information and news about your financial business via press release distribution services is an excellent tool for raising brand awareness among your target audiences.

ACCESSWIRE’s distribution platform is easy to use, and our network of journalists and media outlets will help get your stories into the right hands. Click here to schedule a complimentary demo of our platform and learn more about our flat-fee pricing and wide network reach!