When I first begin to work with a client, one of the things we do is take a comprehensive look at all of their existing marketing plan, including their branding. Correcting weaknesses in branding can be a relatively quick and painless process with the right guidance, though left uncorrected, they can be damaging to your results.

Here are the most common mistakes I see in branding:

1. Failing to define a niche
2. Being inconsistent in messaging across all marketing channels
3. Not implementing your branding in alignment with the ideal clients you say you want to work with

One of biggest mistakes people make in marketing and branding is failing to define a niche and failing to define their ideal client. This often happens because though financial advisors may want to work with their ideal clients, they leave the door open to work with anyone which can ultimately dilute their brand.

Providing clarity about what you offer is crucial because it differentiates you from other financial services providers. If your marketing isn’t clear about who you are and what you uniquely provide, potential clients have no idea that they should be calling you instead of other financial advisors in town. If you do have a niche, on the other hand, you can laser focus your marketing efforts to your ideal clients rather than wasting time and money marketing to the wrong people. For example, if your niche was tech executives, you might join special discussion groups on LinkedIn, become known in the groups over time, and ultimately attract business that way. Someone without a defined niche may instead join several groups, and have much more trouble explaining value in the services they offer.

Another common mistake is being inconsistent with messaging across marketing channels. It is important that you have one main message that is communicated across all platforms to attract your ideal client. Yes, your social media campaign will be worded slightly differently than your brochure, or a presentation you give in a professional setting, but the messaging should all be consistent. Having a personalized marketing plan is a great way to organize your thinking around your marketing efforts (for more on how to make one, click here).

A final common mistake I often see is not implementing your branding in alignment with the ideal clients you want to work with. Say you narrowed your niche from a general focus to working with women entrepreneurs, but you find yourself showing up to networking groups with women and men, and repeating the same marketing you used previously as a generalist. It is important to rethink your strategy in terms of desired branding, and then fully commit to that plan.

If you’d like to make sure none of these weaknesses are hiding in your marketing and branding implementation plan, email me today: susan@susandanzig.com. I would love to speak with you and help you do a comprehensive evaluation of your marketing efforts.