One thing is for sure; stock market volatility is here to stay. It is also safe to say, many investors are wondering when major market indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ and S&P 500, will ever turn the corner. Year-to-date, the Dow Jones is down 3.6 percent and S&P 500 is off 7.7 percent, respectively (source: CNNMoney – 9-30-11). And if you remember anything about the past few years, you could probably guess that five-year returns for both indices are even worse.
While many investors are scrambling to flight-to-quality opportunities, market volatility (see Yahoo! volatility chart) creates several opportunities for investment firms, financial advisors and financial institutions to ramp-up marketing and public relations efforts. Many investors are uneasy and looking for advice, and now is the time for advisors and firms to position themselves as the go-to expert in this very uncertain market.
Granted, many advisors and firms are focused mostly on shoring up clients’ life savings and internal operations during volatile times. Nevertheless, financial planning professionals and firms can increase their visibility while offering sound investment advice to existing and prospective clients.
First, why not position an advisor or market strategist as the calm, educated voice of investment reason to the media? Business reporters are always looking for prompt and informative sources to be quoted on breaking news. The coverage will not only increase awareness and recognition, but it serves as a great way to merchandize an advisor’s or firm’s knowledge.
Another potential opportunity is to establish new channels of communication (such as frequent, quick client notes, investment snapshots, etc.) to share market news and strategies, company announcements and more. Depending on the focus, select media and prospective clients could be added to the distribution list. Other ideas include establishing a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to disseminate information to target audiences.
In closing, while volatile markets provide many marketing and public relations opportunities, it should not take major financial crises to find new ways to increase awareness and visibility. Building an advisor’s or firm’s brand and increasing recognition among target audiences should be evolutionary and strategic. Unfortunately, the real challenge that most encounter is making it a priority and remaining consistent. Will you?
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.