Professional Services
JMG Financial Group
Building a brand people could recognize and find
JMG Financial Group is an award-winning wealth management firm that serves clients in more than 35 states. But its growth had outpaced its brand. The website didn’t reflect the personal experience clients found at JMG, the logo didn’t identify what the firm did and another company with the same initials outranked JMG in search. The firm needed a brand that reflected its expertise, reached next-generation clients and advisers and helped people find the JMG they were looking for.
Challenges
1.
The website didn't sound like the firm.
JMG's approach is personal and service-oriented. The site read like every other wealth manager's.
2.
Another firm was answering to JMG’s name.
A different company shared the initials and outranked JMG in search. People looking for the wealth management firm landed there first and assumed they’d found it. JMG’s logo didn’t help because nothing about it identified the business or industry.
3.
The brand wasn’t connecting with JMG’s next-generation audiences.
Next-generation clients, emerging wealth holders and early-career advisers were evaluating JMG online and finding little that spoke to them.
Solution
We started with conversations. We interviewed JMG’s principals and staff and reviewed the firm’s existing materials to understand the culture and client experience. Those conversations helped us develop a shared narrative about who JMG is, giving the firm a story it could tell consistently across its brand.
For the brand, we presented two paths.
JMG could refresh its existing brand or rename the firm and create a new logo. The firm chose to build on the equity it already had. We refreshed the logo, explored color and added a descriptor that told people what JMG did. The color palette drew inspiration from JMG’s recently updated office, while custom, full-screen photography reflected the personal experience clients found when they walked through the door.
We wrote the website content from the same interviews. On the careers side, we told employees’ stories in their own words, including why they stayed, what they were still learning and who pulled up a chair at their lunch table. And because a firm that shares your name creates a search problem, we used organic search engine optimization to make sure people looking for JMG found JMG.
Results
1.
JMG’s personality comes through online.
Prospective clients can experience JMG’s personal, service-oriented approach before they meet with an adviser.
2.
JMG owns its own name.
The firm ranks first for branded search, well ahead of the company that previously outranked it. The descriptor identifies the business at a glance, while organic search engine optimization helps people looking for JMG find the right firm.
3.
The careers content supports talent acquisition.
Candidates can see the firm through its employees' experiences. Their stories give JMG something a benefits list can't provide, including firsthand examples of why people stay, grow and build careers there.
"I feel very comfortable using them as a sounding board, whether it's a project that will involve them or not. They look out for our interests, making suggestions for improvements and changes that would benefit our firm."
