Banking & Finance: How to Develop a Consistent Brand Identity

To stand out among the competition, a well-developed brand identity is crucial for businesses of any sort, no matter if they're B2B or B2C. We've talked about the ways we help unique businesses like schools and healthcare institutions. Here's how we transferred those solutions over to the banking industry.

Brand identity is unique in the banking and finance industry for a number of reasons. One reason is because financial institutions can be both B2B and B2C. That requires them to be versatile while they work to build brand trust and awareness among a wide range of channels and networks. This is especially true for banks, since many have to manage multi-branch operations which require consistency no matter how much their physical locations or building styles may differ.

So how do you develop a consistent brand identity in banking and finance without being bogged down by the unique pain points of your industry? Read on.

Define Your Brand Identity

Your brand identity consists of the visual elements that represent your brand. This can include preferred color choices, fonts, and designs. It also includes your logo or other accompanying 2D and 3D graphics. If it’s visual and represents your bank or financial institution, it’s a part of your brand identity.

Before you make any choices regarding how you’re going to roll out your new marketing materials, you have to determine what your preferences are. Some companies decide this in-house, and some hire creative branding help from a local printing partner or advertising agency. No matter what colors or choices you make, you should always remember: when it comes to financial businesses, trust is essential. Make sure your brand identity reflects that.

Find the Right Partner

Once you’ve settled on the right color scheme, logo, and visual direction for your brand, it’s time to roll out your new branding. But how? Start with a print partner that can offer you the project management heavy lifting you’ll need as a part of any rollout plan. You’ll want to look for a print provider that has many locations capable of producing and shipping  graphics to save you valuable time and money. You’ll also want one that can offer you a multitude of different print options so that you can develop creative products without worrying about consistency loss between projects, locations, or multiple vendors.

Develop a Dynamic Inventory

Planning ahead is never a bad idea. When it comes to your bank or financial institution, you’ll always be better served by being prepared for the unexpected. Don’t commit to the bare minimum when it comes to print materials. Instead, develop a small standing inventory of collateral like standees, vinyl graphics, and signs. That way, if anything ever gets lost or damaged at one of your branches, you’ll be able to immediately replace it before worrying about replenishing your inventory.

Creating an Experience

Print graphics can transform spaces into branded experiences no matter how unique the building or location may be. Whether your bank has six locations or six hundred, branded materials ensure they all feel the same when someone enters the front doors. If your identity is well developed and documented, and you’ve found the right print partner for your institution, the rest takes care of itself. It will also be easy to create new, innovative materials any time you need to. The sky’s the limit.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to properly promote your bank or financial institution, we recommend checking out our Multichannel Marketing Guide for Financial Institutions. If you’d rather talk to someone in person about what a national scale custom printing company can do for you, feel free to get in touch with us today.