How we boosted a wealth management company’s social media presence by over 4,000%

THE BRIEF

WAY is an independent financial services group and a leading provider of inheritance tax planning solutions. The team came to Sunny Bird PR with the primary objective of increasing brand awareness on both a regional and national level as well as positioning WAY as a voice of authority in the field, and consequently a company that financial advisers would recommend to their clients.

THE SOLUTION

Competition for editorial space and brand exposure in the financial media is unsurprisingly very competitive. Through creative thinking, close liaison with our client and forward planning, Sunny Bird PR was able to achieve consistent coverage in key titles. Below are just some of the different PR campaigns and tactics we used to achieve our objectives.

Survey Results

In order to introduce WAY’s services to a consumer audience, the SBPR team commissioned a survey to discover what people knew about inheritance tax. The survey revealed shocking statistics about people’s understanding of their financial future and provided us with headline worthy figures like 40% of people admitting to not understanding Inheritance Tax at all. We pitched these reality-hitting statistics to journalists along with advice from WAYs CEO to secure coverage in target publications including Moneywise, Taxation and MoneyAGE.

Family Friendly Features

To secure valuable column inches on inheritance tax and wealth management we knew we had to make the subject as relatable as possible. To do this we compiled a range of features on subjects such as marriage, wills, trusts and the financial generation gap between baby-boomers and millennials. By writing features on topical and relatable financial topics, we achieved full-length feature pieces in multiple titles such as the FT Adviser, Moneyfacts and Professional Adviser. These informative features enabled us to deliver WAY’s message to over 220,000 engaged readers.

Voice of Authority

One of WAY’s primary objectives was to be positioned as a voice of authority in the field. The Sunny Bird PR team created a detailed calendar of financial events and dates to ensure we were always abreast of the latest industry news. We suggested suitable topics WAY spokespeople could offer commentary and advice on to substantiate the company’s position. The most successful of these campaigns was a comment piece from one of WAY’s trusted advisers commenting on the government’s review of its current inheritance tax policies. The review was open for public participation for a three-month period, generating lots of speculation in the financial press and creating the ideal opportunity to place WAY in the likes of Financial Planning Today as well as Global Banking and Finance Review.

Social Media

A strong social media presence is paramount to the success of any brand. It is a point of reference not only for consumers, but for businesses and journalists wanting to check a company’s credentials. With this is mind, the Sunny Bird PR team made a point of improving WAY’s social media reach across Twitter and LinkedIn, the two platforms predominately used by businesses and financial advisers. Through a carefully thought-out social media strategy and with the creation of shareable, engaging content, we were able to increase Twitter followers by 1,442% in one year as well as boosting LinkedIn impressions by 4,642%. Over the year, we consistently achieved engagement rates five times higher than the industry average.

Comment Opportunity

We dedicated a huge amount of time introducing WAY to key journalists and understanding their forward features to ensure the company was top of their list for expert comment. Over the course of one year we were able to offer 20 national comment opportunities in titles such as MetroMoney, CityWire, The Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday. By securing comment opportunities in respected consumer titles such as Shortlist and Money Observer, we positioned WAY Investment Services in front of over 2 million readers.

THE OUTCOME

By understanding our client’s services and objectives and working to a carefully devised PR strategy we achieved coverage in dozens of WAY’s target titles read by over 2.8 million people. Through key journalist relationships, we were also able to secure a monthly column in Professional Adviser Magazine.