A new survey of marketing executives is out — and it reveals some of the challenges facing investment management firms.
The study was conducted by financial services marketing and public relations consulting firm BackBay Communications in partnership with Osney Buy-Side. The research indicates that investment management marketing professionals are focused on building strong brands to differentiate their firms as well as to highlight their competitive advantages.
The most effective tact? Content marketing, which was cited as the most effective means to build and reinforce brand reputation. More than 78 percent of those polled are planning to increase spending on content marketing in the next 12 months.
“In the survey, an overwhelming 97 percent of investment management marketing executives said developing a strong brand is either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ given the current competitive landscape,” according to a report summary shared with MMW. “The majority of those polled identified “expertise,” “investment returns,” “thought leadership,” and “clearly articulated firm positioning” as the key attributes that contribute most to a strong investment management brand.”
With regard to content marketing initiatives, among those polled, 92 percent identified white papers as the most popular medium, while 84 percent cited “market commentary” as their preferred content.
“(More than) half also cited webinars and video, while just over a quarter of those polled also incorporate blogs as part of their content strategy. Moreover, 79 percent anticipate producing more white papers and research over the next 12 months.”
“There is a growing recognition among investment management firms that they need to develop a strong, trusted and clearly articulated brand, and they see content marketing as playing a key role in demonstrating their unique expertise, insights and approach,” said Bill Haynes, President and CEO of BackBay Communications. “Building a strong, differentiated brand should be supported by solid research, shaped around a firm’s competitive strengths, and then carried forward through an integrated, content-driven marketing communications program that draws on an array of complementary communications tools.”
