Branding yourself into a household name

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or part of a large firm, you have much to gain by building a brand identity for you and your practice. And chances are, you already have many of the elements you’ll need to build that identity. What you need now is a plan that pulls it all together. That’s where Stefanos Loisou, CSA, can help. Loisou, principal at Financial Workshops in Middleton, Mass., has spent the better part of four decades building a brand for himself and his practice, through means both traditional and unconventional. The time spent carefully cultivating his image within the community has paid off, he says. “I’m recognized in the area as someone who really cares about people and who knows how to put them in a better position financially.”

Don’t blow your own horn
An advisor needn’t be slick, self-aggrandizing or egomaniacal to build his or her own brand, contends the soft-spoken Loisou. During his session, he’ll explain the tools advisors have at their disposal to shape and nurture their own brand identities, while also showing advisors the most impactful, cost-efficient strategies to use those tools in concert with one another.

The media is one brand-building tool on which Loisou continues to rely. Hosting one weekly radio program on financial matters and being a frequent guest on another has given him the kind of name recognition and credibility that advisors covet. “It differentiates me from other advisors who might have similar skills and who offer similar products and services,” he says. “From a public perception point-of-view, it has elevated me. People figure that because I’m on the radio, I must know what I’m talking about.”