"In the financial planning industry, brand reputation is critical for success. Alignkraft is innovative, responsive, dedicated and gave us the brand image we were looking for." 

- Stacy Francis, CEO & Founder, Francis Financial

THE CHALLENGE

Alignkraft was challenged to differentiate Francis Financial within an extremely competitive market, pivot the brand so it attracted the correct leads while engaging existing clients, and reflect the company's recent growth and elevated status.

Francis Financial, a founder-driven financial planning firm, sought out Alignkraft consulting services at a critical period of accelerated growth. With Stacy quickly rising as a top industry expert constantly being invited for TV appearances, guest editorials and interviews, she recognized the pressing need to reexamine where the Francis Financial brand stood in terms of attracting and engaging her target client base. She understood her current strategies were not working hard enough but could not pinpoint exactly why. This is where Alignkraft came in and used the exhaustive AXDx™ process to drill down and discover what aspects of the brand were misaligned.

THE RESEARCH

MARKET RESEARCH ANALYSIS

We analyzed Francis Financial's competitors using multiple research tools across several different criteria, including communication strategies, service offerings, corporate structure, financial service offerings, technology solutions, and website user experience. We also took a deep dive into the analytics behind the company's website to develop a clear picture of what types of users were being attracted, how users were being engaging and which aspects of the site were actually being used.

We compared each company’s competitive advantages/disadvantages and ranked them in relation to Francis Financial's performance in these same areas. Using this data, we established the value propositions and unique selling points that distinguished each brand vis-a-vis their competitors.
 

Analysis showed the Francis Financial brand was performing similarly to its competitors, but the market generally had weak brands and that created an opportunity to be the leader amongst firms of similar size. 

SURVEY ANALYSIS

Continuing the AKDx™ process, we conducted an online survey of the Francis Financial employees and executive team for a full discovery effort into Francis Financial's pressing needs and areas of both strength as well as weakness. Insight gleaned from the qualitative analysis of these surveys proved crucial in moving forward with repositioned brand strategy. 

From this comprehensive cross-section of the firm we were able to gain insight into nuances surrounding interaction with clients, pinpoint brand weaknesses, set future goals and better articulate the vision for an improved Francis Financial.

With these points as a baseline, Alignkraft developed a strategy to leverage Francis Financial's competitive advantages moving forward to attract better leads, engage with existing clients, elevate consumer perceptions and to ultimately improve ROI.

THE SOLUTIONS

Francis Financial partnered with Alignkraft for a full suite of services including brand research, consulting services and communication design. 

With design and production spearheaded by Alignkraft's sister company, SCG Creative, we developed a sophisticated new visual identity that was inline with the client base Francis Financial is interested in engaging.

The total process involved strategy, brand messaging, positioning, art direction of photoshoots, copy writing and design and development of 30+ page website. 

THE RESULTS

By making intelligent decisions informed by data driven analytics, we helped Francis Financial breakout as the clear leader amongst its closest competitors. Through elevated strategy, messaging and design, Alignkraft helped the Francis Financial brand reflect the company's accelerated growth and elevated status.

In particular, we transformed the Francis Financial website from being outdated and ineffective into an elegant, sophisticated and useful tool for both new and returning clients.

After unveiling the new website design, Stacy and her team found that the incoming leads from the repositioned website were significantly better prequalified than before. Also with new messaging on the website, the sales cycle became shorter as leads came in better qualified as prospective clients used the website to grasp the propriety Francis Financial Plan | Protect | Grow™ process, be aware of the minimum investing amount and understand how a relationship with the company would be like.

Do you want to break out from amongst your closest competitors? Like our work with Francis Financial, Alignkraft can align your brand for accelerated growth. To learn more about the results of this case study and get started on your own company's realignment, contact us today >

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