How This Family-Run Firm Projects Size and Scope

White Oak Wealth Partners is a family-owned practice in Erie, Pennsylvania, and their main source of competition is another, substantially larger, local wealth management firm. If their brand was to help them win clients, it needed to create the perception that they were sizable enough to serve clients with robust needs, with a more focused message than their generalist competitors.

They wanted to be seen not as a mom-and-pop, but rather as a sophisticated operation with the same scope of capabilities as the larger firms in the area. There were three main steps we took to achieve this end:

Elevating the Professionalism of Their Core Brand

From photography to logo design and digital tools, we introduced a higher level of professionalism to the materials that would represent White Oak. At a glance, prospective clients could see that the firm was well-established and well-heeled. They could take away the impression of an affluent client base and a practiced wealth management process.

By applying this new standard to all their key collateral, we could help ensure that new leads would establish the right perception early in the relationship, before they even visit the offices or meet the team.

Presenting the Depth of their Resources

While the team itself is not the largest in the area, their backing and the network of professionals they’ve built up allow them to deliver a similar breadth of services.

The team is backed by LPL Financial, through which they can draw on a significant well of resources. They also have specialists like CPAs on retainer to weigh in on complex client needs. This multiplies the capabilities of the team, allowing them to provide detailed financial strategies and knowledge-based insights for clients whose needs are multifaceted. This depth needed to be pulled to the forefront of their brand in order for their audience to see its value.

Strategic Positioning

In addition to elevating their outward brand and highlighting their depth of expertise, White Oak needed to be specifically positioned relative to those competitors. This meant formalizing features other firms didn’t have, and presenting a more distinct, relevant story to the clients they most wanted to reach.

We worked with the team to brand their exclusive income planning service, define their unique process and establish a resonating philosophy rooted in the idea of longevity. By telling the story of White Oak’s history and future in the community, we were also supporting the team’s goals for an eventual succession and an ongoing alignment with multigenerational client families.