It’s safe to say that the finance industry has faced its share of reputation crises over the years, from the 2008 financial collapse to the many scandals around irresponsible lending, political corruption, and even Ponzi schemes.
While the complex inner workings of banks and markets may seem far removed from the day-to-day lives of the average person, their stability has huge implications on just about every aspect of the modern world. This is why the narratives and public perceptions surrounding finance carry so much power. That’s where strategic public relations comes in.
Today, PR goes beyond crisis communications to a point where it proactively shapes both public and stakeholder perceptions around a brand. As such, the finance world is starting to recognize the value of PR for reputation management as well as driving business growth.
In this blog, we will dive into the importance of these communication strategies in the finance space. We will also touch on the specific nuances in different sub sectors, such as traditional finance, fintech, DeFi, and crypto public relations – since each area has its own opportunities and challenges when it comes to shaping perception and managing reputation
Building Trust Through Thought Leadership
Gone are the days when banks and bigwig investors were shrouded in secrecy. Now financial firms build trust by positioning their executives and market experts as approachable thought leaders. This means having them participate in conferences, author blogs/articles for trade publications, and provide on-air commentary analyzing industry trends. The goal is to humanize complex finance by demonstrating there are ethical people behind the numbers who care about responsibly enabling financial access. Audiences want the human touch, not just cold charts.
Staying Ahead of Trends & Issues
Savvy PR teams keep a pulse on incoming opportunities and potential pitfalls by monitoring regulatory changes, consumer sentiment shifts detected online, technological innovations on the horizon, and overall economic factors. Getting ahead of trends allows financial brands to lean into positive narratives and growth areas while mitigating any developing negativity. Leadership can pursue new solutions if armed with intelligence on which offerings customers now demand. Adaptive preparation gives more flexibility than reactionary fire drills.
Crisis Communications: Reactivity to Activity
Crisis comms used to be synonymous with reactive damage control once something went very wrong. But now it has evolved into rapid response paired with consistent activity building goodwill and transparency before issues arise. Ongoing PR campaigns highlighting community support initiatives, financial literacy programs for underserved groups, and showcasing the in-house experts as trusted advisors – all that fosters the public rapport financial institutions need to navigate turbulence. Should a scandal hit, audiences give the benefit of the doubt to brands they know versus faceless corporations.
Partnering With Marketing For Growth
Siloed teams serve no one in an integrated media landscape. That’s why collaboration across marketing and PR unlocks synergistic storytelling tailored to both customer and investor audiences. PR lending its expertise to amplify branded content, securing earned media coverage and weighing in on narrative perception. Marketing launching messaging informed by public impressions. Both expanding reach and ensuring narratives align across stakeholders. More unified outreach means more unified brand growth.
Public Relations In Key Financial Verticals
Okay, now that we have spoken about the power of PR in shaping public relations in finance, let’s now break this down and see how strategies differ across three key sectors: traditional, fintech, and crypto/DeFi:
Traditional Finance Public Relations
The backbone of finance is still traditional banking and insurance, but these classic institutions now realize they’ve got to refresh stale reputations. Cue PR teams demonstrating how legacy brands stay relevant by blending market expertise, responsible tech integration, and community centricity into their communications. The goal is showing prudence and forward-thinking all at once to appeal to evolving investor and consumer tastes.
Fintech Public Relations
Fintech PR captures major investor attention by spotlighting rocketing user numbers, meaningful disruption, and big-name partnerships that signal viability. However, communications also must directly address consumer anxiety around adopting new purely digital financial offerings. That means proudly discussing platform security, financial inclusion promises and transparency around how these innovations better serve people’s needs.
Crypto/DeFi Public Relations
Crypto PR navigates extreme public skepticism by clarifying convoluted concepts, managing hype cycles, and advocating for the tangible benefits decentralized finance can unlock. Leadership commentary must acknowledge notorious market volatility considerations, spotlight security best practices, and showcase the very human faces behind crypto projects. The mission is grounding an often abstract industry primed to impact the future.
Final Word
The winds of change are undeniably reshaping finance, with innovative technologies, evolving consumer expectations, and a rapidly digitizing world forcing even the oldest institutions to revisit their approach. Public perceptions carry more influence than ever before in this climate of distrust towards faceless corporations.
This is why now more than ever, strategic communications must be part of any financial brand’s growth strategy. PR owns the power to clarify confusion, shape narratives, manage reputations, and ultimately drive business results by building essential trust and mutual understanding between finance providers and their stakeholders.
