Creating a brand voice in financial services
In financial services, every word carries weight. Clients are not just buying advice; they are entrusting you with their money, their plans, and often their family’s future. A firm’s visuals may capture attention, but it is the words, the tone, clarity, and style that build lasting trust.
Yet many financial firms struggle to define a consistent brand voice. Too formal, and they risk sounding detached. Too casual, and they risk eroding credibility. The challenge lies in striking a balance: being confident, professional, yet still human. In this article, we explore how financial firms can create a voice that is recognisable, client-first, and trusted across every interaction.
A strong brand voice is a key component of a comprehensive branding strategy. To see how brand identity, values, and consistency all come together, read our guide to branding for financial firms.
Why brand voice matters in financial services
Building trust through clarity
A brand voice is more than just writing style. It is the personality your firm expresses through every touchpoint: your website, client reports, email updates, and social media posts. In an industry where trust is the decisive factor in client choice [1], tone is inextricably linked to credibility.
The impact on client perception
How you speak influences how you are remembered. A consistent voice creates recognition and familiarity, while a scattered one breeds doubt. When a client reads an article in your newsletter that feels aligned with the reassuring tone of their adviser’s phone call, they experience your brand as coherent and dependable.
Beyond compliance
Financial promotions must always be fair, clear, and not misleading [2]. A defined brand voice ensures you remain compliant while still sounding approachable and relatable. Instead of jargon-laden reports, firms that adopt plain-English communication build stronger relationships without compromising on accuracy.
Steps to defining your brand voice
1. Know your audience
Every financial firm serves a mix of demographics, each with different expectations. A millennial investor entering the housing market may want guidance stripped of jargon. A seasoned business owner might value precision and technical depth. Understanding these audience needs is the foundation for creating a voice that resonates across client groups.
2. Clarify your personality
Your brand personality often falls somewhere between opposing traits, such as:
- Professional vs approachable
- Formal vs conversational
- Technical vs plain-speaking
The key is not choosing one extreme but achieving balance and consistency.
How SPF Private Clients refined their brand voice
When SPF Private Clients worked with Goldmine Media, the challenge was clear: how to speak confidently to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth audiences while avoiding unnecessary formality. The solution was a voice that simplified complexity without losing authority, confident yet human. The outcome was messaging that clients recognised instantly across digital and offline touchpoints.
3. Create a tone framework
Documenting your voice makes it easier for teams to stay aligned.
A simple framework can include:
- Do’s and don’ts (e.g. “Do explain terms in plain English. Don’t rely on unexplained acronyms.”)
- Examples of voice in action (before-and-after sentences to guide writers).
- Tone by channel (more formal in regulatory reports, more conversational on LinkedIn).
4. Test and refine
Voice is not static. Gather client feedback, monitor engagement metrics, and refine over time. When clients start saying they “finally understand” your communications, your voice is doing its job.
💬 Is your brand trusted enough to win new clients?
We help financial firms strengthen their brand identity to build trust, loyalty, and long-term growth.
Trusted by private banks, wealth managers, and financial advisers.
Balancing voice with compliance
The FCA challenge
Financial firms face a unique tension: balancing approachability with strict regulatory standards. Promotional materials must be clear, fair, and not misleading. Too much simplification risks overselling, while too much jargon risks alienating clients.
The solution
The strongest voices sit in the middle ground: plain, accurate, and transparent. They make complexity accessible without diluting the detail. By embedding disclaimers where necessary and focusing on clarity, firms can establish trust without compromising compliance boundaries.
Why simplicity pays off
The demand for simplicity
Clients do not just want clarity; they reward it. According to Siegel+Gale’s research, 63% of consumers are willing to pay extra for simpler experiences, and 69% are more likely to recommend brands that make things easy to understand [3]. For financial services firms, this is proof that clarity and simplicity are not just “nice to haves” but powerful commercial drivers.
The cost of complexity
When communication feels heavy or inaccessible, firms risk disengagement and loss of trust. Siegel+Gale’s Global Brand Simplicity Index estimates that brands failing to deliver simplicity may be leaving as much as $86 billion in potential revenue on the table [5]. For financial advisers and planners, every unclear message is therefore not just a missed connection, but potentially a lost opportunity.
Consistency across channels
Why consistency matters
Even the best-defined brand voice will fail if it is not applied consistently. A client cannot experience a warm, reassuring website only to receive a jargon-heavy annual statement. Inconsistency breeds uncertainty, and in the financial services industry, uncertainty erodes trust.
How Kingsbury & Partners built consistency
Kingsbury & Partners needed to ensure their visual and verbal identity aligned across platforms. Goldmine Media worked with them to create a cohesive look and tone, ensuring that whether clients engaged with the firm’s website, pitch decks, or printed reports, the experience felt unified. Their example illustrates how voice and visuals together strengthen professional credibility.
Why voice builds long-term familiarity
The role of familiarity in trust
Trust is built over time, and familiarity plays a central role in that process. When clients encounter the same confident and approachable tone across months or years of interactions, they develop a sense of relationship with your firm [5].
From clients to advocates
That familiarity drives loyalty. It also encourages advocacy, where clients recommend you to others not only because of results, but because they feel reassured by how you communicate. In a competitive market, this can be a decisive advantage.
Your next step
For financial firms, voice is not a stylistic choice; it’s a matter of compliance. It is a strategic asset. A confident and consistent voice humanises advice, builds trust, and differentiates you in a crowded marketplace.
If you are ready to refine your firm’s brand voice, speak to Goldmine Media. Our team helps financial services firms create messaging that is both client-first and compliant, ensuring your words carry the same authority as your expertise.
Source data:
[1] Goldmine Media Source Data Hub – Trust and consumer behaviour
[2] Goldmine Media Source Data Hub – Branding and consistency
[3] Goldmine Media Source Data Hub – Branding and consistency
[4] Goldmine Media Source Data Hub – Branding and consistency
[5] Goldmine Media Source Data Hub – Branding and consistency
