Beyoncé. Usher. Bieber.

All are superstars who have super fans.

Believe it or not, there are some financial brands that have super fans as well. Let’s take a look at three of them and what makes them so popular with their consumer base.

Bank of America

If social media engagement is a sign of popularity, then Bank of America (BOA) has a LOT of super fans.

This large, multifaceted financial firm has almost 2.7 million Facebook likes, half a million Twitter followers, and 45 million YouTube video views. According to The Financial Brand, BOA ranks first in the U.S. and third in the world in terms of overall social media engagement. (By comparison, the global number one ranked State Bank of India has more than 10 million Facebook likes, 1.7 million Twitter followers and 46 million YouTube video views.)

Some of BOA’s social media dominance can be attributed to the vast number of customers associated with all the businesses that came together to create the company, including Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch. However, most of the success is a result of Bank of America’s commitment to sharing high-quality financial and investing insights and information that different types of clients and prospects find appealing via social media.

The lesson: Social popularity isn’t reserved for celebrities. It can be the result of sharing valuable information with the right fans in social media.

Deloitte, PwC, Ernst & Young and KPMG

Why are the Big Four accounting and consulting firms BIG with their clients? Because they go above and beyond just providing accounting and consulting services. They’re incubators of great thinking and innovative ideas. The novel concepts they develop are translated into service offerings that clients may not even know they need until after they’re introduced.

• Deloitte: The firm is so committed to generating and sharing great ideas, its website reserves most of the home page to delivering thought leadership content.
• PwC: This company not only offers top-tier thought leadership on its site, it also highlights case studies that demonstrate the results of the firm’s innovative thinking.
• Ernst & Young: The website’s Insights section makes it easy to sort through content and find material right for people in different roles or interested in a variety of topics and megatrends.
• KPMG: A single section of the KPMG site is dedicated to connecting the people who work for the company with clients and prospects via social media. It’s worth checking out the vast amount of content shared by the firm through a range of channels.

The lesson: The Big Four accounting and consulting firms have achieved their positions by constantly innovating and developing new ways to offer better services to clients. They may share a similar strategy, but they find unique ways to communicate and distribute their ideas.

State Auto Financial Company

This company proves that businesses don’t have to be big to be popular.

This mid-sized super regional insurance holding company has grown because it has built trust with insurance agents over time. State Auto has earned top scores in the MSCI ESG Research study that rates firms for their financial reporting honesty and transparency.

The study compiles its scores by evaluating signals related to high risk corporate behaviors like regulatory actions, amended filings, revenue and expense recognition methods and bankruptcy risk to determine which firms are most and least risky. Those that are least risky are deemed to be the most trustworthy.

State Auto has been on the most trustworthy company list consistently since 2013. Insurance agents feel confident offering insurance solutions from State Auto’s range of product lines to their clients because they know the company is committed to transparency in how they run their business. Their clients are less likely to experience negative surprises after they purchase the firm’s range of personal, business and specialty insurance policies.

The lesson: Being honest, transparent and doing things right is the best way to build popularity. State Auto is an example of a company that proves honesty really is the best policy and key to developing sound business relationships.

Need help increasing the popularity of your financial or professional services company?

Carpenter Group has used branding, advertising, content and digital marketing techniques to help some of the best-known firms in these industries grow their profiles for more than 30 years. Check out some of our latest projects then contact us to discuss how we could help you.