When markets swing, most financial brands follow the same playbook.
Some version of “we’ve seen this before,” “we’re in it for the long-term,” and “this too shall pass.”
It’s safe. It’s familiar. But does it work?
That depends on your definition of success. If your goal is to check the “we said something” box—sure. But if your goal is to build trust, deepen relationships, and show up as a brand that gets it? Then you may need to do a little more.
Let’s Be Honest—Volatility is Emotional
For advisors, institutions, and platforms, the instinct is to calm people down. Totally fair. But staying silent (or sending a templated reassurance email) won’t cut it anymore.
Clients and users aren’t just watching the market—they’re watching you. They want to know:
- Are you paying attention?
- Are you proactive?
- Do you actually care how I feel about what’s happening?
In a sea of sameness, your tone, timing, and transparency become your biggest assets.
What Have Brands Actually Done?
Some examples worth mentioning:
- Vanguard, known for its no-frills, long-term view, does what it does best: it stays consistent. They reiterate their philosophy, but also provide updated data and educational content that explains the “why” behind the message.
- Fintechs like Wealthfront and Betterment tend to speak more directly to their user base—using plain language, push notifications, and even in-app updates to explain what’s happening and what users can do (or not do).
- BlackRock often focuses on perspective. Their institutional reports zoom out to look at broader economic shifts—but what works is that they localize it for advisors to use with their clients.
So who does it well? The ones who move fast and stay true to their brand voice.
What Should You Do?
Here’s what we tell our clients:
- Don’t ghost. If there’s turbulence in the markets and you stay completely silent, it doesn’t signal calm—it signals absence. You don’t need to scream, but you do need to show up.
- Avoid the copy-paste “stay the course.” Yes, long-term discipline matters. But copy-pasting last quarter’s email into today’s environment doesn’t build trust. People want to know you’re talking to them, right now, about this.
- Lead with clarity, not clichés. Skip the buzzwords. Say what you mean. Use real language. Be the brand that translates complexity, not the one that hides behind it.
- Offer something actionable. Not everything needs a CTA, but offering perspective, a resource, or a specific thought for your audience builds trust—and keeps people coming back to hear from you.
- Tailor by audience. What an advisor needs to hear is different from what a 30-year-old user of an investing app needs. If your message is the same across the board, it probably isn’t hitting home.
This is a Test—Your Brand Can Pass It
Uncertainty creates space. You can either fill it with generic noise or show up with relevance and empathy. The brands that do the latter are the ones people trust more after the storm.
At Scalto, we help financial brands scale with clarity and consistency—even when the market isn’t playing nice. That’s when your voice matters most.
