By Kevin Dinino, President of KCD PR
In early 2009, the financial services industry had reached a humbling low point. For those of us in the marketing and communications world, our services would be crucial to help drive a recovery. It was the perfect time to hatch an agency like KCD PR. During my tenure on the client side of PR and marketing with LPL Financial and TD AMERITRADE, I observed that many RIA firms were utilizing marketing solutions provided to them by their broker/dealer or custodian that could be leveraged by any other firm. While great solutions to have on hand, there was minimal customization, no true PR component and no emphasis on execution by the RIA firm. The marketplace needed an outsourced marketing/PR department solution. It was under this premise that I founded KCD PR from the ground-up, hoping someday it would become a consultative resource for financial advisory firms.
Now, five years later, running a PR and marketing agency is nothing like I thought it would be – it’s even better. The integration of digital marketing and social media into our practice gives us the well-rounded edge needed to help our clients succeed. We were on the forefront of social media marketing guidance back when my speeches at conferences were met with quips like “it’s a fad” or “these are websites only for my kids.” Fast forward to 2014 and now publicly traded companies have Directors of Social Media Strategy and are dedicating huge resources to this new way to connect with customers.
That doesn’t mean our jobs are easy. Our team strives every day to provide the best service for our clients, while keeping up with the latest trends and maximizing our own marketing efforts. It’s a delicate balancing act. There are always new challenges for us to overcome and the unknown of tomorrow keeps us on our toes.
At this point, the sky’s the limit for KCD PR. Watching the company grow and mature has been equal parts surreal as well as gratifying. This is our chance to truly make an impact. We have a great niche, but I know our story is still largely untold. The fact that so many of our clients stay on with us for multiple years and continuously refer us to others is a testament to our abilities and results. We really view ourselves as an extension of our clients’ marketing departments – and I think many of our clients feel the same.
So what’s next for KCD PR? The next five years certainly hold bigger and better things for us. In a few months, we’ll be moving to a world-class office space in the Little Italy neighborhood of Downtown San Diego. The extra space will allow us to expand our staff even further to support the bandwidth of new business. We’re well on our way to becoming a go-to resource for financial and professional services firms – though I’ll probably end up with a lot less hair on my head in the process.
It’s been an adventure to say the least. Thank you to everyone that has been a part of KCD PR’s journey.
