Case Study · Full-Service Retainer

Trust Company
of the South

From a 30th anniversary rebrand to a complete, ongoing marketing operation — four years of building one of North Carolina's most recognized wealth management voices.

ClientTrust Company of the South
Since2022 · 4+ Year Partnership
ServicesBrand · Web · Podcast · PR · Social · Email · Thought Leadership

Situation

A 30-year legacy — and a client base that was changing.

Trust Company of the South is a North Carolina-based independent trust company with offices in Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte, providing premier investment, wealth management, and fiduciary services to high-net-worth individuals and institutions.

In 2022, the firm had two converging realities: a 30th anniversary milestone worth celebrating, and an ideal client profile that was shifting. North Carolina was one of the fastest-growing states in the country — large companies were bringing young wealth-generating professionals into a market that the firm's existing brand wasn't speaking to.

March 2022
WMC engaged to lead 30th anniversary rebrand
September 2022
Full retainer begins: marketing, communications, PR, podcast, social
2023–2025
Ongoing content engine: quarterly reports, earned media, thought leadership, social
Q1 2026
8,212 website users — all-time quarterly high; podcast downloads up 75% QoQ

The Rebrand

Built from the ground up — to carry the next 30 years.

The mandate was clear: honor three decades of trust while creating a brand that could speak to a younger, wealthier, and more geographically diverse clientele. WMC led every component of the rebrand — from strategic positioning through final production.

Before

Trust Company of the South — old logo
→

After

Trust Company of the South — new logo

The new brand identity drew its palette from North Carolina itself — bright summer blues, sandy coastal tones, rich woodland greens and golds. Fresh but traditional; forward-looking but grounded. Every element was designed to reflect the firm's tagline: Created by Families, for Families.

Brand Deliverables

Every touchpoint, rebuilt.

WMC delivered a complete identity system — from the logo and visual standards to the physical materials the team carries into every client meeting.

Launch Impact

The rebrand landed immediately.

Within months of launch, the market responded. Website traffic, engagement metrics, and email performance all moved decisively in the right direction — validating both the brand direction and the communications strategy built around it.

+52%
All Users
Post-Launch YoY
+54%
New Users
Post-Launch YoY
54%
Email Open Rate
3× Industry Average
8%
Email Click Rate
3× Industry Average

The Partnership

The rebrand opened the door.
Four years later, we operate as a fully embedded partner.

7
Channels Managed
Podcast, email, website, LinkedIn, Instagram, PR, thought leadership — all coordinated through a single content strategy.
4+
Years as Retainer
WMC functions as Trust Company's embedded marketing team — not a vendor, but an extension of the firm's internal operation.
~34
Pieces of Content / Quarter
Across all channels in Q1 2026: 7 emails, 3 podcast episodes, 8 website posts, 17 LinkedIn posts, 17 Instagram posts.

Ongoing Scope

A full communications operation, quarter after quarter.

Since September 2022, WMC has managed all of Trust Company's marketing, communications, and public relations — building relationships with financial media, ensuring every channel is fully leveraged, and continuously developing content that equips advisors in business development and client retention.

Podcast
Trust Company Talks — production, booking, editing, distribution, and social amplification.
Email
Bi-monthly campaigns featuring market dashboards, podcast launches, and timely commentary.
Thought Leadership
Quarterly investment commentaries, monthly market dashboards, and advisor-authored articles.
Social Media
LinkedIn and Instagram managed consistently — branded graphics, audiograms, team content.
Public Relations
Ongoing media relationships with financial press — securing placements in top-tier publications.
Website Content
Consistent blog publishing cadence that drives organic search traffic and feeds all distribution channels.

The Podcast

Trust Company Talks

An investing and wealth management podcast hosted by Bill Noble and Burke Koonce, featuring conversations with Trust Company's team and guest experts on the topics that matter most to families and institutions in North Carolina and beyond.

Channel Performance

Every channel building on the last.

The content strategy is designed as a flywheel: each piece of thought leadership feeds the podcast, which feeds email, which drives website traffic, which compounds organic search. The results across channels reflect that coordination.

Podcast
Trust Company Talks
Relaunched with new artwork, a structured publishing calendar, and a library of past episodes. Downloads grew 7× from pre-WMC levels in the first months — and continued climbing year after year. In Q1 2026, downloads jumped 75% quarter-over-quarter with the same episode volume, driven by timely topic selection.
+75%
QoQ Download Growth
524
Q1 2026 Downloads
87.8%
US Listeners
Email
Campaigns & Newsletters
WMC's email management drove an immediate and sustained leap in performance. When WMC took over, open rates jumped from negligible levels to consistently above 50% — more than triple the industry average. The list has grown to 1,300 subscribers and remains the firm's highest-ROI distribution channel.
53.8%
Avg Open Rate
3.87%
Avg Click Rate
3×
Industry Average
Website
Traffic & Organic Growth
The new website established a stronger baseline from day one, with traffic up 52% YoY in the first post-launch period. That growth has compounded every year since. In Q1 2026, Trust Company reached 8,212 users — a new all-time quarterly high, with March breaking the 1,000+ weekly user barrier for the first time. Direct traffic is the primary growth engine, driven by consistent email and content output.
8,212
Q1 2026 Users
+71%
Year-Over-Year
+22%
Quarter-Over-Quarter
LinkedIn & Instagram
Social Media
WMC manages both LinkedIn and Instagram with a consistent mix of thought leadership, podcast promotion, market commentary, and team culture content. In Q1 2026, LinkedIn followers grew 2,295% over 91 days (aided by sponsored amplification), while organic team content consistently drove the highest engagement across both platforms.
131K
Q1 LinkedIn Impressions
67.6%
Top Post Engagement

Public Relations

National press. Regional credibility.

WMC builds and manages ongoing relationships with financial journalists, positioning Trust Company's investment experts as go-to sources for major outlets. Press placements have included the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, US News & World Report, and CFO.com — publications that carry reach and credibility no advertising budget can replicate.

In the first six months alone, WMC secured five major placements. The Wall Street Journal feature alone reached a publication with 60 million online readers — at an estimated ad equivalent value ranging from $45,000 to $146,000 for comparable placements.

The Wall Street Journal. Fortune U.S. News & World Report CFO

"Press placements provide instant credibility with clients, prospects, and industry partners — while dramatically extending the firm's reach into audiences that content alone cannot access."

Results

Four years of compounding growth.

The numbers across channels tell a consistent story: when brand, content, distribution, and PR operate as a single coordinated system, the results compound over time. What started as a rebrand engagement has become a demonstrably measurable communications operation.

8,212
Q1 2026 Website
Users (All-Time High)
+71% YoY · +22% QoQ
53.8%
Email Open Rate
Q1 2026
214% above 17.4% industry avg
524
Podcast Downloads
Q1 2026
+75% QoQ growth
131K
LinkedIn Impressions
Q1 2026
+2,295% follower growth rate

Wealth Matters Consulting

Not a vendor, but an embedded marcomms department.

Trust Company of the South is one of WMC's most comprehensive partnerships — a relationship built on consistent output, strategic alignment, and results that speak for themselves.