The new year is just weeks away. Is your financial advisor marketing plan ready to compete in 2019?
While you may have been able to get away with a few things in the past, that is no longer the case. Investors are smarter and they’re turning to the Internet to research, find and eventually hire financial advisors. And they’ve become picky. They don’t want to waste time on a site that takes too long to load. They don’t want to spend too long searching a site to find what they’re looking for. And they’ve become quick to judge a site by its first impression – if it doesn’t immediately speak to them, they leave. With more and more advisors operating virtually, there are too many options out there for an investor to have to settle.
Surely your competitors know this and they are doing what they can to also grab investors’ attention. Are you?
With a new generation of investors making it their New Year’s resolutions to get their finances in place, organize their estate planning and/or start investing, financial advisors need to be ready to capture these hot leads.
Here are 10 financial advisor marketing trends that can no longer be ignored.
1. Digital Marketing
The very basic first step for any financial advisor marketing plan is a Digital Marketing strategy. Unanswered cold calls, expensive junk-fliers and “free lunches” are no longer approaches that work for financial advisors. Investors have become weary of these aggressive sales tactics.
Instead, an intelligent, thought-out Digital Marketing plan allows you to educate your potential clients in a non-aggressive way that establishes you as an expert and markets to clients without intruding on their comfort level.
Trends like a regularly updated blog will not only gain the attention of Google, but will also improve your search ranking, placing you higher in an investor’s search results when they type in specific keywords. A social media presence can also generate new leads through interesting posts, eye-catching images and favorable comments from current clients. A well-thought-out, automated email can also entice a potential client to visit your site and learn more about your firm.
We explain some of these tactics below.
2. Blogging
According to an article in Investment News, 39 percent of firms use a blog to attract new clients.
In this survey:
- 40 percent of firms said a blog deepens client relationships.
- 37 percent use a blog for firm branding.
- 12 percent use a blog to generate leads.
- 8 percent use a blog to generate prospects.
- 3 percent use a blog to generate new clients.
Creating original content can be intimidating but it is one of the best ways to capture leads who are searching the web for information. Posts must be relevant, interesting and encourage leads to take further action.
3. SEO
Internet visibility starts in your local market, which is why utilizing local SEO is so important.
Do you have a Google My Business listing? Are you ranking for local keywords, including the city and state that you service? Are your local citations updated and correct? If a potential lead types in the name of your firm, will they find your current information? Are you notified of any online reviews or comments?
Local online visibility is key in the digital world we live in. Click here for a free review of how your business is listed.
4. Twitter
Social media needs to be an important part of your financial advisor marketing plan, and Twitter is a great place to start.
With short, regular tweets, you can share information immediately to a large group of potential clients. You can also use Twitter to share partner information, such as estate planning tips from a trusted lawyer or a tax announcement from the IRS – yes, even the IRS has a Twitter handle!
Twitter is also a good way to get your friends and colleagues to retweet (or share) your posts, only increasing your content and visibility online.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is another social media platform that makes sense for a financial advisor. Typically sharing professional information as opposed to personal photos and vacation posts, LinkedIn can help connect you with industry experts and share professional contacts.
Setting up a LinkedIn account is easy and can be extremely beneficial. Not only does a LinkedIn account give you another online reference, but believe it or not, investors are specifically searching LinkedIn for financial advisors to see what contacts they have and comments they are receiving.
An expert social media specialist with experience in your field can set up this account for you and walk you through the necessary steps to get you up and running.
6. Facebook
While Facebook may not be the most important place to be, this social media platform does generate leads.
In fact, we recently shared one of our current client’s blog post about their new and improved website on their Facebook account. A lead saw it there, clicked on the post, read the article and then submitted their information through a Call To Action, which allows our client to now drip on this lead until the lead is ready to hire an advisor.
Facebook profiles are free and should be taken advantage of.
7. Videos
Videos have become more and more popular with financial advisors, as it gives another platform to explain often-complex topics related to the financial services industry. Instead of writing a 1,000-word article and posting it to your blog, often times a financial advisor will repurpose that piece by reading it on camera or behind a slideshow, connecting with clients in another way.
YouTube is a great platform to store those videos, and can also include links back to a firm’s website where they can find more information.
Videos have proved to be a very successful strategy for many of our clients, especially now with more and more sites that will create short animations for you.
8. Email – Newsletters, Event Promotions, Blog Subscriptions
It’s been rumored that email is no longer important, but that could not be further from the truth. When done right, emails can generate leads with no extra effort on your part at all. Emails can be pre-written and even automated to be sent out on a regular basis, sharing your most current blog posts, following up with a lead after they’ve taken action somewhere on your website and informing your prospects about upcoming events.
Do not rule it out.
9. Interactive Website Design
An interactive website design is a must!
Sadly, many financial advisors believed they got on the digital trend by simply having a website. Chances are they spent a lot of money for a site that sits stagnant, maybe generating a lead a year.
That’s not acceptable anymore.
A good website should be interactive and encourage visitors to take action and dig deeper into what you have to offer on your site.
Think of it as your office. What do potential clients see when they come to your home page (front door). Do you offer what they are looking for? Do you encourage them to check out your services and staff or simply tell them where you are and shut the door?
Remember, 2019 is a new year. When was the last time your website had an upgrade?
10. Virtual Availability
Connecting with clients virtually may sound intimidating, but all it means is offering clients a way to schedule an appointment from the comfort of their own home, possibly meeting with you via Skype or offering online reports or statements.
Traffic is getting worse everywhere, and many investors appreciate it when they don’t have to drive to a physical address to meet with their financial advisor.
Talk with Paladin Digital Marketing to see how we can help bring your financial advisor marketing plan into the new year.
