Financial advisor newsletters have an important place in developing trust and positioning yourself as a financial expert to clients. When writing one yourself, or if you purchase a service from a provider, take note of the following to make sure your newsletter is memorable:
- Consider Technology in Your Delivery. Emailing a newsletter to clients in HTML form (web) is more cost effective than mail delivery, allows you to track opens, and tracks which articles were of interest to readers. Check into mail delivery providers to see which one works best for you allowing you the demographic tracking that interests you.
- Use Your Branding. Having a picture of yourself, your logo, and company information on the newsletter ensures the reader knows it is coming from you. In addition, your newsletter must contain your signature line disclosures for FINRA audits.
- Make Your Financial Advisor Newsletter Colorful. Add photos that correspond with the article topic, change the font style of the title, and add secondary information near the photo with a one-sentence line that supports the article in a different color. Make your newsletter visually appealing, but use the same font size (11 pt.) and font style for all article information.
- Concentrate on 3-4 Topics for Different Age Groups. Don’t create a newsletter with content that appeals to only one age group, even if you specialize in a certain age range. Newsletters are commonly shared with extended family and friends and should appeal to multi-generational readers. Make it your goal that the newsletter is passed on and results in a new client!
- Extend Your Topic Information. Include articles that pertain to consumer education, insurance, and cyber security for example. By providing other topics in your newsletter you show the reader you’re up to date on current information that pertains to their life outside of just the services you provide. Keep the other topic information within the financial industry, which is vast and covers many areas.
- Make it Relevant. No recipes, golf tips, or information about your family. Even though we want to connect with our clients, your financial advisor newsletter should be professional and about relevant financial topics.
- Provide Additional Information. A newsletter should not be ‘white paper’ length, but short and to the point. Provide link information inside the article that the client can access to find more information if they choose. With an HTML email delivery option, links open automatically in the web browser. If you choose to send a paper copy of your newsletter, include link addresses in parenthesis in the article.
- Always Provide a Paper Version. If your client prefers a paper copy, provide them with one each month. It can even be in a word document form, but make sure to include photos, disclosures, and all the other things that make it interesting and professional.
