As a financial advisor, your goal is to grow your business, manage the needs of your existing clients, save time and make more money. It’s time to think about optimizing your marketing channels. The financial service industry is slow to adopt online marketing practices. Earlier, a skilled salesperson would meet with prospective clients in person and this would work because advisors were in control of all the information that investors needed to make the selection decisions. But things are now changing. The internet makes this culture obsolete. When it comes to generating leads, traditional marketing efforts like seminars and referrals won’t cut it anymore.
What does online marketing entail?
- Search engine optimization
- Simple notification service or short message service
- Social media
- Paid ads (PPC) and placements
- Webinars
Here are a few things to know about online marketing-
Inbound Marketing
The biggest trend that is impacting the way financial advisors market their services is inbound marketing. It uses a combination of social media, free offers, email marketing and blogging (which is considered content creation marketing) to connect with clients who might be interested in the products/ services you offer. The past has largely witnessed advisors relying on outbound marketing strategies to win new clients like seminars, direct mail, and telemarketing. These are rendered ineffective as more and more people are now using the internet to find and select financial professionals.
Your website should be an extension of you
Your homepage has 10 seconds to deliver a compelling message that will cause clients to want to learn more. If you fail to make an immediate impression, your clients will move on. People do not want to have to search for information on your website. A person should be able to know exactly what is it you do by glancing at your webpage. How to achieve this? by designing your website strategically to generate leads and ensure a positive organic user experience.
Video marketing is very effective
Video marketing is rapidly becoming a dominant force on the internet, surpassing the written word. It is a highly effective way of conveying information quickly and creatively. It is after all the next best thing to a meeting with a client in person. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have live video streams that will help you communicate instantly with clients creating a highly engaging user experience.
Blogging gives you a voice
Outbound marketing tactics can lead to rejection rates that exceed 95%. Additionally, they are disruptive because you are contacting people who do not wish to be contacted. Bogging is by far the single best way to generate traffic for your website. It keeps the content on your website fresh and helps remarkably with SEO value. If you produce stellar blog content, you can easily solve financial problems for clients, establish yourself as an expert in the field, increase traffic and produce contact data for your drip system.
Engaging with your audience is crucial for your firm’s digital presence. You have to actively market your business where people spend most of their time if you wish to build brand trust. Also, it helps immensely with referrals. People are more likely to trust other people who have used your services than you. Online marketing, after all, is not a set it and forget strategy and it most definitely is not an overnight phenomenon. While content is definitely important, it’s just a piece of an overall campaign that aims to move a prospect closer to the advisor over time. Generate awareness of your firm and recognize that your prospects will evaluate your services before signing on. The ultimate aim of online marketing is to successfully get clients onboard. From there, it’s a slow but effective process.