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Written by: Emily Matyas
As a financial advisor, marketing personas or buyer personas, are defined as a fictional collection of characteristics that can be generalized as your ideal type of client. Each persona is based on different customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations and goals. Chances are if you are just starting your financial planning business, creating personas is at the top of your to-do list. If not, it should be. Creating personas early on will help all functions of your business from sales to marketing and service.
Establishing your personas before working with your Twenty Over Ten team helps us properly tailor your website copy and messaging to your ideal audience. We can cater the tone, style and delivery strategies around how each persona’s preference of information consumption. Unsure how to even start developing personas? Don’t fret – check out these 3 easy steps to developing personas:
1. USE EXISTING CUSTOMER DATABASES TO UNCOVER TRENDS ABOUT YOUR EXISTING CLIENT-BASE TO CREATE INFERENCES.
Intake forms and client feedback are excellent ways to acquire accurate data on the types of clients you already have. Take note of things such as how clients are being referred to your practice and the most popular financial services clients are asking for assistance with. You should start to notice if you have large client pools leaning towards 401k planning or seeking portfolio management.
2. PICTURE YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER AND ASK YOURSELF: WHO ARE THEY? WHAT IS THEIR JOB TITLE? WHAT INDUSTRY DO THEY WORK IN? HOW OLD ARE THEY? WHAT IS THEIR EDUCATION & INCOME LEVEL?
The answer to these questions can tell a lot about how your ideal clients behave. Understanding your client’s behavior can allow you to better tailor your service offering and affect how you communicate with this set of clients. For example, if you realize your ideal clientele is a Baby Boomer ready to retire, you’ll do more prospecting through referrals and phone calls as opposed to the Millennial entrepreneur type client, who you should be connecting with via social media and other digital communication vehicles.
3. CONSIDER YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS’ BUYING CYCLES AND ASK YOURSELF: WHAT FINANCIAL CHALLENGES MIGHT HE/SHE ENCOUNTER MOSTLY? WHAT FINANCIAL GAPS MAY BE PRESENT THAT MY FIRM CAN HELP ALLEVIATE
Your ideal client may be a young family seeking advice on how to plan and save for college or maybe a divorcee in need of a new financial plan to manage his or her life. Asking yourself these types of questions will help you narrow down the types of needs your ideal client has and how you can better provide for them.