The 2016 Marketing & Sales Strategy For Financial Advisers

Written by: Econnexx

Create a marketing and sales strategy for 2016 that is efficiently focused on generating more clients and funds under management. We explain why commonly used strategies often yield little reward and merely consume valuable time and resource as well as detail the most effective methods available to increase exposure and attract more clients.

Set Yourself a Target For 2016

Having a clear focus on your business' objectives and establishing a plan to reach those objectives is imperative to future success, get this right and your firm will thrive in 2016!

Firstly, set yourself a realistic target for what you want to achieve in 2016, for example, and additional £5 million of funds under management.

Secondly, establish an affordable and realistic budget of what you are prepared to spend in order to achieve such goals.

Finally, create and implement an effective strategy that will enable you to cost effectively hit your 2016 target.

Build An Effective Online Presence

More and more consumers utilise the internet to search for financial information, in-fact over 89% currently do so. Having a website is the obvious solution for many firms to get in front of online consumers, with large numbers investing significant resources into developing their online website. However, many financial firms have failed to see any real return on their website investment. The 2 main reasons for this are:

1. They have no definitive plan for their website. On average less than 1% of visitors to financial services websites request an appointment or make direct contact.

2. The significant majority of financial websites lack clarity for consumers and offer little or no immediate value.

Both of these points are significant and a major reason why many firms have seen little return from their website investment. To convert a website into an online hub for client generation it must incorporated into a wider strategy that utilises channels such as social media and email marketing. Combined, these channels create an online presence that generates leads and clients.

Attracting Clients To Your Firm

The digital age has created many new avenues that firms can utilise to generate interest and attract consumers. Channels such as Linkedin, Twitter & Email marketing provide financial advisers with the ability to find and communicate with unlimited numbers of potential new clients.

The following 3 step strategy will help you utilise online technology to build your firm and your client numbers.

1. Define Your Target Audience

Not everyone is an ideal fit for your firm, but channels such as Linkedin can help you find and target those who fit your ideal client type. Linkedin's advanced search feature enables you to search for people based on location and title. For example, if you are based in Norwich, you can filter your search to only return results that are 50 miles from postcode NR1. Once you have defined the area you wish to focus on you can then set filters to only target certain individuals. For example, if your ideal client type is a high ranking corporate business man, then search terms such as CEO, Director or executive will help you find those who fit your ideal profile.

Once you have found your ideal profile, use the following 3 steps to create and optimise your social strategy.

Ensure your Linkedin profile is professional and consumer focused. All to often financial advisers use their linked in profiles to connect with fellow financial professionals. Your Linkedin profile is an extension of your firm and should be used to appeal to and communicate with potential consumers.

Linkedin is a networking platform, use it to proactively grow your Linkedin profile by connecting with your target audience. Allocate a proportion of your free time to doing this task.

Build relationships with your connections by sharing useful information relevant to your firms area of expertise, share links to your website or content pieces within your website - and don't be afraid to ask for an informal chat or meeting.

2. Build a consumer-focused website

A consumer focused website that is content rich and designed to appeal to your target audience is a must for online success. In order to maximise your websites potential you must utilise tools such as online forms and landing pages to convert your website visitors into contacts (who will potentially become your paying clients).

4 ways to maximise your websites potential

The content within your website must be focused on those you wish to attract. Your website should be a place where consumers can easily obtain the information they seek. The more relevant your content is to your visitors the more appointments you will generate.

Use relevant and enticing content offerings to provide instant value.

Use forms and landing pages to collect visitor information in return for the piece of content they choose to download. If it's of value, consumers will complete the form to receive access to your content, this could be in the form of an ebook, an infographic or an online video.

Use the information collected from your forms to remain in contact with your visitors.

3. Email Marketing To Convert Contacts Into Clients

The third step in the process is to use email marketing to convert a proportion of your contacts into clients. Email is statistically the highest converting form of client generation for financial advisers. By sending each contact a series of personalised emails relevant to the information they have provided, you greatly increase your chances of converting more contacts into clients. If a contact downloaded a '10 step retirement guide' from your website but had yet to make direct contact, you can send them a series of emails that are focused on retirement and how your firm can help them achieve their retirement goals, with a request for an introductory telephone call.

This 3 step process is the most effective for firms to generate their own clients. However, it can be time-consuming and labour intensive which might not be suitable for all financial firms, but there is a solution available that is both cost effective and extremely successful.