So here we are, about ten months into a global health emergency. Over the better part of a year, we have seen entire countries go into lockdown, with most of our country forced to work remotely from home.
If having an influential online presence was important before COVID-19, it is a high-priority now. You cannot survive without one. Look, our 2020 plans were through for a loop this year, but there also is a silver lining to it all for financial advisors especially.
Arguably our greatest attribute as a species is our resilience – our ability to come together and prevail through even the most treacherous circumstances.
So, although it has been some year, I’m here to show you how to embrace this new normal to your advantage as a financial advisor. It begins with developing a compelling online experience.
Adapt your Strategy
Due to the vast improvements in technology, many of our daily tasks have carried on the same, with some now automated. However, as a financial advisor looking to attract prospects (new clients), you cannot rely on previous marketing methods that are more than dated.
As a matter of fact, you’ve got to change your marketing strategy quite significantly.
By adapting your outreach and lead nurturing approach, you will ensure growth and sustainability. Although it first may seem a little daunting, once you’re up and running, it is more scalable and predictable, not to mention that the consumer expects it.
You can start shifting your strategy by working on your blog and social media presence. Everyone is at home, which means that most of us are on our devices more than usual, so it’s the perfect opportunity to engage with your target audience.
Try to build your new marketing strategy around giving your readers valuable advice that they can apply to their lives immediately. In other words, use your skills and experience to write guides, lists & tip style blogs, newsletters, and eBooks that are free to download. You will need to publish content regularly, at least once a week, so get creative and use your knowledge to reel prospective clients in.
Use Social Media to Promote Your Content
No one wants to be blatantly sold to. You have to base your social media strategy around providing real worth to your audience first. Sure, when you’ve built up a following, there’s no harm in a self-promotional post once a week, but for now, make sure your posts are giving something worthwhile to whoever they reach.
Your social media channels should be used as a conversion tool to serve as a source of credibility for your business and aid your SEO efforts. Your channels (compliance approved of course), such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, should always be kept active with relevant, helpful content and should never be directly used for finding new clients.
Content posted on social media should be broken down into the following categories:
Educational content
Educational content should be made up of posts that share helpful, informative, and valuable information to your audience on a topic that resonates with them. Think about what you can teach them about – top tips, how-to’s, infographics, did you know’s, blog posts, industry information, resources, case studies, etc.
Conversational content
Here, it would help if you tried to ask the audience questions and get people engaging with your brand – think ‘fill in the blank,’ ‘caption this,’ ‘give your opinion,’ or polls that they can interact with.
Entertaining content/Inspirational content
It would be best if you weren’t too serious all of the time. Have some fun and create posts that your audience will relate to and enjoy – think memes, quotes, fantastic imagery, motivational posts, feel-good stories, etc.
Brand connection content
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, you need to make your clients’ experience more personal. Again, have a little fun and showcase what you’re all about. Brand connection content should be focused on behind the scenes, employee features, and your brand story.
Promotional content
Try to build a following first, and once you have, sneak in posts that promote your products, services, specials, deals, etc. Also, make sure to add a call to action so that your followers know exactly what to do should they be interested in what’s on offer.
Use Paid Media Campaigns for Promotion
There are so many ways to ensure your marketing efforts are impactful and effective. Once you publish content regularly and promote it across your socials, you can look at setting up paid ad campaigns.
Paid advertising is hugely beneficial because it garners instant results, can be measured, is cost-effective, and ultimately enhances your efforts towards building meaningful relationships with your audience.
Now that you’ve adopted a fully digital financial planning practice, your overhead can be considerably lower, so investing in the right tools to help you develop a compelling online experience is imperative to your success.
At Conneqtor, we have built a comprehensive set of processes that will help you establish yourself as a financial advisor in this day and age. Download our free eBook to find out more.
I hope you enjoyed reading this!
Kind regards,
Derek Notman
