On his podcast Bridging The Gap, host Matt Reiner recently welcomed our founder, Claire Akin, to dig into the basics of embracing a speciality and the importance of marketing “you” as a person and not necessarily “you” as a brand or company—just to scratch the surface!
This is a must-listen for any advisor wondering how to grow their business more naturally and in a way that benefits everyone.
Let’s break down some of the main takeaways from this engaging interview.
Be a Go-To Specialist
Hands down, Claire points out that the most reliable way to help financial advisors share their true value with prospects is to embrace a specialty.
She advises all independent advisors to answer the following questions:
- What is the one urgent problem you help clients solve?
- What is the biggest emotional benefit your clients walk away with?
- Why do they choose to work with you?
- What do you want to be known for?
The bottom line? You have to specialize in knowing what’s most valuable to your audience—and fulfilling that need. Focusing your marketing will resonate with your ideal prospects and allow your A+ process and service for that specific niche to shine.
Focus On What Clients Care About
It’s interesting that independent financial advisors often say that growth is their biggest hurdle. There are so many people out there who need help, growing our client base shouldn’t be such a challenge—yet it is.
Perhaps advisors are struggling to connect with their prospects because they’re focusing on aspects they care a lot about—but that don’t particularly align with what their prospects truly care about. It’s about instilling the confidence that you’re going to help them have a better life, not particularly what you’re investing.
So, the question becomes: How can advisors better share the value they provide? The key is to balance what advisors want to write about versus what clients want to read about to meet in the middle. Once you determine who you want to help, you can do what you love and grow your business more naturally. Share stories of the value you provide. You may not be saving lives like doctors, but you are saving financial futures; and what prospect doesn’t want that?
Implement the Digital Marketing Essentials
What are the marketing essentials for advisors to be effective? Claire says to keep it simple:
- Website
- Content management system
- Customer relationship management system (CRM)
- Email marketing at least every month
- Social media channels
- Data aggregator to review metrics from all channels
Keep in mind, marketing for financial advisors is a long-term process. Generating more traffic to a website and social media channels, and adding contacts to an email list…no marketing strategies will work quickly, and people choose an advisor based on relationship and trust—which takes time!
If you’re struggling to know what to focus on, Indigo has developed a helpful marketing checklist of items to always be thinking about, based on working with thousands of advisors.
Get Personal (and Memorable)
The reality is that people want to be influenced by people, not by a company or brand. Some people market the firms, rather than marketing their people. Producing content by a person, rather than a brand, goes a long way in connecting to your audience on a personal level.
Relationships take time to build, especially when it cannot be face to face. And a key to building relationships with your audience is becoming memorable. When Claire founded Indigo, she decided to always wear blue. Can you develop something memorable (and keep it consistent)? Weaving your brand throughout your messaging will leave a lasting impression on your prospects and better keep you top of mind.
Publish Strategic Content
It can be daunting to put out custom content every month. Ask yourself: What am I the expert in? You want to be the go-to resource that friends and family can identify you by in one sentence. (Why to blog and what to blog about?)
You want your value proposition to be clear, and build your marketing calendar around that. As mentioned above, it’s personal—people want to know who you are, so share it in a compelling and memorable way.
Examples of popular posts that perform well and make you memorable:
- “Why I Became an Advisor” (People want to know your story!)
- “How We Help” (This is where you focus on that one urgent problem you solve.)
- “One Thing I Teach My Kids About Money”
- “The Biggest Mistakes I See Physicians Make”
- “You Know the Benefits of Working with a Financial Advisor. Do Your Friends & Family?” (Ask for referrals! Your network doesn’t necessarily know you’re not too busy to take on new clients. Tell them on a regular basis so they don’t forget.)
Want more ideas?
- 5 Blog Post Topics Every Financial Advisor Should Have on Their Site (Video)
- A Real-Life Example of a GREAT Financial Advisor Post
Your strategies will depend on your audience. For example, if your ideal prospects are nurses, you might want to keep your content shorter, like a checklist. We’ve found that 600 words is the sweet spot.
How Does Indigo Help?
Speaking of go-to specialists, that’s exactly what Indigo Marketing Agency is for independent financial advisors. We create custom marketing to fit an advisor’s firm and tell their story.
In today’s digital age, your website is the lifeblood of your business. Indigo builds custom websites for independent financial advisors (with no monthly fees or contracts). Once you’ve determined your ideal clients, it’s much easier to help them land on your site.
Indigo’s Testimonial Program helps put the all-powerful word of mouth to work for you. Wondering about marketing regulations when it comes to case studies? The testimonials are not discussing specific results or individual strategies, they’re telling personal stories of the process they went through, sharing how you partner with people on their journey.
Curious to hear directly from independent financial advisors like you about their experience partnering with Indigo? Check out these client success stories.
Get Started on Your Marketing Strategy Today!
Are you ready for a tangible next step to implement right now? Consider taking Indigo’s Narrow Your Niche Challenge to answer those crucial questions to discover your ideal prospects: Who are your favorite clients? Why do you love working with them?
Also check out Indigo’s most-requested webinar, How to Create Your 2022 Marketing Plan & Grow Your AUM by 25% This Year.
Ready to get started on taking your digital marketing to the next level? Schedule a call with Indigo’s marketing team now.
To hear the full interview, click here.