As vaccination supply starts to outpace demand and restrictions on gatherings and travel in many areas disappear, financial advisors may be tempted to move away from the virtual and digital marketing strategies that became their only options during the pandemic. Since we all had to move out of our comfort zone. The upside is that many advisors now have a better understanding of the range of digital channels at their disposal, and it’s important to realize that many of these tactics are here to stay.
Website Reality
As advisors were temporarily forced into a virtual work environment, the importance of having a modern, well-designed website became obvious. If your digital presence doesn’t start with an aesthetically-pleasing and content-rich website, any referral or marketing prospect will likely ignore you and look elsewhere. That’s why we place so much emphasis on your brand before we start any lead generation activity. If your store window doesn’t encourage prospects to walk inside, there’s no point in driving anyone there.
Relationship Building
One can argue that the way we communicate has changed as the world shifted, but the importance of building meaningful relationships has not. This is a relationship business that now calls for a combination of traditional and digital marketing to develop business growth. Along with your website, your social media presence could probably use an upgrade. This is not to generate leads, but to have a consistent message to help clients and prospects get to know you in a more personal way and build your brand awareness.
A Consultative Approach
Even though the term “financial advisor” at first glance doesn’t sound “salesy,” many of us at times fall into a sales mindset with prospects. That’s why it’s important to adjust the way we think as advisors. First, start a conversation and stop the sales pitch. The goal is to first see if you and your prospect are a fit for each other. This will help to remove any apprehension or feeling of pressure. Many of us assume that when we fail to covert a potential client it happens at the end of the process. Research shows that it typically occurs at the first meeting because the prospect feels sales pressure.
Conclusion
Remember that prospects are looking for financial support for their own reasons, not yours. Your best clients work with you because of who you are as much as what you do. As face-to-face meetings become more common again, take a moment to reevaluate your process and client experience. Ultimately, your future business growth depends upon starting conversations and building relationships, not chasing leads and growing your database.
Scott spent 20+ years as a large market radio host, on-camera news talent and VP of content creation. He helps develop and manage all advisor client acquisition strategies for Quantum, including live events, digital, social and legacy media campaigns.
