Many financial services firms are doing a nice job maintaining a professional website and social presence. However, most are overlooking the impact of gender and genderless diversification within their marketing copy. For Example: Are you unconsciously communicating with one gender more than another, ultimately isolating prospects? Or, are you effectively communicating in order to retain assets transitioning to younger generations, those that in particular prefer genderless marketing? Male & Female Often when facilitating a website review for an advisor, I find their marketing copy tends to speak to one gender more than another. Therefore, when you add content to your...
Read More
Credibility and trust are key components that make or break a financial advisory business. To help financial advisors build more trust, I provide three examples below. Recently, I watched a TED talk by Simon Sinek and was captivated by one particular comment: Trust is a feeling. His remark got me thinking about how to frame words that create feelings. Words financial advisors and other types of financial consultants can use on websites and social media channels to build credibility, ultimately creating feelings of trust. What are feelings? The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers several definitions, including: an emotional state or reaction, often...
Read More
Are you losing clients or not closing business at your usual rate? Perhaps the following is why… Times are changing, particularly in regard to your prospects’ environmental opinions. If you haven’t considered the environment recently, then you may be losing clients to a perceived lack of concern regarding the environment and its sustainability. The easiest way to explore if you’re losing clients to lack of environmental concern is to simply walk through your office and ask yourself the following question: Does what you see reflect your target audiences’ environmental values? More and more Americans are becoming concerned with their...
Read More
Summer Reading for the Beach, Lakefront, Poolside & Beyond If I had to recommend only one book every small business owner should include on their summer reading list, it would be: Conversationally Speaking: Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness by Alan Garner. It’s definitely worth the time for anyone who needs to start or keep a conversation going, e.g., consultant, vendor/supplier, small business owner of any kind, parent, husband/wife, etc. Why? Because, beyond this being a helpful and easy to read business book, by optimizing your personal communication skills, your small business will likely grow faster. What’s more,...
Read More
Whether it’s her birthday, anniversary or Mother’s Day, giving a small gift to your female advisory clients ultimately helps advisors deepen relationships. The most important part of the process is to let her know you’re thinking of her. Therefore, here are 10 ideas for financial advisors that won’t get you into regulatory hot water, and are easy to purchase and distribute. 10 Gift Ideas for Female Advisory Clients #1 – Virgin Olive Oil – Most affluent women understand that virgin olive oil is good for them and their family. #2 – Flavored Teas – Perhaps she doesn’t drink tea....
Read More
What follows is a financial advisor marketing plan sample targeting the small business owner niche. My example reflects the categories to define for any financial advisory niche. I’ve made this plan concise, since you’re likely short on time. In fact, you only need a one-to-two page marketing plan per niche. Anything more and it becomes impractical to implement for most advisory firms. Let’s get started. I cover picking a niche within a niche and then provide details for: value proposition, core message points, tone of voice, marketing and advertising channel selection, lead capture, client retention and client referrals. Niche Target...
Read More
To make more impact with your next financial blog, editorial, newsletter or social post, include some of these powerful word combinations. I’ve compiled this list from the past two weeks of my financial-related reading. I start with my favorites. Top 15 Favorite Word Combos Delusional Forecast Messy Numbers Napkin Math Investor Whiplash Smart Money Revenue Intelligence Tempered Confidence Inevitable Reversals Baked In Moral Compass Hemorrhaging Customers Dead Money Bears Will Brag Sip, Don’t Swig Flood of Money Here are 62 more word combinations in no particular order: Dazzling Retirement Numbers Prune Unprofitable Customers Primary Pillars RELATED: 12-Month Calendar...
Read More
