The overwhelming majority of independent financial advisers who developed a 2020 marketing plan had to delete those plans in the first quarter. In-person events and personal meetings all went out the window with the onset of the pandemic.
Fortunately, many advisers rolled with the punches and evolved their plans to use their digital presence to engage with existing clients and capture new clients.
By now, many of the most staunchly traditionalist financial advisers have dipped a toe into the digital marketing pool, while many others have pivoted much of what they do in marketing to email, websites, social media and virtual events. Call it the 2020+ marketing plan.
To thrive in this environment, financial advisers must become modern marketers who can execute on integrated, digitally oriented marketing plans to reach prospective and current clients -- ideally utilizing less time and incurring less expense. And they need to do it with a personal touch that generates opportunities to surprise and delight, while creating referrable moments.
While this may sound like a tall order, it can be done with the right plan and support, and with a focus on the following:
Independent financial advisers can’t get there on their own. Here are the resources they should look for from the firms that support them:
The disruption and uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic is truly unprecedented, but in many ways, the resulting movement toward a more virtual world is an acceleration of certain trends that were already in motion, versus an outcome that would never have otherwise happened.
For as jarring as the transition to this new normal has been, independent financial professionals who are able to access and leverage the right digital marketing and brand-building resources will be better positioned than ever to grow their businesses on a scalable basis, while reinforcing their distinct identity, voice and value proposition.
Susan Theder is chief marketing officer of Advisor Group, the nation’s largest network of independent wealth management firms. Robert Turner is president and CEO of Capitol Financial Solutions, an independent financial services firm.
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