As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time for financial advisors to begin sharpening their focus on the coming year and how they intend to grow their business. If you look under the hood of any successful company, you’ll find that at the center of their sustainability and growth is an excellent lead generation strategy.
When we refer to lead generation, we’re talking about those sales and marketing-related activities which produce useful contact information for those potential customers that fit your target audience. In this blog, we’re going to focus specifically on inbound lead generation tactics, including:
- Blogs and written content
- Social media
- Email marketing campaigns and marketing automation
- SEO (search engine optimization)
- Webinars and video marketing
But lead generation is more than driving traffic to your site or piling up more “likes” than your competitor on Facebook. Well done and properly executed, lead generation will enable you to find the right customer, offer them the right content and demonstrate how your services can help solve their problems. It is about finding your ideal client and showing them that you are their ideal financial advisor.
Defining Your Target Market
You’ve heard and read it time and time again, but it bears repeating: You must define your target market. It’s important to have a target market because it allows you to focus your efforts and resources on where they will be the most efficient and effective. Your target market is a group of people with whom you want to achieve a specific goal. That specific goal is of course to win their business.
To define your target market, first determine what type of client you would like to attract. There are many factors to consider when defining your target market, including age, income level, location, interests and lifestyle. Once you’ve determined which segment of the population you would like to reach, begin researching that demographic to better learn their wants and needs. Knowing who you want as a client is only valuable if you further that knowledge by learning more about how your advisory services can be most beneficial to them.
Tips for marketing to your target market include creating content that is tailored specifically for them (e.g., blog posts about topics that interest them), developing targeted advertising campaigns (including social media ads), and conducting surveys or other research studies to learn even more about their specific needs and wants.
Books and case studies on successful targeting strategies abound; however, it is always best to leverage the right tools or consult with an expert if you are unsure how best to approach defining and targeting your audience.
Tips for Inbound Lead Generation
The most effective lead generation strategy for a given financial advisor or clientele will vary depending on the type of business and the target market. There are several different types of lead generation strategies advisors can use, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Considering the tactics listed above, here are some tips to employ for each type of lead generation strategy:
Blogs and Written Content on Your Site
- “Organic traffic, the kind brought through SEO marketing, covers over 51% of all traffic worldwide.” Any traffic that you get from organic search related to your site content is essentially free — so while content creation may not be flashy, the result is definitely worth it, as over half of all users find content through search.
- Though results can take time, once your content begins to rank on search engines it will continue to do so provided you keep up with the search engine updates, and consistently publish new, quality content.
- Remember the site isn’t all about you and your business. What does your visitor (prospect) want to know? What do they hope to gain by visiting your site? “B2B blogs with educational content get 52% more organic traffic than B2B blogs with company-focused content.”
- Infographics, images, and other graphics that make your content more visually appealing will increase your visitor retention and likelihood to act.
- Work within your network to guest-post on other sites either within your industry or across disciplines that may help you reach your target demographic.
Social Media
- “Facebook and Instagram are the two most effective social media platforms for B2C content marketing.”
- While this is true for 2022, the trend continues to show consumers utilizing Tik Tok and YouTube to an increasing degree. The point is: social media is ever-changing and requires that same flexibility from businesses utilizing these platforms for marketing purposes.
- Utilizing various social media platforms gives you a wider net to cast when trying to reach your ideal client demographic.
Email Marketing Campaigns and Marketing Automation Tools
- Your email list is full of contacts that have shown some interest in your business or services, so should already be within your targeted market.
- Personalize your emails where possible by providing specific information or offers.
- Leverage marketing automation tools to save time, level up your email efforts and ultimately, your overall marketing strategy.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- It’s vital to optimize all the pages of your site for SEO, using the keywords that you want to want to rank for in search engines.
- Consider the keywords used by prospective clients when they are searching for a financial advisor business like yours. Don’t forget to take into consideration the keywords related to the problems that your services help to solve. Cover all your bases when it comes to using keywords on your sites.
- Organic traffic is the most cost-effective way to drive potential customers to your site. It provides independent advisors without large advertising budgets their best vehicle for generating traffic.
- Design your site with the customer in mind. Make sure it’s simple and easy for clients and prospects to take action. Insert clickable pop-ups to attract the visitors’ attention to an action you want them to take.
Webinars and Video Marketing
- Create videos that represent you, your services, and any unique benefits you may provide.
- Webinars are a great tool to use for interacting with your audience “in person” and to field questions in a meeting-like setting.
- 83% of marketers consider webinars a reliable venue to obtain qualified leads. B2B marketing specialists may generate between 500 and 1000 leads per webinar.
- Video can make a complex topic more easily understood. Most people don’t read blog posts all the way through, so providing short videos explaining your services can be incredibly effective.
Financial advisors operate in a highly competitive world. Utilizing successful and intentional lead generation strategies can be a catalyst to help you grow your business. By being creative, consistent, and committed, you can sow the seeds for your success now and reap a bountiful harvest in 2023.
Ready to level up your marketing game? Check out Redtail Campaigns, the industry’s first CRM-centric advisor marketing suite. Redtail Campaigns builds upon Orion’s legacy Market*r tool, empowering advisors and firms to drive new business and deepen client relationships through hyper-personalized marketing campaigns launched right from their CRM dashboard — see it in action, here, or get started today.
2218-OAT-11/17/2022