Branding, Marketing
M&A is Rampant: How to Stay Competitive
Return to Marketing Basics Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are all the rage in the financial services industry right now. But, if you don’t want to participate in these ventures, consider the other “A”—addition. As a marketing major (many moons ago), marketing 101 taught us the 4 Ps of marketing – Product, Placement, Price and Promotion. Each of these areas has variables that impact the success…
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Marketing
How to Evaluate Your Marketing Efforts
Marketing is often one of the largest investments for an independent financial advisor. Just like the investments in your clients’ portfolios, marketing efforts need to be considered an investment (not an expense.) This means measuring, evaluating and adapting over time to fit the changing environment. In my most recent blog, I shared tips on creating a successful marketing plan for a financial advisor. Once these…
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Marketing
How to Create a Marketing Plan for Your Financial Business
I believe there is no shortage of marketing ideas in the financial industry. In fact, I have found that the “shiny idea” syndrome of bouncing between too many inspirations is often a bigger marketing challenge for financial advisors. So, how do you know what marketing efforts make sense for you and your financial brand? Just like financial planning, successful marketing starts by having a clear…
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Branding
3 things that are destroying your brand
What to stop and start right now You don’t see it. And you can’t feel, smell, taste or touch it. But it’s there – lurking on your website. On your social media platforms. In your client letters. Brochures. You may even be delivering some of it yourself. It’s client repellent. It’s out there, and you’re the one responsible for it. You’re inadvertently saying and doing…
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Marketing
Content Marketing: Technology Tools to Become a Better Writer
Increasing search engine rankings, lead generation, conversion rates, client retention, referrals, overall marketing ROI—the list goes on for reasons content marketing has undeniable benefits as part of an inbound marketing strategy. Content marketing gets 3x more leads than paid search according to a study by Kapora and marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to see positive ROI according to Hubspot. So, why aren’t…
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Public Relations
CRISIS COMMUNICATION WHEN DISASTER STRIKES: WHAT AND WHEN TO COMMUNICATE
No one wants to think about it—It will never happen to you, your family or your clients or community. But bad things do happen, and when it’s part of your network, it’s important to know what to communicate, and when. While natural disasters can be prevalent this time of year, unfortunately, there are many man-made disasters that warrant a crisis communication plan as well. When…
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Branding
Getting to the CORE of Your Company’s Brand
Substance Sells, Generic Repels Like it or not, your business is a brand. If you engage with other people, you have a “brand image” that’s being portrayed. And yes, even if your firm is small, it still projects a brand, too. If you don’t know what that brand is, you’re likely committing a rookie mistake—don’t brand on accident. Be purposeful and strategic and, most importantly, involved…
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Marketing
Don’t add another marketing piece until you do this…
Why too much marketing material dilutes the message This industry is consistently evolving and reinventing itself. Advisors are fortunate to have so many “middlemen” vying for their business. From RIAs to B/Ds to IMOs—many of them will do anything to get your clients’ assets. Often, this means providing you with marketing materials and strategies to help you… wait for it… sell more of their products!…
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Marketing
Video Production Checklist: Pre-Production
Are videos a part of your marketing strategy yet? Video marketing is a trend that has become increasingly more popular and shows no signs of slowing down. If you’re not convinced that you need to incorporate videos into your marketing strategy, check out these statistics by Hubspot: 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from just 63% percent last year. 78% of…
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Branding
Tell The Right Story At The Right Time
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover Have you ever been to an airport waiting for a flight only to find yourself perusing a bookstore to pick up the next title you just might read? Of the hundreds of titles to choose from -what makes one book stand out over the other? You might go to the section you are interested first – let’s…
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