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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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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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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Marketing, Public Relations
How to Win Awards for Your Financial Firm
40 under 40, Top Financial Advisory Firm, Fastest Growing RIA, Best Place to Work—you’ve seen the lists. Perhaps even your competition is on them. Want to know how you can win awards and accolades for your financial business? 3 Ways to Help You Win Awards: There are two kinds of professional awards: Those that rank your business strictly on hard facts, (like AUM via SEC or…
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Branding, Marketing
When it’s time to sell… How to maximize your brand equity
You’ve climbed the mountain. Reached the top. The pinnacle of your life’s work is under you. And now it’s time to cash in. Other than the obvious strong financials, what else is going to help you sell your financial planning business for top dollar? According to industry publications, valuations for financial planning firms are reaching record highs, and private equity is more interested than ever…
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Branding, Marketing
Today’s Biggest Opportunities in the Financial Services Industry (PART 2)
Creating a Marketing Plan for Retaining Gen-Xers and Millennial Clients During ‘The Great Wealth Transfer’ In my previous blog, I shared two of what I consider to be the biggest opportunities for the financial industry in 2019, including committing to mastering your craft and preparing for sales, mergers and acquisitions. The third area creating the biggest challenge and thus opportunity: How to retain assets under…
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Branding, Marketing
Today’s Biggest Opportunities in the Financial Services Industry
Reflections and Marketing Forecast for 2019 and Beyond With the New Year comes a time of reflection for most Americans, and for me personally hits a milestone of 10 years of working in the financial industry. What has changed since the markets bottomed out a decade ago? A Look Back In January of 2009, with the aftershock of the stock market collapse paired with the…
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