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 onset of Boomers reaching retirement, my perspective of the industry was a seismic shift of advisors flocking to fixed indexed annuities and becoming self-proclaimed “retirement experts.”
Since that time, a combination of regulatory advancements as well as an increasing consumer financial awareness and education has led many of these professionals to evolve from insurance agents to securities licensed advisors. The field continues to elevate with designations and specialty education becoming necessary for many advisors to deliver the level of service their clients expect and need, with reputable organizations, such as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor GroupSM, increasingly growing in demand. Since 2005, AdvisorPR has been on the forefront dedicated to giving organizations like these and advisors who share these ideals of excellence a prominent voice in their communities.
What’s next? 3 Steps to Dominating the Next Decade in the Financial Industry
1. Commit to Mastering Your Craft
If you are not already investing in your professional education, you are being left behind. Your advanced knowledge in specialty planning topics, such as tax strategies for IRAs, can:
a. Differentiate you from your competitors to attract more (and better) prospects and
b. Help you deliver greater service and value to your existing clients, resulting in more business opportunities and referrals as well
HOW THIS IMPACTS YOUR MARKETING:
If you already embrace your education and a financial planning philosophy, have your marketing materials evolved to reflect this? On your website services, are you offering products or solutions? You may sell annuities, but people buy lifetime income. Or your portfolios may have a great history of returns, but if you are selling based on performance, good luck retaining those clients during the next market blip!
We often see advisors have an assortment of marketing materials that have accumulated over the years, commonly telling different and even conflicting stories from what they currently represent. If this sounds like you, we can offer a fresh perspective to audit your existing inventory and update your materials as needed to create a custom, cohesive brand experience. (For more on this topic, check out my past blog: “How Can I Improve My Marketing Results for My Financial Practice?”)
2. Be Prepared for Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions
With financial planners retiring at twice the rate that new ones are entering the field, opportunities for mergers, acquisitions and client turnover are sure to follow. Are you prepared to capitalize on this transition?
HOW THIS IMPACTS YOUR MARKETING:
Considering the long-term goals for your practice is pivotal for building your financial brand. For example, if you plan to expand to multiple advisors, using the founder’s name in the company name can quickly become a limitation. Similarly, should you choose to purchase or merge with another firm, how will you communicate this as a positive change to your staff, current and future clients to retain as many assets as possible during the transition? A strategic co-branding or rebranding campaign is essential and another area AdvisorPR can provide expertise.
The third area of greatest opportunity? Check out part two of this series for marketing tips for retaining assets during The Great Wealth Transfer and integrating Gen X and Millennial clients into your practice!
As always, contact us if we can be of help fueling your business initiatives with strategic branding, marketing and public relations efforts.
