5 Email Marketing Trends for Financial Advisors
Contrary to what many business owners believe, email marketing is not dead and it is still one of the best communication channels to keep in touch with prospects, especially in the Financial Advisory industry.
Nothing can beat connecting in person but let’s be real. It’s impossible to meet and talk on the phone with hundreds of people who have your business card and might open an account with you one day. Here’s when email comes in handy.
Remember though that email marketing is not about sending random emails to strangers and is subject to Individual Firm Email Compliance regulations. Here are five email marketing trends Financial Advisors can use to improve communication with prospects and clients.
#1 – Email Marketing Strategy and Campaign Planning
Effective email marketing starts with building a strong and healthy list. You should have a clear idea what people you want to attract to your list and offer them something of value. Send emails only to people who specifically opted in or gave you permission to add them to your lists.
Also, be sure to set the goals you want to achieve with your email campaigns. Those might be calling you for an appointment, building rapport and staying on top of mind, or just keeping in touch by sharing news from the financial industry and your company.
And finally, integrate your email as a communication channel with all other marketing initiatives of your firm (social media, blog and website, search engine optimization, etc.)
#2 – Email Marketing Automation
Utilizing email marketing automation tools will enable you to stay in touch with prospects and clients without actually logging in to your email account and hitting the send button for each and every email you want to send. Instead, you can utilize email marketing tools available on the market such as Constant Contact, iContact, Mailchimp, to name a few.
For example, you can set a welcome email to send to everyone who joins your email list. You can tell your contacts more about yourself, your firm, or simply help them find their way around your website. Since the welcome email will be the same for everyone, you can just write it, get it approved by your firm’s Compliance department, design it and set it to send out automatically to all new contacts within a certain time period (e.g. 1 day after joining your list).
You can design and schedule as many such emails as you want, emphasizing valuable insights – services you offer, best practices and tips to help your prospects and clients make informed decisions about their financial security and future.
Key features of all email marketing tools relate to list growth, autoresponder features, tracking and analytics, contact management, segmentation, integration with other tools, and more. Each tool has its pros and cons so be sure to choose one that best meets your firm’s needs.
#3 – Simplicity, Consistency and Responsive Design
As you very well know, Financial Advisors are busy and so are their prospects and clients. For that reason, make sure you make it easy for your contacts to open and read your emails no matter where they are or how much time they have.
The share of mobile users grows every day so you need to meet the demand for mobile friendly content. Make sure your email campaigns are enjoyable and readable across devices – desktop, tablets and smart phones.
Design your emails in such a way that they are instantly recognizable. Include your firm’s logo, brand colors and other elements that distinguish your emails and visually remind the receiver who they are from. Be consistent – utilize a similar email template for all your campaigns to stay on top of mind.
As Don Connelly says, stick to the basics. Send simple emails with clear call to action so that your prospects and clients can digest the information in just a few moments and know what they need to do – read your newest post, call you for an appointment, buy your new service offering, or something else.
#4 – Personalization and Relevancy of Emails
Email marketing can help you keep in touch and build relationships with prospects and clients, but only if done right.
Segmenting contacts into different groups or lists and letting them opt-in to receive only specific information, enables you to send relevant campaigns to them. This way you keep a healthy list which is key for effective email marketing.
Personalizing your emails brings you one step closer to maintaining a healthy list – from starting emails with your contact’s name, to sharing valuable information specific to their needs and interests, often based on their past behavior (e.g. engagement with a previous email campaign, blog post, or social media update). All of these need to be consistent with your firm’s Compliance regulations.
#5 – Storytelling Tactics to Emphasize the Value You Bring
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you are no stranger to the importance of developing storytelling skills for achieving greater success. Employing storytelling in your email campaigns is no exception.
To quote Don Connelly, “The guy in the hardware store on Saturday morning looking to buy a new 1/4″ drill bit, isn’t looking to buy the drill bit. He’s looking to drill a 1/4″ hole. He just needs the 1/4″ drill bit to do it.”
Remember you’re not selling a product or a service. You are selling a solution. You are offering your prospects and clients peace of mind that they will generate more cash in the future, whether it’s to send the kids to college, or to retire on a yacht in the Caribbean.
Using storytelling in your email campaigns will help you engage your contacts and convey the value you offer them.
