With the marketing landscape always changing, businesses will need to adapt their marketing strategies. Moving forward, financial advisors will face unique and new challenges when trying to connect with clients and reach more prospects.
Keeping this in mind, we cover the top ten marketing trends that financial advisors can use to grow their businesses in 2023.
1) Video Sales Funnels
Studies have shown that videos drive more engagement than images, and that 68% of consumers would prefer to learn about a new product through video. With these stats, as well as others that confirm these findings, the new year will likely see an increase in sales funnels initiated by videos.
When it comes to quality, videos don’t have to be perfectly polished. Some of the most popular videos on TikTok and YouTube are shot by amateurs. Viewers are more concerned about watching videos that help them solve problems or teach them something valuable than perfect speech, lighting, or editing.
Also, if you’re camera-shy, you can still create engaging videos. Many businesses use drawings, slides, audio recordings, third-party video footage, and other mediums to create their content.
2) Customized, Exclusive Content
Both customized and exclusive experiences became trends in recent years and it’s likely to see these two trends merge.
This is driven by consumers’ desires to control the content they receive. Since we’re all bombarded with ads, pop-ups, and other annoyances, we prefer to choose which content we receive. Customized content is more likely to be read, while exclusivity can feel like a bonus for being a loyal customer.
You can provide this type of value to your current clients by creating seminars, workshops, newsletters, video series, and other content that is customized and only accessible to them. Sharing quality content such as exclusive tips or stats can demonstrate your value and expertise as an advisor while simultaneously strengthening your relationships with clients.
3) Abbreviated Content
Users are inundated with information. When creating social media posts such as videos and informative images, keep it short and to the point. With so many posts trying to capture your prospect’s attention, less information can actually trump longer content, especially on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Platforms such as Tik-Tok and Instagram even cap the length of content, forcing users to keep it short.
This isn’t to say that you can’t have longer posts on your website, such as in-depth articles (known as pillar posts) or longer videos on YouTube. Both types of content can capture the attention of those who are looking for more information, such as step-by-step instructions.
This is especially true when it comes to client-only content. On the contrary, customers may feel cheated if they sign up for a webinar or other exclusive event only to find it truncated. But when it comes to social media, and even blog posts short can definitely be sweeter.
4) Lead Forms
Lead forms (also known as lead generation forms) are digital forms that are meant to capture email addresses and other pertinent information from potential customers. They are also meant to prompt the user to take some sort of call-to-action, such as contacting your business, registering for an online event, or signing up for your newsletter.
Lead forms have grown in popularity enough to prompt platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube to create their own templates. Platforms prioritize their own forms since they work in conjunction with their ads or sponsored content.
Rather than rely on general templates, advisors and asset managers also have the option to use TIFIN Content’s embedded lead generation forms in sharable content. Our lead forms are tailored exclusively for financial professionals who want to grow their customer base and increase conversion rates.
5) Intentional Automation
From sales processes to customer management and beyond, businesses have myriad options when it comes to automation. The right software can decrease workload and create better user experiences, but poor or incorrect programs can have the opposite effect.
In a Forbes article on the subject, author Chad Otar states, “Automation, like many technologies cutting across industries, can increase efficiency exponentially by cutting time to do mundane tasks at a faster rate. However, this does not mean automation can increase all types of productivity. The technology works best when it is deployed for tedious and repetitive tasks.”
With so many software programs to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to invest in. Intentional automation is about prioritizing the processes to automate so that you get the largest ROI. Selecting up-to-date applications that were specifically designed for your niche is usually the best option.
Our platform, TIFIN Content, was created to help financial advisors and asset managers with the repetitive task of social media interaction.
6) Audio Content
For those who are camera shy, audio content can be an effective alternative. While podcasts have existed for years, the recent rise of social audio app Clubhouse and the introduction of Twitter Spaces underscores its growing popularity.
Just like with video, advisors can use audio content to expand their customer base and deepen relationships with prospects and clientele. Financial professionals such as Brian Preston and Bo Hanson, for example, created the Money Guy podcast that has attracted thousands.
If you don’t want to create your own podcast or host your own room on Clubhouse, consider sharing information as a guest. Unlike video, most podcasts and Clubhouse rooms exist as conversations between two or more people.
Another advantage to audio files is the ability to repurpose them. It’s common practice in the business world to take audio files and convert them to articles, as well as extract quotes to share on social media. You can also record podcast sessions as videos and publish them to sites like YouTube—a strategy used by Preston and Hanson, as well as many other businesses.
7) Hyper-Personalized Emails
Automation can be great for businesses, but it can also lead to a lack of personalization, which puts users off. Users are becoming more and more immune to inbound marketing efforts and generic emails, especially, can come across as nothing more than spam that gets deleted.
On top of this, Apple’s recent iOS15 update initiated privacy protections that block businesses from tracking emails. This move has forever impacted email marketing for businesses since data such as open rates, audience segmentation, and A/B testing can no longer be accurately measured.
To combat these roadblocks, businesses are moving toward hyper-personalized emails. This involves recommending products or content based on the customer’s behavior, such as selecting a particular product or service, or by life factors, such as age and location.
Advisors can segment using data they’ve received directly from their clients and tailor their email marketing campaigns accordingly. However, depending on the number of clients, this could be a momentous task. This is where the use of automation, AI, and third-party applications can be of tremendous help.
A faster and more effective alternative would be to use TIFIN Content’s platform, which was designed specifically to help advisors with their marketing campaigns. TIFIN Content creates custom content based on your firm’s value proposition, client investment, and client segments. We create hyper-personalized content—including emails—to increase engagement and grow your brand.
8) First-Party Data
In a world of robo advisors, spam, and endless social media feeds, customers and prospects are likely to crave more meaningful and valuable interactions. Third-party apps can help but that doesn’t mean advisors should sit out on the outreach process.
Advisors should get to know their clients outside of algorithms by talking to them directly. Asking questions, leading discussions, and listening to clients’ feedback can complement third-party marketing apps and complete your marketing strategy. By reaching out directly, you can learn more about what consumers want in an advisor versus relying solely on apps and analytics.
9) User Search Intent
User search intent has been important in SEO (search engine optimization) for several years, but it will continue to dominate as a ranking factor.
This intent is the reason why someone types in a certain word or phrase (known as keywords) into a search engine. This intent heavily factors in whether or not a piece of content ranks for particular keywords. Most often, users type in keywords because they are looking for answers to their questions. For example, if a user types in “financial planning for Millennials,” they are hoping to find answers as to how they can financially plan for the future as a Millennial.
As an advisor, you must strive to produce content that answers specific financial questions clients and prospects might have. This will increase your chances of being discovered through organic search. Conducting keyword research using sites like Ubersuggest, Semrush, or Google Keyword Planner can point you in the right direction.
10) Social Responsibility
Customers like to know they’re helping to champion a worthy cause. Realizing this, many businesses have voluntarily chosen to align themselves with social, economic, or environmental causes. These self-regulating values, known as corporate social responsibility (CSR), have been increasingly adopted by businesses in recent years. This trend is projected to hold up, if not grow.
Advisors should consider adopting a similar strategy, especially in the wake of Reg BI. At the very least, advisors should emphasize their fiduciary role on their website and other marketing materials. Additionally, financial advisors can consider what other causes can complement this role and become champions of those missions.
TIFIN Content can help you grow your business by producing targeted, branded content. Our financial marketing specialists use AI to design customized marketing campaigns to keep your firm top-of-mind with clients and prospects.
Important Reminder: If you are a regulated advisor, it is your firm’s responsibility to ensure all material is reviewed and given final approval by your internal compliance/legal department prior to publication.
