Strategy options but which are best for you

The following is a list of the main strategies Advisers are using.  Focusing time and marketing on only one or two strategies is dangerous, 'too many eggs in one basket', focusing on too many is equally dangerous.  It seems optimal to have 3-5 strategies in play at any one time. 

Warning:  A sign of insufficient planning is to head off down a new path simply because you heard of it at a seminar or through a colleague.  SEO and social media are two such examples.  Changing plans quickly doesn't mean the new direction will work for you it more an indication you're just chasing hope and 'other's promises'.  

Your planning should already have you on a path you won't want to deviate too far from as it should be delivering what is needed, namely, the attainment of the Practice's growth and maintenance Objectives.

If you don't plan to implement some of these strategies then their effectiveness will always be less than expected. 

The following list represents the major marketing strategies Financial Advisers are using to attain their Marketing Objectives.  Each will have a combination of website based technologies that maximise their effectiveness.

  1. Landing Pages
  2. Target marketing (eg women and self employed)
  3. Improve financial literacy
  4. Target Heirs
  5. Target 25-30 year olds, the next generation of clients.
  6. Phoning potential clients
  7. Analysis of Demographics.  For example, age groups where 18-32 = 30% of internet users (social, games, videos); 33-44 (main difference is research on health, buy on-line, bank, and starting to manage some capital).  E-mail is heavily used by all.
  8. In-depth analysis of existing client databases.
  9. Marketing campaigns of which the site or Landing Page is a part.
  10. Using Blogs, though Twitter might be a better answer here now.
  11. Video / Audio updates.
  12. Niche marketing to sub-sets of a client base.
  13. Building Touch point options and frequency.
  14. On hold messages.
  15. Content. Writing is very difficult to get right and always calls for ongoing testing. When writing one should always look to disturb and promote the fear of missing out.  Always think from the client’s perspective not your own. For example, use current news as a disturber.  An example being that almost none of the Chilean miners trapped underground had insurance so ask your clients what would happen if they suddenly died or became incapacitated and you don't know what's just around the corner.
  16. Refine databases, buy databases.
  17. Website Design.  (Components: montage, reasons to return, movement, feedback forms, CMS, etc)  Don’t ask for people’s opinion of a site but rather if they’d use the company that owns the site.
  18. Improve communications with existing clients to generate referrals, gain more per client.
  19. Intergenerational marketing.
  20. Provide more resources as a barrier to competitors.
  21. Twitter, Facebook, e-books
  22. Referral generation
  23. Direct mail
  24. Develop Centres of Influence
  25. Penetration of existing database. (for most this is option is where technology and planning can help the most in the short term)
  26. SEO / SEM (however, experience shows that the real return from this Strategy is far less than expected)
  27. Extra support and services via website to build marketing collateral such as Image and Professionalism
  28. Seminars
  29. Improved efficiency – online fact finds,Secure File Transfer.
  30. Analysing client behaviour looking for opportunities.  For example, when do they read, day or night? Device usage such as iPad and iPhone.