If you’re looking to grow your financial advising practice in 2022, you need a tactical plan to get more clients. Getting more clients should depend on one thing: creating authentic connections with prospects.
In order to do this, you most likely need a marketing strategy and need to use financial psychology. Neither has to be complicated. Here are five easy ways to get more financial advising clients in 2022.
1. Utilize your LinkedIn
Social media marketing is all the buzz and all professional service providers should have a presence online. However, that doesn’t mean you have to start making TikTok where you dance and give financial advice.
One of the best platforms for professional service providers is LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to connect with your current professional network and use their search tools in order to expand it. It also offers the opportunity to directly message people, comment on people’s professional accomplishments, and more.
Two of the most important tasks to do on LinkedIn for 2022 is to optimize your profile so those searching for a financial advisor can find you and to consider having a LinkedIn services page. A service page is especially good if you’re self employed and in the early stages of your business.
To optimize your LinkedIn profile, make it clear what you do and who you help in the tagline, cover photo, and bio. A common mistake many people make is trying to showcase their accomplishments in a way that makes them look good on LinkedIn. Instead, frame your accomplishments so they show the benefits of working with you to prospective clients.
2. Create a referral offer for current clients
Despite all the advancements in the world of digital marketing, one of the best marketing tactics has been around long before Instagram, LinkedIn, or even MySpace: the best marketing is a happy client.
If you want to get more clients, ask current clients if they know anyone who might need your services. Feel free to even describe who your ideal client is. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that almost everyone is busy today.
In order to motivate current clients to give referrals, create some sort of incentive. This could be a $5 Starbucks gift card or a discount on one of your services. It doesn’t have to be big; even small incentives can go a long way.
After you have your incentive and list of clients to reach out to, craft a templated email you can send asking for referrals.
3. Develop a marketing strategy
Along with referrals and LinkedIn marketing, there are many other marketing tactics you can utilize. Which ones work best for you depend on your ideal demographics, resources and money available to invest, and personal preferences.
For example, if you’re targeting young professionals, digital marketing should play a big role in your marketing strategy with an emphasis on video content and newer platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
If you want to reach more seasoned professionals who want to improve their retirement plan, you might be better off with print advertisements or going to networking events in your local community.
There are so many marketing options available today. To figure out what works best for you, define your ideal client and create a plan to reach them where they hang out online or in person.
4. Pitch the story of your business to local media
While this one is a long game, being featured in the media can add credibility to your business and might bring in potential clients. You also don’t have to try to be featured in the New York Times or Washington Post for this to be effective.
In fact, being featured in local media may be even more beneficial as it’s only people within your community reading it.
To get started, write down your business’ story. Try to make it as interesting and insightful to the public as possible. You could also think of ways you could pitch a story which offers financial advice to the readers or watchers of local media.
After that, make a list of any local news channels, newspapers, or other media outlets which might be interested in your story. Try to find the media contacts who cover financial news or other similar types of stories. After that, craft an email pitching your story and see how they respond!
5. Create a better process for recruiting potential clients
While increasing the reach of your marketing efforts is great, you also want to increase your impact on potential clients who come across your brand. The best way to do this is to have a streamlined pitching and onboarding process. One of the most important parts of the pitching process is selling authentically. It’s also one of the most difficult.
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a sales pitch that sounds, well, sales-y. And if we’re being honest, those pitches make us want to flee instead of buy whatever the pitch is selling.
One of the best ways to avoid sounding sales-y is to create a genuine connection with prospective clients and make them feel like you get them. Luckily, there’s a fast, accurate way to get to know them before they even step into your office or onto a Zoom call: Moneymax.
Moneymax is a personality profiling tool that let’s you know where a client or prospective client falls on a scale for 13 different financial psychology characteristics. It gives you a holistic view of how they view money across a variety of facets, from investing to asking for a raise at work. Understanding the full picture of how a prospective client views money allows you to turn a sales pitch into a conversation where you’re working together to discuss the client’s financial future.
Since we believe so much in the power of Moneymax, we’re offering 10 free profiles to anyone who tries out the tool and posts about it on their social media. Subscribe to our email list for free to learn more details.