7 Effective digital marketing strategies for financial advisors

Digital marketing offers advisors a great opportunity to expand your client base, increase your authority in the industry, and grow your business. Because digital marketing allows you to reach a wider audience of qualified prospects faster, it’s also more scalable than simply relying on in-person networking, cold calling, or other more traditional ways of acquiring financial advisor leads.

Yet when it comes to online marketing, what works in other industries doesn’t necessarily always work for financial advisors. With a basic grasp of the following digital marketing strategies for wealth management, you’ll be able to connect with qualified prospects, increase awareness of your brand, and elevate your position in the industry to attract a steady influx of ideal clients.

Here we offer seven of our best marketing strategies for financial advisors plus insights on how to start implementing each. As we dive into these tips, don’t forget to keep your marketing efforts aligned with your firm’s guidelines and the latest industry regulations to protect your practice, your firm, and your clients as you grow your business.

1. Understand and serve your target audience

Ever stumbled upon a blog post or a social media post that felt like it was written just for you? That feeling as if the author wrote the article just for you happened because they understood the importance of speaking directly to their audience. 

In the same way, you can’t have an effective financial advisor digital marketing strategy without knowing who you want to attract into your practice. In today’s noisy online world, you need to connect with prospects on a level that shows you understand them and know how to serve them. This builds trust and deepens relationships, especially among high net-worth investors. 

While you can serve multiple audiences, having a niche helps you serve a specific group more effectively and saves you time in your outreach efforts. Understanding your target audience also dictates the rest of your marketing strategy. It allows you to create and curate your content – from website content and SEO to blog posts and emails – to increase the odds they’ll reach out to you to start a business conversation.

Rather than targeting all high net worth professionals, for example, consider targeting a subset such as doctors, tech pros, start up founders, or retail executives. Then use your marketing channels to demonstrate your understanding of their industry and show how you can help solve some of their current challenges.

How to get started reaching your perfect niche

Do some market research on your target audience. Learn about their preferences. Find out where they hang out online. Which social platforms are they using? Who do they seek financial tips from online? 

Not sure how to select your niche within financial services? Consider your prior career experience, current interests, passions, or hobbies. What sets you apart and resonates with the people you can best assist? 

2. Have a website that attracts ideal clients

Your website is more than just a digital business card. It’s the place where potential clients get a feel for your brand, discover shared values, and learn whether you’re the right fit to help them achieve their financial goals. To resonate with qualified prospects who are likely to hire you, it’s important that your website content speaks to the main challenges they might be experiencing while positioning your financial advisory services as a solution to these challenges.

You can also improve the results of your digital marketing by using your website to emphasize your credentials, designations, and highlighting the unique value that sets you apart. For example, while prospects could get a portfolio recommendation from a robo-advisor, they may still need help with more complex areas of their life. 

If you offer comprehensive financial services, let website visitors know you can assist in crafting financial plans to achieve their goals, brainstorm tax-efficient solutions, and provide guidance on sound estate planning strategies. Showcasing that you’re available to help with services such as estate planning can help you stand out and demonstrate your commitment to helping them achieve overall financial wellness.

How to ensure your website is effective for conversions

Align the design and content of your website with your intended audience, ensuring it is both professional and user-friendly. If possible, address your website visitors by using the second person (“you”) to establish a stronger personal connection. 

Ensure your website is mobile-friendly as many prospects may access websites from their phones. Consider hiring a professional website designer, a skilled copywriter, and if needed, an SEO expert to optimize your website for maximum results in terms of converting visitors to future clients.

3. Enhance your Google visibility through SEO

Have you ever wondered how some financial advisors get new clients just from someone finding their website online? It could be that the advisor has mapped out and implemented a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to ensure their website shows up high in search results. So what’s SEO all about? Its primary goal is simple: it helps people find precisely the answers they seek when they enter a keyword search online. 

When it comes to maximizing the success of digital marketing for financial advisors through SEO, it’s important to understand what terms potential clients may be entering into search engines. You’ll then want to create content on your website that reflects those keywords and questions. Over time, this strategy helps you amass authority and trust in the eyes of search engines like Google. 

In addition, you can use website page titles, URLs, and meta descriptions to leverage SEO keywords to boost your search engine ranking. An in-depth understanding of your target audience plays a pivotal role in a successful SEO strategy. This insight allows you to use SEO keyword tools to find potential words that prospects might be searching for as it relates to needing help with their finances.

How to get started with effective SEO strategies

Leverage keyword research tools like Ubersuggest to discover the terms and phrases your audience is likely to use in their searches. Integrate these keywords strategically throughout your website. Optimize just one page for each keyword phrase, so you don’t inadvertently compete with yourself. And be sure to create a free Google Business profile so your business can show up in Google Maps and other Google searches in your local area.

4. Create compelling written & digital content

Content is an essential pillar of a solid digital marketing strategy for financial advisors because it allows you to showcase your expertise and educate clients and prospects while demonstrating your value. The great thing about online marketing is that there are multiple types of media you can use to create and deliver content so you can focus on the media channel that most appeals to your audience – whether it’s through the written word, audio, or video.

Compelling online content can include:

• long-form written content like blogs and articles for your website
• short social media posts and sharing that provide value  
• guest posts and articles on websites of other authoritative figures or parallel services providers (like tax accountants and estate planners)
• contributions to online magazines and forums that resonate with your audience
• audio content such as your own podcast or appearances on others’ podcasts
• video content such as webinars and short educational videos
• guest appearances on online summits and conferences (or host your own)

Audio and video can be exceptionally effective forms of media when integrated strategically into your online strategy. These channels allow you to showcase your personality and connect on a deeper human level beyond just providing great financial advice.

Long-form written content also boosts your SEO

Consistently posting valuable blogs on your website allows you to improve your SEO so you can rank higher on search engines and attract those who are seeking answers to what you’re addressing in your content.  

While longer articles (typically 1500+ words) are SEO-friendly, there’s no need to make everything lengthy. As long as your content offers a unique and valuable perspective, shorter pieces can also effectively highlight your expertise and connect on a more personal level. 

An added bonus of creating long-form content is the ability to repurpose it. For instance, you can extract key insights from a blog to craft engaging social media posts and email summaries, directing traffic back to your website.

How to get started with creating great content

So what should you write or speak about to attract qualified prospects through your content? Consider what questions they may already be asking about financial topics. Here are some additional content ideas you can use to get you started:

• Share the latest market news and how this may affect investors’ portfolios.
• Provide general financial planning tips to help your readers plan for their future better.
• Offer insights to help your audience reach certain goals such as retirement, education funding, or estate planning strategies.

 

Remember to conclude your blogs or articles with a clear Call to Action, inviting your readers to take the next step, such as scheduling a conversation to explore how you can assist them in reaching their goals.

5. Be strategic about social media engagement

Effective online marketing for financial advisors would be incomplete without a strong, yet strategic social media presence. The problem that many advisors encounter with trying to market themselves on social media? They’re either: 1) not posting on the right platform for their audience or 2) are posting about themselves or their firm more than about topics that their audience would find helpful. 

The first step in seeing more results from your social media strategy is to understand which platform your audience is already using. This allows you to position yourself where they’re most active. For instance, busy executives favor LinkedIn, while affluent retirees may lean toward Facebook for family connections.

Once you know where your audience spends their time online, you can create posts that speak to some of their common financial challenges and offer concise, actionable tips. This will help establish you as a thought leader in the industry so the right prospects will be more likely to trust you and develop enough of a relationship to hire you as their financial advisor.

How to get started with an engaging social media presence

Do some market research to find out which platforms your target audience is most likely using online to find information related to planning their financial future and goals. Be proactive about connecting with those people, including finding groups where they might be active. 

Ensure your social media profiles are optimized to speak to your audience as directly as possible. Use your social media to share helpful content or spread the word about events, webinars, or podcasts you may be hosting or appearing on. Encourage your network to share your posts with their audience and engage with them by commenting and sharing their posts where possible.

6. Harness the power of email marketing and newsletters

Email marketing offers a unique opportunity for advisors to cultivate trust and credibility with prospects by maintaining more intimate connections than if they only relied on social media or other digital marketing strategies alone. 

Effective email marketing can include sending out regular email updates through newsletters, email sequences that can be automated to welcome new prospects to your email list, or even email marketing campaigns to announce upcoming events, webinars, or the launch of additional services (such as estate advisory) to help your clients achieve their goals.

Imagine if all social media platforms vanished overnight. How would you stay connected with those who want to hear from you? Email marketing serves as a dependable channel to keep your prospects and clients informed about the latest happenings in your industry and firm, but most importantly, to provide genuine value. 

Plus, compared to other forms of online marketing, email marketing boasts the most impressive ROI with an average of approximately $36 return for every $1 spent. This is because emails speak more directly to your audience, allowing you to send segmented or more personalized messages on a larger scale to an audience that has willingly consented to receive communication from you.

How to get started with email marketing that delivers results

One of the most challenging parts of email marketing for financial advisors is getting people on their email list. In today’s world of regulations and spam filters, buying a lead list of emails is unlikely to gain much traction. That’s why growing an email list is best done organically and with the user’s consent. 

To grow your email list, create incentives for individuals to join. These incentives, often referred to as lead magnets, might include ebooks, videos, mini-courses, or webinars that your target audience finds compelling enough to provide their email addresses in exchange. You may even consider creating something like your own version of an estate planning checklist to provide prospects with actionable tips they could use right away to achieve their financial and legacy goals.

Once prospects download your lead magnet, you can then set up an automated email sequence that will deliver value to your audience and allow them to get to know you better after they receive the lead magnet in their inbox. Then, use your email list to maintain regular contact through newsletters.

7. Amplify your reach with paid advertising

While SEO draws visitors to your website organically over time, paid advertising on search engines like Google or social media platforms can be an effective strategy to expand your lead pipeline faster. 

The best way to leverage ads in the realm of digital marketing for financial advisors is to incorporate them into your “top of funnel” approach. In marketing terms, this signifies the initial stage of engaging prospects, allowing them to start a customer journey during which you’ll build trust over time through solid content and emails.

For best results in paid online advertising, selecting the right platform and audience is key. This helps your ads reach qualified prospects genuinely interested in your offerings. Parameters such as job titles, interests, geography, and demographics should be considered so they’re in line with the target audience you can best help with your services. 

How to get started with paid ads to generate leads

So what might an effective paid ad strategy for financial advisors look like? One approach is to use ads to drive traffic to a lead magnet such as a free e-book, webinar, or event you’re hosting. After they attend your webinar or download your e-book, you gain an opportunity to continue the conversation via email, and they may even take the next step and schedule a call with you. 

Setting up ads can be a complex process, especially since each advertising platform works differently so consider hiring an ad specialist to make the most of your advertising budget.

Additional tips to streamline digital marketing for financial advisors

With so many potential ways to reach prospects online, it can feel overwhelming to find the right strategy you can implement consistently and effectively. So here are some final tips to simplify your digital marketing efforts:

Make data-driven decisions
Collect data and don’t be afraid to test things out when you first implement a strategy.  Consider creating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track your marketing results. This can include tracking your website traffic, conversion rates on your lead magnets, your open rates and click-through rates on emails, your Cost Per Click (CPC) on ads, or your social media following and engagement stats. Understanding these numbers empowers you to fine-tune your approach so you can do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

Optimize your marketing time
Boost productivity and efficiency by batching similar marketing tasks together. Consider setting aside designated “marketing days” for content creation or data tracking, allowing you to leverage your efforts throughout the month. You could also outsource marketing tasks to a marketing agency or to client associates on your team so you can spend more time serving clients or doing other tasks that others can’t do on your behalf.

Leverage your unique value
And last but not least, don’t forget to leverage the value that only you and your team can provide by sharing some of the unique ways that you can help clients. Use estate planning software like Vanilla to differentiate yourself from others in the industry by guiding clients on topics that matter to them such as wealth preservation and legacy planning.

By implementing at least a few of these strategies, you’ll grow your reach so you can connect with more ideal prospects to grow your business faster and more efficiently.