11 minute read
Develop a Newsletter to Engage Clients
Contributed by FMG Suite
A newsletter, whether it’s sent weekly or monthly, is the best way to keep clients updated on your firm and the industry while nurturing prospects with engaging content.
Advertisement
When you send out a regular email newsletter, you keep yourself top-of-mind and remind your audience they’re part of your circle of connections. You might have a prospect who quietly reads your newsletter for months, then finally pulls the trigger and gives you a call because of a particularly interesting article or update you sent.
Follow our step-by-step guide to write a compelling newsletter:
1 2
Select Topics
When creating your financial advisor newsletter, we recommend including a mix of topics. This could include: • News about your firm (new hire, office move) • Industry news • Community information • Summaries and links to insightdriven content (yours or from reputable thought-leaders) • Personal news (recent vacation)
While the exact mix is up to you, depending on the advisory’s tone, you should absolutely include both firm-related news as well as industry updates. This ensures that every reader will find something that interests them.
Curate Your Sources
Your newsletter shouldn’t just be a mix of topics, it should be from a mix of sources as well. Curating valuable content is less time consuming than creating your own articles, but still is a great service to provide your readership. Remember to always credit the work and provide a small commentary on what they will read. Even though you aren’t driving traffic to your website, you are providing value, and that’s what counts.
3
Drive Traffic to Your Website
In most cases, you should not include full articles in a newsletter. It is better to tease the article so that the user decides to follow the link back to the original source. Each item in a newsletter should include a short blurb, around two to three sentences, a link to the full piece and ideally a picture.
This is the ultimate goal of your newsletter: take people to your site where you have a better chance of converting them to a client. By driving readers to your site, you’re able to increase traffic, increase the chance they’ll read your other content and eventually drive SEO and increase page rank.
4 5
Find the Right Tone
Your clients are busy, just like you, and might get turned off from a newsletter that’s boring or too long. Your newsletter should tell your clients, “you’re part of our family” while still providing valuable information.
Varying the source of your content can also add breadth to your voice. Some aspects of your newsletter can certainly be pre-created, such as the market insights you can find in your FMG Suite campaigns. For other parts, it should absolutely be written by you or another member of your team. This ensures your message feels personal and specific to your brand – not like it could have come from any other financial advisor in the world.
Use Simple Design Tools
You may think it requires a graphic designer to create a newsletter. Luckily, building the newsletter in your FMG Suite dashboard is simple, no matter your design skill level, and only takes a few minutes. Make sure your newsletter includes branding elements like your logo, plus a few images to keep it visually interesting.
6
Create an Email List
Now that you have your email, who do you send it to? Start with the email addresses of your clients and staff. Then, look through your notes for all your prospect contacts. Look through business cards you’ve collected, the connections you’ve made on LinkedIn, and referrals from current clients. Include their first and last name when you upload their information to your email provider, so you can auto-fill their name when you send it out.
You might want to consider organizing your list by syncing it with a CRM system like RedTail. CRM allows you to segment your audience and track your relationship with clients and prospects.
7
Commit to a Delivery Schedule
It’s important to stay consistent in how often you send your newsletter, so your readers know what to expect. Sending during the first week of each month is a great place to start. If you notice strong open and click-through rates, you might want to consider sending updates bi-weekly. Just don’t get in over your head, as you may frustrate readers if you are too inconsistent.
Be cognizant of how many emails you are sending. If you have a message you need to get to clients, try not to send it on the same day a newsletter is scheduled. Over saturation of email messages results in unsubscribes and a shrinking email list.
8
Grow Your Contact List
Don’t forget to keep adding to your email list! If you collect some business cards at a community event, add them to your contacts. If you get an email from a potential prospect with questions about your business, make sure they get your next newsletter. Take your newsletter growth to the next level by installing a form on your website inviting users to subscribe.
Sending a regular newsletter to your clients and prospects keeps you top-of-mind every month. You never know when your newsletter will land in an inbox that gets you an exciting new client!
Charlotte Spangler Marketing Strategist FMG Suite
Educate 401(k) Plan Participants and Receive Compensation
The primary reason employees don’t take full advantage of employersponsored retirement plans boils down to complexity around asset allocation. What if you were equipped to deliver education and personalized recommendations while being compensated for your time?
Clients often ask advisors to review their employer plan options and help select the appropriate investment mix. Previously, advisors were limited to very broad references on asset allocations, like 60% equity and 40% fixed income, when describing a “balanced” portfolio.
Get Specific with the Plan Participant Tool ProEquities has a practical approach to deliver client education for asset allocations in employer-sponsored retirement plans. The Education Model for Retirement Plan Participants is available to advisors that have no connection to their client’s plan. The model allows you to educate clients about their investments and provide instructions on how to allocate assets to meet personal goals.
To begin the education process, discuss and document the client’s risk tolerance. Then find out when the retirement plan assets will be distributed and if there might be other assets to consider for retirement planning like an inheritance. Now the investment strategy can begin.
To populate the model, the client provides a list of employer plan investment options. After your allocation recommendations are delivered, your clients will sign the Financial Services Agreement acknowledging they understand the proposal.
Charge for Education Services Advisors can charge up to $500 annually for this service. To receive payment, a signed copy of the Education Model for Retirement Plan Participants and the Financial Services Agreement must be submitted via STP Transaction code 2300.
This process empowers clients to make modifications to their retirement accounts based on their risk tolerance and the specific investments offered in their employer’s plan. Because advisors deliver recommendations without accessing the client’s plan, some modifications may not be implemented by the client.
Download education services forms from Advisor Portal > Advisory, Planning & Product > Financial Planning > Tools & Resources > Financial Planning Tools and Forms.
Delivering education for retirement savings is a great way to elevate the client experience. Clients are more engaged in reaching their long-term retirement goals when they understand their personal risk tolerance and appropriate asset allocation.
Beth Anderson Retirement Accounts Director 205-268-8316 Beth.Anderson@proequities.com
Elevate the Client Experience
Members of the ProElite Advisory Board demonstrate service excellence in different ways. Whether it’s leaning on their sales team to customize meetings, community events for ongoing engagement, handwritten notes to stay in touch or a unique segmentation structure, these advisors share tips for retaining and delighting clients. In their own words, here are practical examples to help elevate your clients’ experiences.
Troy Perkins Perkins Financial The Woodlands, Texas
“Perkins Financial recently bought a practice with an RIA that had a team of very detailed-oriented office staff. They have kept the new business in fine shape and have made such a positive impact on the overall organization.”
“I’ve gone back and forth about the need for assistants, but this recent experience has been so incredible, I know the investment is well worth it to enhance the client experience. Our team
prepares thorough notes prior to client appointments, including family updates and discussion recaps. This allows me to deliver personalized service to our clients, keeping track of what’s happening with their finances as well as their personal lives.”
Danica Ansardi, CLU ® , ChFC ® , MBA Ansardi Financial Services Belle Chasse, Louisiana
“I hired a marketing and community coordinator to support a number of client appreciation events throughout the year for ongoing engagement. Shred Day is a mini festival designed to safely dispose of sensitive documents. I do a press release, underpin that with social media and invite members of the community, promoting the event alongside the firm’s brand and mission statement. I also host an annual cocktail party at my home for all new clients and their referrals. And our Yappy Hour invites clients to bring their dogs, enjoy wine and appetizers and donate to a local animal shelter.”
“I also feel strongly about the office environment and think that has a significant impact on client experience. When you walk in our lobby, it feels just like my home — it’s warm and inviting with candles burning and warm cookies on the table. My staff offers several options for coffee and tea to make them feel comfortable. We also have a reserved parking space for clients near the entrance, and I’ve even noticed some take a picture of it and post it to Facebook! I know we want our work to be the real ‘wow factor’ but extras definitely set the stage.”
Kim Hellerman-Hersman, ChFC ® HB Wealth Advisors Mentor, Ohio
“Comfort is key for a positive client experience. I have a super staff who enjoys laying out pastries and an assortment of beverages to prepare for client meetings. I also encourage clients to bring their kids, and if they become too distracting, a staff member keeps them company in the next room. My philosophy is that initial meetings are for building trust — sharing, listening and getting to know one another. There is no pressure for checks to be written, because that happens when it happens.”
“To let clients know I’m thinking about them throughout the year, I send cards for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and sympathy notes. I also customize the American Lifestyle magazine and mail to clients each quarter in addition to leaving a few copies in waiting rooms for prospective clients to find. My staff also contacts clients quarterly to ensure their needs are met and schedules a meeting to address any questions or concerns.”
Robin Lawson, CFP ® Financial Solutions La Grange, Kentucky
“We have a structured approach to serving the client experience. I divide clients by revenue or assets into A, B, C and D segments to define different levels of service. Clients that are A, B or C have scheduled reviews and D clients are service-only without planned calls or reviews. We meet with A clients four times a year, B clients biannually and C clients annually. Clients may request a downgraded service level and sometimes are upgraded based on growth potential.”
“We had a very talented summer intern, now an employee, who developed a key client initiative called the First 100-Day Experience. The program focuses on the onboarding process and clearly defines touchpoints throughout the first three months of acquiring a new client, including handwritten thank you cards, phone calls and emails with social media invites and setup instructions for online account access. I’m happy to share our template if you’re interested.”
PROTECTIVE ® INCOME BUILDER
Strong Guaranteed Lifetime Income at More Retirement Ages
68 69 70 72 71 73 66 67 64 65 Select Retirement Age
Guaranteed lifetime income when your clients are ready to retire.
Many clients have a target age or retirement savings goal they want to reach before they retire. But these plans can quickly and unexpectedly change, often resulting in early retirement and a longer time horizon for income needs. 53% of retirees admitted they retired early — and not by choice — primarily due to healthcare issues or job loss. 1 When retirement timing is uncertain, talk to clients about Protective ® Income Builder Indexed Annuity with Guaranteed Income Benefit. It offers strong, guaranteed lifetime income clients can’t outlive, even when retiring earlier than planned.
Download a sample illustration at www.myprotective.com/incomebuilder.
www.protective.com
PABD.1198770 (04.19)
For Financial Professional Use Only. Not for Use With Consumers.
1 Based on data from LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, The Inner Workings of Retirement Timing, Consumer Behavior and Attitudes (2018).
Protective ® is a registered trademark of Protective Life Insurance Company (PLICO) and Income Builder is a trademark of Protective Life Insurance Company. All payments and guarantees are subject to the claims paying ability of Protective Life Insurance Company. Neither Protective Life Insurance Company nor its representatives offer legal or tax advice. Purchasers should consult with their legal or tax advisor regarding their individual situations before making any tax related decisions. Annuities are long-term insurance contracts intended for retirement planning. Protective Income Builder is a limited flexible premium deferred indexed annuity contract issued under contract form series FIA-P-2011 or FIA-P-2010. The Guaranteed Income Benefit is provided under form series FIA-P-6048. Protective Income Builder is issued by Protective Life Insurance Company located in Birmingham, AL. Contract form numbers, product availability and features may vary by state. Protective Income Builder is not an investment in any index, is not a security or stock market investment, does not participate in any stock or equity investment, and does not contain dividends.
