Hello all, welcome to the most useful article on How to Get Clients as a Financial Advisor.

We guarantee you that reading this article will provide you with the steps to create your brand’s identity that will help attract your target audience and eventually convert them to sustainable clients.

So, in this article, our experts will guide you on how to:

Create your brand’s identity
Define your target audience
Establish strategic partnerships
Get clients as a Financial Advisor

So, from digital communication tips to the good old referral program- we have listed everything you need to know to ace building a financial services clientele. 

Let’s begin!

Introduction

The pandemic may have prevented us from reaching our potential when interacting with prospective clients, but that doesn’t mean Financial Advisors can’t hone pre-pandemic methods and develop new strides in building a client base. 

And although no two Financial Advisors or advisory firms are alike, there are always effective methods to attract clients that, when tweaked, will suit your brand’s niche, size, and structure. 

Create Awareness Around Your Brand Identity

Choosing to be a Financial Advisor is like signing up for a competition to see who stands out in the clutter. 

The industry is highly competitive as, after all, Financial Advisors can rake up thousands of dollars annually for those with substantial clientele. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 271 900 Financial Advisors in the US. 

With such fierce competition, it could easily take time to build a client base. 

Building a brand identity that stands out is the key to garnering clients faster than you’d ever think.

The solution to building brand identity is to define your brand’s values and cultivate them in the early stages of becoming a Financial Advisor.

A starting point could be thinking about what you love about what you do? 

Or what you seek to deliver to potential clients. 

Next, think about your look. 

Do your font and logo match the message that you are trying to establish? 

What colors would work best for your brand and website? 

While overlooked, another crucial aspect of building brand awareness is the feel and look of your office space – the interior design must capture your brand values and clients’ interest.

While the benefits of establishing brand identity are difficult to quantify, statistics show that good branding is crucial to growing a loyal customer base. 

All that’s left to do is to use marketing campaigns to make people aware of the brand. 

You can start with organizing free webinars or podcasts for business owners that will help in convincing prospecting clients with your expertise.

And remember that a consistent brand identity is essential to acquiring new customers who identify with your brand values and retain your existing customers.

Define Your Target Audience

Having a well-defined target audience is vital for Financial Advisors wanting to grow their client base.

Your target audience would be the ideal client who would typically accede to your service offering based on your focus area as a Financial Advisor. 

Narrowing down the group of people you are most compatible with conducting business is a proficient marketing strategy that will ensure you tailor your marketing to the specific group of people who will most likely want to interact with you.

A great starting point to finding your niche market as a financial advisor is to identify commonalities of people you provide services to, such as their spending habits or financial goals.

Furthermore, define their age group, gender, salary, and hobbies.

Taking this a step further, you should pay attention to the range of issues your existing clients inquire about and tailor your offering to that growing need so that you can appeal to your target audience.

Lastly, focusing on appealing to your target audience doesn’t mean you can’t serve a broader audience at times. 

It means you have focused on your targeted clientele based on your business model, and expertise, enabling you to bring a high number of people your way who need the expertise.

Establish Strategic Partnerships 

Establishing partnerships as a Financial Advisor creates opportunities to access extra resources and expand your product offering. 

Additionally, partnerships are what you need to gain new clients. 

When finding a partner, being in the same niche is not necessary. 

Look for partners who share similar values to your brand and who will not pose a threat as a competitor. Remember, partnerships are a two-way thing. 

Both parties need to provide a mutually beneficial solution. 

That is, in exchange for exposure to your partner’s client base, what are you willing to offer your partner? 

For instance, you could offer to speak to an organization’s workforce about retirement planning or estate planning with a chance of garnering one or two potential clients from your partner’s firm. 

If you are too busy to commit to a consuming partnership, you can engage with complementary businesses. 

You could leave your business cards at a local gym. 

The business clients could benefit from the complementary services that your firm offers. 

Build an Online Presence 

The pandemic has taught us that having an online presence is crucial for staying in touch with your existing client base and attracting new ones. 

If a prospective client hears about you and wants to learn more, your website and social media profile become your online interface to attract them. 

Therefore, a crucial factor in building your online presence is to portray yourself as a highly competitive Financial Advisor. 

Your website should be clean, responsive and should provide information on your products and services. 

Make sure to check the site’s responsiveness and keep it updated once it is up and running so that clients have a sense that you are on top of your game.

Similarly, social media has become a vital part of business operations as a Financial Advisor. 

Jumping onto platforms such as Facebook or LinkedIn will help you connect with old contacts, interact with existing clients, and communicate with stakeholders. 

It could also be a great way to illustrate your knowledge in the industry through, for example, sharing financial advice.

Consider Paid Advertising 

Paid adverting is one of the most important digital marketing tools available to Financial Advisors to grow their client base. 

The advantages of paid advertising are numerous. 

You can capitalize that most clients look for Financial Advisors online and easily engage prospective clients who quickly seek answers about your services. 

In the past year, PPC statistics have shown that 76% of people who search for a service on their smartphones will visit a business within one day, while one-third of people directly click on paid search ads because it immediately answers their query.

In addition, Google suggests new consumers are more impatient, looking for information online in minutes and deciding to buy almost instantaneously. 

So as a Financial Advisor seeking to get more clients, this is an opportunity you must grab. 

Begin your paid advertising journey by selecting a specific channel based on how your target audience views content, such as Facebook ads or even Google, to run your ads. 

Then, target your ads to your ideal clients based on criteria ranging from demographics, purchase history, location, or interests. 

Finally, when choosing to advertise online, ensure you take care. 

Paid marketing ads are administered by pay per click, meaning you only pay once someone clicks into your website. 

So before you set a budget for paid advertising, make sure you have a hold of the specifics of your target market and keywords thereof so that you ensure higher chances of getting good returns on investment.

Invest in Email Marketing

If you are a new Financial Advisor just starting up your career, a cost-efficient way to promote your advisory firm and bring in your first client is through email marketing campaigns. 

To set yourself apart from your competitors, create an email marketing campaign that is attractive enough to get prospective clients wanting to click and read on. 

Make use of various design elements like visuals or responsive features to make the campaign more captivating. 

And don’t forget to end off with a call to action. 

After all, it is clients you are seeking to attain. 

Organize an Appreciation Event For Clients

Like to be the master of ceremonies at an event? 

Well, whether you do or you don’t, it’s time you become comfortable with the idea of regularly hosting client appreciation events. 

These are important for Financial Advisors who want to rack up many referrals from a more loyal current client base. 

Furthermore, client appreciation events help you boost your credibility and increase awareness of you and your brand. 

And because the trick to soaring in your financial advisor career and building long-term clients is a lot of interpersonal skills, this allows you to show existing and prospective clients a different, more humane light of yourself.

Lastly, the personal element of a client event works more effectively than the classic impersonal periodic phone call, messaging, or birthday card, which won’t afford you any loyalty or long-term commitments. 

So when thumping how to grow clients as a Financial Advisor, create an event, invite current clients and your best prospects and take the opportunity to show them what it is like to be your client. 

And even though prospectives might already have a Financial Advisor, at least you’ve secured your position as the next best thing. 

Join Your Local Financial Planning Community

As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), you might want to join the local Financial Planning community to establish and build your brand’s reputation.

Start by locating your local Financial Planning Association (FPA). 

When part of an FPA, make sure you are visible by getting involved in their various projects. 

If you do not have the time to volunteer to contribute to financial planning events, use it as an opportunity to network with other Financial Professionals.

It won’t take long for people to ask you about what you do, leading to potential new clients.

Create a Referral Program 

An integral part of attracting customers as a Financial Advisor is to set a referral program that effectively spreads the word of your service offering.

Establishing a good referral program begins with providing impeccable services to existing clients, who will likely speak about you to their contacts. 

When it comes to getting referrals quickly, you will need to spend a few coins. 

You could incentivize your referral program by ensuring a guaranteed gift for existing clients who bring in a new client. 

You could set up an affiliate program for blogs to write about you and give them some money for each conclusive referral that they send you.

Referral programs present many benefits regarding setting Financial Advisors up for loyal clients:

  • Clients required from referrals have a 37% higher retention rate, with 81 % of consumers more likely to engage with brands that have an incentive program.
  • When referred by a friend, the prospective client is four times more likely to make a purchase.

So if you haven’t yet developed a good referral program to use customers and other people who identify with your brand to create brand awareness, then your desire to gain more customers should set you on track.

Conclusion

When looking for a Financial Advisor, clients are willing to take their time to sift through a plethora of Financial Advisors to find one who will cater to their needs and match their values. 

To make an everlasting mark and gain more clients, you need to invest time in building a reputable brand, involve the community in robust networking, and utilize digital platforms to build a brand that attracts loyal clients.

Also, to capture millennials who may conduct a Google search before deciding who will handle their personal finance, it is essential to do proper SEO for your website/brand.

Now, let’s answer some of your most pressing questions in the next section.

FAQs

References

Indeed

Investopedia

Extole

BLS

Remindermedia


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