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Balancing Inbound and Outbound Marketing in Your Financial Advisory Business Presented by John Stone III

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Finding the right marketing balance.

•  For many advisors, about 70% of business has traditionally come through outbound marketing and referrals

•  Yet, studies show that 89% today’s ‘buyers’ begin their evaluation with a web search and 70% of their decisions are made before they meet you face to face.

•  Engaging this ‘new wealthy’ requires a strong digital presence and an inbound marketing capability.

•  Yet, many advisors are out of balance – either relying too much on the traditional outbound or on the new inbound marketing models.

•  In our view, the key is to develop balanced approach driven by the metrics of your business.

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How do you build a balanced approach?

1.  Strategy: Figuring out your revenue metrics.

2.  Systems: Building your balanced ‘system’.

3.  Programs: Amplifying with digital.

There are three dimensions of a balanced approach:

A Revenue Architecture is an agile marketing approach that helps businesses respond to today’s dynamic business environment.

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1. Figuring out your revenue metrics.

•  Set SMART goals and metrics by segment.

•  Build out your ‘model week’.

•  Leverage your “Net Promoters”.

Revenue goals need to be translated into specific metrics and inbound and outbound activities.

Keys to success: Why do it?

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Set SMART goals by segment.

•  Map clients you have now into segments and AUM sizes.

•  Define your growth goals (metrics). •  Understand retention rates and cost

of acquisition. –  How to measure your CAC: http://hub.am/1ak4GFL –  How your CAC ratio impacts cost of growing your

business: http://hub.am/1ak4beT

•  Determine how many new clients do you need in each segment.

•  Determine how many are going to come from outbound and inbound marketing.

•  Translate these metrics into your ‘Model Week’.

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Build out your ‘model week’.

•  Set process goals by translating your client acquisition metrics into monthly and weekly activities.

•  Set specific times for client meetings, outbound calls, administration. •  Strike a work-life balance for sustainability.

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Leverage your ‘Net Promoters’.

•  Your best referrals are going to come from your “Net Promoters” •  The Net Promoter® methodology offers an effective framework. •  Use surveys or client interviews – which also helps you gain insights to

improve your practice and value propositions. •  Equip promoters with tools – e.g. access to web content they can share.

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•  Understand your DXI! •  Engage clients and prospects on

the web. •  Build a ‘right-sized’ social media

presence. •  Take advantage of revenue

technologies.

2. Building your balanced ‘system’.

Your ‘system’ is the foundation for your inbound and outbound marketing and can help drive more predictable performance.

Keys to success. Why do it?

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Understand Your DXI!

The Revenue Architects’ Digital Experience Index (DXI) evaluates eight dimensions of online presence across web and social.

•  Digital experience transcends the website and includes outposts.

•  Design and performance matters – you must capture interest in seconds.

•  Headlines, forms and buttons help drive the web conversion impact.

•  Mobile optimized landing pages increase conversions 40%.

•  Functionality and private portals deepen client engagement.

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Engage clients and prospects on the web.

•  The web is your engagement AND marketing hub.

•  A media-forward presence adds validation and drives confidence.

•  Blog and social media extends your reach.

•  Content and social media makes you ‘discoverable’

Read: “9 Examples of Advisor Websites That Work and Why” http://hub.am/1hzVXWi

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Expose prospects to your web services.

•  Web-based services and tools can ease transition from prospect to client.

•  Your client portal can improve client service as well as help engage and qualify prospects.

Engaging both prospects and clients creates a smoother more effective ‘funnel’

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People respond to video.

•  Use video to introduce your firm and help clients “self-sell”.

•  Example: Dave Grant, a Blueleaf customer http://financeforteachers.com/

•  Keep videos short and modular – “snackable content”.

•  Publish on YouTube for search visibility and sharing.

•  Make a natural, personal, authentic and high quality video – but don’t over produce it.

•  LinkedIn posts with YouTube links have a 75% higher sharing rate.

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Build a ‘right-sized’ social media presence.

of high-net-worth investors are social

media users

of investors want to connect with advisors on

LinkedIn

of high-net-worth investors want

market, trend, and product information

via social media

Investors are social

They want to connect

And they want insights

87% 52% 50%

Source: Adapted from Socialware and Cogent High-Net-Worth Investor Research, 2012.

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People engage who they know, like and trust.

•  Earning trust is enhanced through your remarkable targeted content and peer recommendations.

•  Interesting and informative content adds value and creates a positive connection in the eyes of clients and prospects.

•  Consistent and professional social media profiles extends your brand.

•  Content and social media can help you build a “proprietary audience”

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Take advantage of revenue technologies.

•  Content Management Systems deliver higher performance and managability.

•  The Mailchimp ecosystem helps manage campaigns and convert leads.

•  Larger firms can take advantage of integrated marketing automation like Hubspot and Marketo.

•  Tools like MOZ and Google Analytics help manage visibility and performance.

•  SalesLoft helps with LinkedIn prospecting. •  Cloze helps you focus your social media

engagement. •  Cirrus Insight connects Gmail and Salesforce.

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•  Curate, share and comment.

•  Team up with influencers for a ‘network effect’.

•  Help people refer you.

3. Amplifying with digital.

By extending your relationships in social media and on the web, you take advantage of the network effect.

Keys to success: Why do it?

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Curate, share and comment.

•  Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links.

•  Write and curate good content. •  Invite clients your LinkedIn page •  Publish and Comment in LinkedIn

groups. •  Use clickable hashtags on Twitter. •  Retweet and like the posts of your target

prospects and existing clients. •  Bring your audience back to your website (like your blog) •  Mix in personal and charitable content appropriate to your brand.

List of content “Fuel” and “Vehicles” you can use: http://hub.am/1hzVGmm

Image from integraphix.com

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Team up with influencers for a ‘network effect’.

•  Run webinars with your COI partners to reach their clients and prospect network.

•  Use client portal tools to help bring the COI network together.

•  Leverage content for webinars or to host Meetups.

•  Consider a charitable program.

Image source: businessknowhow.com/marketing/webinar-tips.htm

Additional Help with Referrals Free Guide - http://hub.am/1ak1iur ”How To Attract COI Referrals to Your Advisory Business” Blog - http://hub.am/1ak0YvR “Making COI Work: I send them clients and nothing comes back.”

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Help people refer you.

•  Change the way you think about referrals – reduce friction by enabling the “soft referral” - People can refer your content, not just your services.

•  A resource page or FAQ page and a video helps clients introduce you.

•  Publish articles that your promoter clients can share – and add value.

•  Consider emerging tools like Referron for your close referrer network.

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Summary

Build a Revenue Architecture driven by the metrics of your business to achieve a balanced marketing approach.

1. Strategy: Figuring out your revenue metrics.

2. Systems: Building your balanced ‘system’.

3. Programs: Amplifying with digital.

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Special Offers

1. Announcing the “New Marketing Coaching Program”! Blueleaf and Revenue Architects are teaming up to offer a tailored ‘New Marketing’ coaching program for financial advisors. Visit here to learn more: http://hub.am/1hzNKkW 2. Special Offer for Blueleaf Customers: Complimentary Digital Review Revenue Architects will use the DXI assessment to review your website, social media presence, content and email marketing and identify opportunities that you can address right away! http://bit.ly/17qzbvI

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Thank you

John C. Stone III www.revenuearchitects.com jcstone@revenuearchitects.com 877.REV-EARN (738-3276) http://www.linkedin.com/in/jcstone3 Twitter: @jcstone3

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Credits

•  The following are sources for some of the quotes and statistics shared today.

–  http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2297719/over-50-percent-of-unique-email-opens-now-mobile

–  http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/09/05/20-tips-to-amplify-your-brand-on-linkedin-slideshow/

–  http://www.quicksprout.com/2013/08/01/7-conversion-optimization-lessons-learned-from-eye-tracking/

–  http://contentverve.com/10-simple-things-fix-your-website-copy/ –  http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/3-tips-to-make-mobile-lead-

generation-more-effective-than-desktop-022197.php –  http://www.yext.com/blog/2013/07/facebook-popular-source-of-local-information-

research/ –  http://www.fourthsource.com/search-marketing/seo/four-points-about-backlinks-still-

relevant-2013-15849 –  http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33511/Answers-to-Your-Top-7-

Questions-About-the-State-of-SEO-in-2012.aspx –  https://blog.twitter.com/2013/survey-how-small-and-medium-sized-businesses-

benefit-from-their-twitter-presence –  https://blog.twitter.com/Tweet-tips-Most-effective-calls-to-action-on-Twitter

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An Advisor Compliance Checklist

ü  Prohibit specific recommendations. ü  Maintain database/ archive of

communications. ü  Approve blogs and static content as

‘advertisements’. ü  Real‐time interactive

communications does not require prior approval.

ü  Avoid past or specific recommendations or ‘performance advertising’.

Revenue Architects recommends that you confirm all compliance policies through your own compliance procedures and resources.