As a Financial Advisor, you recognize how important your email marketing list is to expand your business, but are you running out of ideas to continue growing it?
First, let's look at the stats. The return on investment for every $1 spent on email marketing is $36, however, your email list naturally degrades by 25% every year. This means you need to make a concerted effort to update your email list.
If your email marketing list becomes stale, you’re losing out on valuable opportunities. It’s important to keep the list organized, accurate and continuously growing. But how does a financial advisor accomplish this?
By exploring the following tips.
| If you're a beginner at email marketing, we recommend that you start here. |
Compile A List Of Your Current Client Emails
Before implementing a new email strategy, it's always best to review who your current clients are. Review who is currently in your email marketing software database or your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software while asking yourself the following questions:
- “Who are they?”
- “Where do they live?”
- “What are their interests?”
- “What are they getting from my emails?”
- "Which emails are getting the most engagement?"
- "Which emails are getting the most unsubscribes?"
Gathering this information can be conducted in several ways, which, depending on your clients, can take the form of a quick phone call, taking an online survey, adjusting your intake forms and, if applicable, looking at emails that performed well in the past.
By learning more about your current clients, you will have a clear understanding of who finds what content valuable, providing you with the direction you need to outline content pillars across all marketing channels, including your email list, that is tailored specifically for them.
Also, to take it one step further, you can segment your email list by organizing them with specific tags based on their interest or customer lifecycle to ensure that your prospects and clients are getting highly targeted content that speaks to them.
Once you know exactly who you’re talking to, you can correctly plan your strategy.
Now that we’ve accessed your current client and target demographic, it’s time to roll out the proper assets.
Provide A Clear & Consistent Call-To-Action (CTA) For Sign Ups
There’s a fine balance between being too pushy yet also, too subtle when creating a call-to-action (CTA). That being said, your CTA needs to stand out while also being simple and clear. Do your best to keep your chosen CTA consistent and noticeable across all of your marketing channels.
Whether you include your CTA at the bottom of a blog or in your social media channels (more on this soon), you need to be sure to direct as many potential clients as possible to sign up to your mailing list.
If you are taking the time to generate content that exemplifies the value that you bring in your industry and helps you to stand out online, you will always want to make sure that you are directing that potential client to their next steps.
Embed An Email Collection Form On Your Website
Not including a button to sign-up for a company newsletter is a mistake that many financial advisor websites are currently making. We recommend including a link to sign up to your company newsletter on, at the very least, your blog page, but you could also experiment with having it embedded on your resources and homepage as well.
If a user is digesting your content and is interested in learning more, they’ll want to sign up for your newsletter. Providing users with instant access to register could result in a better conversion rate.
Make it easy for visitors to sign up by making the registration bar noticeable and clear while situating it in a section of the page that will naturally draw the user's attention, normally at the top or bottom of the page. Need an example, look at the CTA we have included right here on this page! (Hint - it's to your right).
Offer Gated Content On Your Website
Gated Content is when you strategically 'withhold' assets from the general user browsing your website. Users can only access this gated content in exchange for their information.
This is an effective strategy to build your email marketing list because you can 'gate' your most valuable content and request the email address of the user requesting access to this information. However, don't forget to let each visitor know that they will be added to your company newsletter and will be receiving messaging from you - from which they have the option to unsubscribe if they so desire.
Typically, gated content can include an educational ebook, a link to a webinar replay, a valuable resource, or more.
Your gated content needs to be informative and insightful, as dull content will mean those who shared their details with you will be more likely to unsubscribe, or not even sign up in the first place.
Be Active Online And Contribute Opinions
This may be more difficult for some advisors, however, we don't recommend shying away from this tactic. The last two years accelerated the adoption of digital marketing, and being active online is no longer an option.
Contribute your opinions and knowledge of the financial industry to various online outlets. This can include hosting a webinar or presenting as a guest on a webinar panel, attending virtual conferences and sharing ideas, or posting your perspectives on social media.
Find online spaces where you can showcase your expertise and answer relative questions, ensuring that these spaces provide you with the opportunity to attach your website, LinkedIn profile, or link to your email newsletter so that those who liked your input can find you.
Also, by contributing content as an expert, you’ll create quality backlinks, which is an added benefit for your SEO.
Funnel Traffic From Social Media
While getting new clients to sign up for your newsletter via social media might seem like a blanket approach, nothing is further from the truth. If you’re reaching out to your target demographic via your email list, you should be following the same strategy on your social media channels.
By creating a social media post that provides value to your target audience and directs social media users to sign up for your newsletter, you’re bound to grow your email list. This can be as simple as leaking some of the content on your socials that you share in your newsletter at the same time your newsletter is released, enticing your followers to sign up to access the full picture.
Also, with social media, you can tailor your posts across various channels, which means you are reaching a larger audience than just those who may come across your website.
Gathering email addresses can occur via multiple means, including the online options mentioned above and now even in person again as the world begins to shift back to optional in-person events, presentations, and conferences. But, with social media, the user journey is far more accessible and efficient.
Include Links In The Email Itself
You may be thinking, ‘but they are already signed up to my newsletter, why would I include a link to sign-up to my newsletter in the email itself?’ Here's why. When your emails include exciting content, your clients will forward them to other parties that they believe will also be interested.
For this reason, you need to include a sign-up link in the email itself. And if you hyperlink your email signature to a webpage with a sign-up link, you’re creating an excellent funnel effect.
While these are all tips that will help boost email numbers on your marketing list, there is an important aspect of email compliance that you must keep front of mind.
Avoid Creating Spam Content
If you already have an email list, then you likely won’t be a stranger to the fact that Canada and the US have federal laws against circulating spam. If you haven't yet, we recommend that you review these so that you’re following all required regulations.
While this might put some financial advisors on the back foot about growing their email list, the process of being compliant is simple and easy to implement. By following regulations such as ensuring your subscribers are opting in to receive emails, and including your business address and the unsubscribe function in the footer of each email - you’re more than halfway there. Also, any reliable email host prioritizes email compliance, making it almost impossible to send out an email that doesn’t follow CANSPAM or CASL requirements.
Once you’ve reviewed the requirements applicable to your location and ensured your email host has the functions necessary to follow compliance, in combination with the other tips listed above, you're ready to grow your email list!
