How Financial Services Providers Can Win Big with Email Marketing

While marketing trends come and go, email consistently delivers results that far outweigh other strategies. Email marketing has an unbelievable return on investment of 3200%. Warren Buffett would approve. He’d also appreciate that this approach is low risk. It’s inexpensive and doesn’t require a lot of technical know-how

Ready to get started? But wait, there’s more.

Email marketing is an excellent strategy for any business based on the reasons above, but it has even more benefits for the financial services industry. When it comes to the person handling their money, clients want someone who knows their stuff – and someone they can trust. Providing an email newsletter with relevant, useful information will reinforce your expert status and help you build a relationship with your customers. Plus, it keeps you top of mind. According to Salesforce, it takes six to eight touches to generate a viable lead. You never know when a client will need more services or a friend mentions they’re looking for a financial advisor.

So, how can financial advisors win big with email marketing? Let’s walk through four simple steps that will have you blowing past your financial services marketing goals.

1. Choose an Email Service Provider
2. Get Email Subscribers
3. Create Great Content (And Keep It Compliant!)
4. Review Email Results and Make Improvements

  While marketing trends come and go, email consistently delivers results that far outweigh other strategies. Email marketing has an unbelievable return on investment of 3200%. Click To Tweet

1. Choose an Email Service Provider

To get started, you’ll need to select an email service provider such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, or AWeber. At a minimum, these tools will help you:

• Create email templates (or use pre-made templates)
• Maintain and organize a subscriber list
• Preview and send emails in bulk
• See reports of open and click rates to measure success

With so many email service providers on the market, it can be a little overwhelming. Most providers offer a free trial, which is a great way to poke around and see if it’s intuitive. Some even have free versions depending on how many emails you’re sending. Once you’ve done a bit of exploring, we suggest making a list of the features you need, reading customer and expert reviews (like these at PC Magazine and Capterra), and then comparing prices once you’re more informed.

During your research, make sure your chosen email provider will integrate with your website and any other marketing tools you might have. And if you’re thinking about hiring a digital marketing agency, you may want to get their input first. Pacific54 has worked with many providers and can offer insights on what would be best for your business.

 

 

2. Get Email Subscribers

Once you’ve set up an account with your email service provider, it’s time to get subscribers! You can begin with your existing clients. To attract more readers, the best strategy is to place a signup box on your website. Just remember to say something more compelling than “Sign up for our newsletter.” That’s not gonna work. What would be appealing to your target audience?

You may want to create a lead magnet. This is a free resource that’s only accessible if the visitor provides their email address. You could offer a helpful checklist or calculator. But don’t worry – it will be clear to the client that they’re subscribing. The email service provider will have an opt-in process (and they can opt-out at any time).

You could also share your newsletter on your social media accounts with a link to subscribe. For example, “If you enjoyed this newsletter, click here to subscribe.” Try adding a link on your email footer too. Just be conscious of how you word it so you don’t cross paths with compliance – more on that later.

To attract more email subscribers, place a signup box on your website. Just say something more compelling than “Sign up for our newsletter.” That’s not gonna work. What would be appealing to your target audience? Click To Tweet

 

3. Create Great Content (And Keep it Compliant!)

Now that you have an email provider and a budding subscriber list, you’re ready to write some content that will keep them reading – and sharing! The great thing about email newsletters is they’re meant to be short and sweet.

Remind your readers about deadlines or new laws, provide tips for financial saving goals, or simply share a personal tidbit that makes you more relatable. If you’re already blogging, you have a newsletter ready to go. Just add your most recent posts with a short description and a link to read more.

But what about FINRA regulations? How do I avoid compliance issues? Like many financial advisors, you’re always a little unsure about writing content because the laws can be confusing. Here’s some advice to stay safe:

• Don’t provide blanket advice. As you know, financial advice should be given individually. Review your language to soften any statements, or avoid talking about specific investment opportunities.
• Avoid linking – Although this is a standard marketing practice, it gives the appearance of an endorsement. This could lead your readers to take that third-party advice. If you must link – be sure it’s a neutral resource.
• Be aware of call-to-action buttons – Marketers often use terms like “Sign up now” to encourage action, but financial advisors are not permitted to solicit, so this could cross the line.
• Keep copies of all your email newsletters – You may want to post archives on your website, which will also help your search engine optimization.

If you still feel uneasy or simply don’t like to write, you could hire a digital marketing agency that’s familiar with financial services email marketing.

4. Review Email Results and Make Improvements

One of the great things about email marketing is the ability to adjust your approach based on analytics.  You can see how many people received the email (in case there are any deliverability issues), how many opened the email, and how many clicked on a link within the email. Most email providers also provide benchmarks, so you can gauge how you’re doing.

Once you’ve got a solid newsletter underway, here are two ways you can improve your email marketing for more impact.

• Personalizing your newsletters – If you serve different types of clients, you may want to create two or more separate newsletters with articles more relevant to their needs. For example, you might have one for retirees and another for those still in the workforce. You might consider sending a different newsletter for clients versus prospects.
• Autoresponders – If you decide to create a lead magnet, you could create a series of emails that cover the topic of the free resource in more depth. For example, you might have a retirement checklist. Once someone downloads it, you could send seven brief emails over a period of two weeks that touch on tips for retirement. It’s all automated within the email provider.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Depending on your email provider’s segmentation options and your time to create content, you can finetune your emails so they resonate more – leading to new business and referrals! Financial services email marketing has great ROI as it is, but there’s plenty of potential for growth.

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If you’re in financial services, email marketing is a must. You’ll reap rewards with just a minimal investment. But if you don’t have the time or inclination to take it on, contact Pacific54. We’ll make the power of email marketing work for your business.