5 New Trends That Are Changing Marketing in 2016

Written By : Greg

As a financial advisor, you are already aware of the intensely personal nature of your profession. Your clients trust you with the most important details of their financial lives, placing their future in your hands. That’s why a primary goal of your marketing campaign is to develop and maintain relationships with your target audience (your current and prospective clients). People trust those with whom they interact on a regular basis.

But of course, technology is always a game changer. It has changed the way we all interact, and therefore marketing strategies must evolve to keep up. Take note of these five new trends that reflect how your audience is using technology, and update your marketing strategy accordingly to stay competitive.

Your prospects are in control of your interactions. In the digital age, your audience can and will select the messages they want to hear, watch, or read from you. Consumers also influence how your practice is perceived in the public eye, by sharing their reactions on social media. What does this mean for your marketing strategy?

1. You must focus on creating the content your audience wants to read or watch.
2. You must develop a social media campaign.

Your prospects expect you to engage with them. Take a look at what big-name brands like Coca Cola, Oreo, or Nike are doing on Facebook. They each have millions of followers! Why? Because consumers expect to engage with their favorite brands on social media. Human psychology motivates us to connect with communities of like-minded people, even for something as silly as enjoying the same cookies.

Your prospects and current clients expect to form a relationship with you online. After all, you’re not just the guy baking their cookies; you’re the guy managing their money and helping them build a brighter future.

Internet searches are the new phone book. Every day, Google processes about three billion searches. In the old days, if a prospect needed a financial advisor they might look in the local phone book. Now, most people search for information online. Every successful business must maintain a website in order to stay relevant. Optimize your website so that it appears near the top of search results, and more of your audience will find you.

Every screen is an opportunity. Americans spend more time looking at screens than ever before. It’s not just television screens, either; almost everyone uses at least one computer, smart phone, or tablet on a daily basis. This is particularly true of the higher-income bracket that is so important to your marketing campaign. Your strategy should consider different screen formats and modes of delivery like video.

Consider, also, that Google’s new search algorithm favors mobile-responsive sites. Is your website friendly to smart phones and tablets?

Marketing across all platforms should be seamless. Look again at how big brands are marketing themselves across all channels. They build websites, maintain multiple social media presences, email their customers, and even produce Youtube videos. Your audience expects the same type of engagement from you.

There is no such thing as a single-channel marketing campaign anymore. Your prospects and clients expect to interact with you online, on the channel of their choice, and on their most familiar screen. In order to stay relevant, update your marketing campaign so that you offer the content your audience wants in the places they expect to see it.

Filed under: Financial Advisor Marketing